I’ve been thinking that as parents we should try to get rid of the phrase ‘keep them busy’ & swap it out for “keep them engaged.’
When we say ‘keep them busy,’ we’re really saying, ‘get them out of my hair!’ I have to get something done, like a doctor’s visit, a grocery store run or a call for work. How can I keep the kids occupied so I can do what I have to do?
The ‘quick fix’ that distracts them so they don’t distract ME.
BUT, what if we change our mindset & instead find something that will keep them ENGAGED. We get to the same goal, but do it with a little more intention and awareness of how THEY too can benefit.
When we’re trying to ‘keep them busy,’ we do things like hand over the phone & let it entertain them. But if we’re looking to ENGAGE them, we might try something that is a little less passive & instead gets them thinking.
At the grocery store it might look like a game of I Spy. While cooking dinner you can keep them engaged by helping do something like stir or set the table. If you have an important Zoom call you need to focus on, maybe set up a scavenger hunt or encourage them to build a blanket fort. And when dining out, hold off the on the iPad entertainment, & instead play the alphabet game or take out some crayons & see if you can guess what each other is drawing.
Of course, sometimes, you just gotta take the quick hit and hand them YouTube…because that’s life! But, on those moments where you have just a little bit more breathing space, try substituting ‘keep them engaged’ instead of ‘keep them busy.
You might that that tiny extra effort will be worth it because, not only are the activities likely to be more enriching, but they will also probably hold their attention longer than something you just hand to them keep them momentarily occupied.