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
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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