{"id":1401,"date":"2023-03-09T12:50:02","date_gmt":"2023-03-09T16:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/dcc\/big-kids-need-interaction-too-8\/"},"modified":"2024-08-14T16:11:49","modified_gmt":"2024-08-14T20:11:49","slug":"big-kids-need-interaction-too-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/dcc\/big-kids-need-interaction-too-8\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Kids Need Interaction Too"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Just because a child is old enough to occupy themselves, doesn\u2019t mean that they should be expected to do so the majority of the time.\u00a0 Host families have a certain expectation of activity and involvement for their children. Get the kids engaged and active. You <em>can<\/em> be more fun than the TV or a video game.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-2830\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdf\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/02\/Kids-play-LabyrinthX-2-.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"491\" height=\"327\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p><strong>Problem:<\/strong><br \/>\n<em><strong>But, my kids don\u2019t want to do anything but watch TV or play video games.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Solution:<\/strong><br \/>\nInstead of saying, \u00a0\u201cWould you like to\u00a0(fill in the blank with any activity)?\u00a0 The answer will often be, \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Try this, \u201cNow we are going to\u00a0(fill in the blank with any activity.)\u00a0or \u201cWould you rather do \u00a0_____ or ______?\u201d \u00a0Make sure both the choices are good options.<br \/>\nYour chances of co-operation are greatly increased. Even kids who are reluctant to try new things will usually get in the spirit of things and have fun if you pick a good activity.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Problem:<\/strong><br \/>\n<em><strong>I don\u2019t know what to do with school-age kids.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Solution:<\/strong><br \/>\nLook for ideas online. Google \u201cactivities school-age kids\u201d or \u201cactivities tweens\u201d. You can also take part in an au pair webinar on this topic. Below is a list of some ideas to get you started.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cooking<\/li>\n<li>Making things (check craft stores like Michael\u2019s for kits and models that are age-appropriate)<\/li>\n<li>Going to fun places (pottery painting, jewelry making, farms, museums,\u00a0mini-golf, go-karts)*<\/li>\n<li>Sports (soccer, tennis, swimming, bicycling, roller skating, ice skating)*<\/li>\n<li>Let them teach you to do something they enjoy. Kids this age love being the expert.<\/li>\n<li>Get outdoors and visit local parks.* You can even make a project of reviewing all the local parks (what kind of equipment they have, is there shade, water fountain?)\u00a0 They can write this up and keep it so they remember which ones they want to go to again and which ones to skip in the future.<\/li>\n<li>Let them help you search and plan some activities.<\/li>\n<li>Check on the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/aupairinamerica\/\"><strong>APIA Pinterest page<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and here on our cluster blog for\u00a0ideas.<\/li>\n<li>If you have a GPS, try taking them geocaching.\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/\">Here<\/a>\u00a0is a website with all the details.<\/li>\n<li>Use technology to get them off the couch and sneak in some exercise. The phone app Pok\u00e9mon Go includes activities that are unlocked by taking steps. There are Pok\u00e9stops and gyms at many places they might enjoy going for walks like parks, nature trails, walk\/bike paths, and downtown areas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>*Always get permission from your host parents before taking the kids places and remember to follow social distancing and mask-wearing protocols.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Just because a child is old enough to occupy themselves, doesn\u2019t mean that they should be expected to do so the majority of the time.\u00a0 Host families have a certain expectation of activity and involvement for their children. Get the kids engaged and active. You can be more fun than the TV or a video  <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/dcc\/big-kids-need-interaction-too-8\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":202,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,387],"tags":[11,584,16,353,421,585,423,424],"class_list":["post-1401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-au-pairs","category-kids","tag-activities","tag-engaging","tag-fun","tag-interaction","tag-school-aged-kids","tag-teenagers","tag-teens","tag-tweens"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Big Kids Need Interaction Too - Capital City Au Pairs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Explore activities that promote social growth and emotional health in children. Engage with your child for a brighter future!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/dcc\/big-kids-need-interaction-too\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Big Kids Need Interaction Too - Capital City Au Pairs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Explore activities that promote social growth and emotional health in children. Engage with your child for a brighter future!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/dcc\/big-kids-need-interaction-too\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Capital City Au Pairs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-03-09T16:50:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-08-14T20:11:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdf\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/02\/Kids-play-LabyrinthX-2-.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Maria Clements\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Maria Clements\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/dcc\/big-kids-need-interaction-too\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/dcc\/big-kids-need-interaction-too-8\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Maria Clements\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/dcc\/#\/schema\/person\/0936a55cffbee64340a3cf20ea39fc3a\"},\"headline\":\"Big Kids Need Interaction Too\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-03-09T16:50:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-08-14T20:11:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/dcc\/big-kids-need-interaction-too-8\/\"},\"wordCount\":430,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/dcc\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/dcc\/big-kids-need-interaction-too\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdf\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/02\/Kids-play-LabyrinthX-2-.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"activities\",\"engaging\",\"Fun\",\"interaction\",\"school aged kids\",\"teenagers\",\"teens\",\"tweens\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Au Pair Tips\",\"Kids\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/dcc\/big-kids-need-interaction-too\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/dcc\/big-kids-need-interaction-too-8\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/dcc\/big-kids-need-interaction-too\/\",\"name\":\"Big Kids Need Interaction Too - Capital City Au Pairs\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/dcc\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/dcc\/big-kids-need-interaction-too\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/dcc\/big-kids-need-interaction-too\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdf\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/02\/Kids-play-LabyrinthX-2-.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-03-09T16:50:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-08-14T20:11:49+00:00\",\"description\":\"Explore activities that promote social growth and emotional health in children. 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