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When I was a teen, I was very amazed one day as I watched my aunt teach my 4 and 1/2 year old brother how to whistle. I thought it was nuts and he was too young, but he got it that day and whistled endlessly.
DD learned to whistle at age 4 as well and I began to think maybe that was normal. DS #1 is not so great at little things like this. DS #2 comes along and figures out how to whistle just after turning three, whistling away at Christmas tunes. Today he learned to snap his fingers. He is just like this with everything. It is entertaining and scary. He has a focus when he wants to learn something like this and will not stop until he gets it.
Now I wonder what type of activities, for now and thinking into the future, that we could provide him to channel his energy in positive ways. DD was really into art, DS #1 into things like mazes, word finds, dot to dots, and anything to do with graphing out buildings (I know, its a weird one but he "designs" club houses on paper all day long) but we have yet to find something we can give our third to keep him focused in a positive way...instead of stealing junk out of the trash for some imaginary game in his bedroom or sneaking off with stuff. He is not being bad. He takes things he thinks no one else wants that he thinks he as a good use for. He is very observant, sees and hears EVERYTHING like no kid I have ever seen, when I absent mindedly wonder out loud where I set something, he always knows.
Anyway, anyone else have a kid like this and have any idea what kind of activities we could give him that he can do independently? He can already play board games, ect with his siblings and friends but we need something he can do all by himself. Bro and sis have things that interest them that actually keep them busy and happy and out of trouble but he is not as entertained by them as they were at his age and would rather either sit on my lap all day or take things we'd rather him not have off to his bedroom. He is a bit advanced such as he can read, played board games since ten months, ect. That is a big reason we want to find something now, before it gets worse.
Last edited by flik_becky; 10-11-2009 at 04:37 PM..
When I was a teen, I was very amazed one day as I watched my aunt teach my 4 and 1/2 year old brother how to whistle. I thought it was nuts and he was too young, but he got it that day and whistled endlessly.
DD learned to whistle at age 4 as well and I began to think maybe that was normal. DS #1 is not so great at little things like this. DS #2 comes along and figures out how to whistle just after turning three, whistling away at Christmas tunes. Today he learned to snap his fingers. He is just like this with everything. It is entertaining and scary. He has a focus when he wants to learn something like this and will not stop until he gets it.
Now I wonder what type of activities, for now and thinking into the future, that we could provide him to channel his energy in positive ways. DD was really into art, DS #1 into things like mazes, word finds, dot to dots, and anything to do with graphing out buildings (I know, its a weird one but he "designs" club houses on paper all day long) but we have yet to find something we can give our third to keep him focused in a positive way...instead of stealing junk out of the trash for some imaginary game in his bedroom or sneaking off with stuff. He is not being bad. He takes things he thinks no one else wants that he thinks he as a good use for. He is very observant, sees and hears EVERYTHING like no kid I have ever seen, when I absent mindedly wonder out loud where I set something, he always knows.
Anyway, anyone else have a kid like this and have any idea what kind of activities we could give him that he can do independently? He can already play board games, ect with his siblings and friends but we need something he can do all by himself. Bro and sis have things that interest them that actually keep them busy and happy and out of trouble but he is not as entertained by them as they were at his age and would rather either sit on my lap all day or take things we'd rather him not have off to his bedroom. He is a bit advanced such as he can read, played board games since ten months, ect. That is a big reason we want to find something now, before it gets worse.
Does he like to build things? If so get him a bunch of legos and let him go to town. They actually have contests and even in 4-H fairs they have where you can enter creations out of legos and the entries can be in the open class so you don't have to be part of 4-H to enter something. Your other kids could enter projects as well.
He can have them going up slants, stairs, make things drop and roll, whatever. One thing about dominos is that you can always change things up so it's a game that constantly changes.
Does he like to build things? If so get him a bunch of legos and let him go to town. They actually have contests and even in 4-H fairs they have where you can enter creations out of legos and the entries can be in the open class so you don't have to be part of 4-H to enter something. Your other kids could enter projects as well.
He can have them going up slants, stairs, make things drop and roll, whatever. One thing about dominos is that you can always change things up so it's a game that constantly changes.
DOMINOS! I never thought of that! We have a ton of creative play and he plays with his blocks, potato head, puppets, ect. He's only three so I'm looking for things he can sit down and do that he enjoys primarly while homeschooling the other two that he won't bored with doing fairly often. He has had lots of shared play time and has some issues with not wanting to play by himself for a few minutes. I don't mind him playing in the same room but right now he keeps getting his rear sent to play in his room where he forced to be alone and not be disruptive competing for my attention, trying to get me to play with him.
Like I said, DD at that age was content with hours of craft time if she was allowed to go on and on with it, beading ect. DS #1 was/is into drawing and "real" art was well as drawing (as well as a 5 year old can) blueprints to his multiple club houses he's "going" to build.
DS #2 will draw a picture and be done. He will play with his blocks and build something and be done. He'll play a game once and be done. He wants everything to give him more and looks for ways to get that, ie digging in the trash, cuboards, snagging what he things is discarded stuff from the counter to build or expand on whatever is going on in his head. The only thing we've found he's really into are books, which we have no shortage of but mostly as if one of us is reading, which he has literally sat for hours doing.
Another thing, his fourth bday is coming up soon and we are trying to get ideas for that as well so we can get him something in line with him but he most of the stuff I see is physically too difficult as it is developed for kids who are older though his mind may be up to par in that area. The only thing he's asked for is a fishing pole cause that is what he remembers his brother getting on his birthday, which isn't unreasonable. We just want to add a few things he won't get bored with and will enjoy lots of play in the house.
Dominos though leave a lot of possibilities if show him. It's also an easy one to get.
DOMINOS! I never thought of that! We have a ton of creative play and he plays with his blocks, potato head, puppets, ect. He's only three so I'm looking for things he can sit down and do that he enjoys primarly while homeschooling the other two that he won't bored with doing fairly often. He has had lots of shared play time and has some issues with not wanting to play by himself for a few minutes. I don't mind him playing in the same room but right now he keeps getting his rear sent to play in his room where he forced to be alone and not be disruptive competing for my attention, trying to get me to play with him.
Like I said, DD at that age was content with hours of craft time if she was allowed to go on and on with it, beading ect. DS #1 was/is into drawing and "real" art was well as drawing (as well as a 5 year old can) blueprints to his multiple club houses he's "going" to build.
DS #2 will draw a picture and be done. He will play with his blocks and build something and be done. He'll play a game once and be done. He wants everything to give him more and looks for ways to get that, ie digging in the trash, cuboards, snagging what he things is discarded stuff from the counter to build or expand on whatever is going on in his head. The only thing we've found he's really into are books, which we have no shortage of but mostly as if one of us is reading, which he has literally sat for hours doing.
Another thing, his fourth bday is coming up soon and we are trying to get ideas for that as well so we can get him something in line with him but he most of the stuff I see is physically too difficult as it is developed for kids who are older though his mind may be up to par in that area. The only thing he's asked for is a fishing pole cause that is what he remembers his brother getting on his birthday, which isn't unreasonable. We just want to add a few things he won't get bored with and will enjoy lots of play in the house.
Dominos though leave a lot of possibilities if show him. It's also an easy one to get.
I'd see about getting him some of the bigger ones to start with. The bigger ones would be a bit easier to stand up for him and maybe cause less frustration.
My 3yo grand daughter loves to stand up our building blocks like dominos and then watch them fall after she is done.
whistling is good. Yard work, house painting, car washing, vacuuming.
I'm teasing.
Anything that stretches his imagination.
lol!!!
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