long shabbos activities

RedVines

Sun, Jun 22 2008, 6:10 am

Could we compile a list of activities for these very long shabbosim with a bunch of children?

I need to have a better attitude about summer shabbos....and I think it would help having a list of ideas!

TIA

Raisin

Sun, Jun 22 2008, 6:13 am

reading, going to the park, friends houses, playing in the garden, keep some toys and games just for shabbos.

RedVines

Sun, Jun 22 2008, 6:52 am

thanks, I would like to add...

-mother may I?
-candyland, checkers, connect 4,
-duck duck goose
-shabbos party
-davening and parsha

flowerpower

Sun, Jun 22 2008, 6:55 am

We make a brachos party. Each plate is filled with a different bracha foods. Then everyone takes mezonos foods from the mezonos plate. We go around the table and everyone takes a turn saying the bracha loud and then we all answer amen. Then we go the haetz plate...The kids look foward to it every week.

Raisin

Sun, Jun 22 2008, 7:38 am

I sometimes make a resturant for shalosh seudas - set up different foods on the kitchen counter, and the kids are customers and order what they want.

mugsisme

Sun, Jun 22 2008, 8:23 am

I have a backgammon board that is just for Shabbos. We play acey-ducey (found directions here), which my kids love. We read books, and we have a box of Shabbos games. Binary Arts makes a lot of great Shabbos games (Rush Hour is one). I have a Shabbos box for the baby, where there is all non-mukseh toys. Again, this box is only brought out on Shabbos.

My older kids to my younger ones to visit grandparents later in the day.

the Brachos party sounds nice. I used to make a Shabbos party for them when the older ones were younger.

Mama Bear

Sun, Jun 22 2008, 8:33 am

My husband watches my son for an hour while I nap, then I play with him for 2-3 hours while he naps, then we both occupy him together....

costanza

Sun, Jun 22 2008, 10:23 am

A cute game (that can last a long time if the kids are into it) is "Fortunately, Unfortunately". Each person takes a turn saying a sentence, one starts with the word fortunately and the next person with the word unfortunately.

For example,

Fortunately, Shlomo got a pet dog.

Unfortunately, he pees on the carpet.

Fortunately, Shlomo's mom has a great mop.

Unfortunately, it broke.

And on and on. It can be very cute (and if your kids are like mine, it will inevitably involve bodily functions).

Broken telephone is also a lot of fun.

And card games.

In terms of board games, our favorites are: Othello, Battleship, Mastemind

mimivan

Sun, Jun 22 2008, 12:51 pm

these are great ideas. It is so hot here in Yirushalaim, that I can't take them out until 4 or 5...(even by 11 it is too hot to go out) Sometimes I manage to take them out from 9 to 10 or so and again in the early evening, but I am getting too tired for this twice a day.

board games are out because the 2 year old would mess them up. They like to sing and dance together...and they pretend to perform (those of you who support the concert ban might not like this)

They have little cars they ride inside...
The older one likes to read, but the younger one gets bored, so this is a challenge.
We have davening time with songs..even the little one likes this
They play with trains, legos (I was told they can play with legos until about 8 years). The best unexpected things was a box of mixed stuff I hadn't organized...they liked pulling out random stuff.

Our apartment is really too small to play tag, but we have done this out of desperation...sometimes we kick small balls around inside.

They go out for a long time in the early evening. Abba learns with the older one after his nap and I take the 2 year old out in the stroller for a bit...then we all go to the park until dark.

If you can't tell..they have to stay active and occupied...otherwise they fight over toys all day...