Monday, April 21, 2014

Thunderstorm Ideas for Preschoolers


Spring thunderstorms can play havoc on playtime and bedtime routines, causing the house to be a bit crazy!  Most kids, and especially preschoolers, have a fear of thunderstorms.  This is completely natural, and most will grow out of that fear, but there are some ways that you can help your preschooler work through the storms.  We can all remember when our parents would do everything from singing songs, to making up stories about God having a bowling tournament or that God was building our home in heaven and He had some big dump trucks working and flashing their lights.  As parents, we are always looking for new ideas to help our kids, and we wanted to share some of our ideas with you!

1)      There are a number of good books that talk about thunderstorms.  One of the best ways to help children overcome their fears is to get them talking about it.  Some of these books talk about fear of storms, while others help explain why thunderstorms and rain are good things!  Here are a few of our favorites:
 
a.       Just a Thunderstorm – Gina & Mercer Mayer 


  
b.      Thunder-Boomer! – Shutta Crum



c.       Why Does It Thunder & Lightning? -  Chris Arvetis, Carole Palmer

 
 
2)      Start a new and exciting, one-on-one project when you start hearing the thunder roll.  Make sure that you are completely engaged and focused on the activity and your child, so you can be ready to react when that loud thunder claps and the bright lightning strikes!  Here are some ideas for creative projects for storm time:

a.       Pull out the water colors!  Paint a picture of what rain, thunder and lightning looks like, but then talk about how it makes the flowers grow and the rivers flow!

b.      Start Gardening!  No, we are not saying to take your kids out into the storm, but spread out a sheet on the kitchen floor and plant some potted flowers, vegetables or herbs.  Talk about how everything you are planting needs water to grow!

c.       Make a fort!  This might be our favorite rainy day activity, and it has the bonus of blocking out the visual of the storm, making your kids forget all about that rain and wind pounding the windows.  Pull out the sheets and the clothespins and build the castle of their dreams!  Arm them with flashlights, glow sticks, stuffed animals and watch the fun begin!

3)      Create a Silly Storm Box!  There are times when the storms are so loud that all of the above ideas just don’t work.  Then it’s time to pull out the Silly Storm Box.  Take a tool box or any box that you have around the house that is easy to carry and store in a closet.  Stock it full of playdough, fun books & doodle pads, paper dolls, small lego sets, etc.  You can find all sorts of toys and trinkets in the dollar bins at stores, and they are just enough to help occupy through the storm!  The excitement of having something new to play with will be something exciting and will make your child focus more on what is in the box, than on what is going on outside.

Try these ideas during the next storm!  Make sure to let us know how well they work for your family by commenting on our blog or on our facebook page!

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