I’ve just been sitting down with my Kindle and a chai latte reflecting on how lovely and calm today has been!
In years gone by, today has always been the worst day for the kids going into full on hyper excited mode but today, with the kids aged 11 and 14, I feel like we’ve turned a Christmas corner.
Don’t get me wrong, they’re still excited and they still want to do Christmas things with me which is lovely but at the same time, they also have their own things that they want to be getting on with and I may have even seen one of them getting a bit of a head start on their homework while the other one tidied their room!
Thinking about how hyper they’ve been at this time over recent years inspired me to write a quick post about to calm your kids down when they’re hyper although I should point out that by ‘hyper’ I just mean excited in a normal way. These ideas work on my children who have always been quite easily distracted by activities like these but I know they won’t work on all children or all levels of hyperness (is that even a thing?).
Oh, and number 4 totally works although I know most won’t agree with that one!
1. Get out of the house
Get everyone wrapped up and get out of the house for an hour or so – the longer the better as that will tire them (and you) out quicker. The park with bikes or scooters has always been a favourite of ours as I can have a leisurely walk around the lake with the dog while the kids shoot off everywhere and tire themselves out.
2. Watch a film together
When my two were a bit younger I used to record a film or buy a DVD that I knew they would both really want to watch and save it for hyper afternoons. We make some popcorn and snuggle up and watch it and because it’s one I’ve been saving and they’ve been looking forward to watching it, they usually stayed settled for at least most of the film.
3. Get them colouring in
Colouring in is relaxing (when you’re not fighting over who has what pen that is) so sitting them down at the table and I always found that getting them to colour in for a while was a great way to calm them down, if only for a little while. I have some great little bookmarks to colour in and print out if you fancy giving them a go….
Or for older children you could print out one of these more complicated pictures to colour in.
4. Lift any electronics restrictions for the day
I know this one won’t go down well but for the sake of your sanity, if you only let your children on their electronics for a limited time then give yourself a Christmas present and lift the restriction. One all afternoon session of Minecraft isn’t going to do them any harm and it will keep them quiet and out of your way.
5. Go Swimming
In the past, I’ve even taken my two swimming when they’re in hyper mode. They work it all out at the swimming baths and come back home exhausted usually.
6. Give them an early night
A bath followed by a warm cup of milk and an early night is often just the thing to calm them down and in the past it’s worked wonders with my two. They rarely went straight off to sleep though but the rule was that they could read or play as long as they stayed in their rooms.
What works for your child?
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