Entertaining Isabella without TV

A reader named Chrissy wrote to me and asked how we entertain Isabella without TV or video games:

We build towers from a set of wooden blocks and laugh our heads off when the towers fall down.

Towards bedtime, we sit on the couch and listen to classical music on the crank-up radio and try to hum along. Isabella sucks her left thumb, and if she is feeling generous, she holds up her right thumb for me or Michelle to suck.

We sit on the steps to the neighboring building and talk to people walking by. Isabella chooses the particular step and says, “Sit here, Daddie.”

We walk around, going nowhere in particular, and Isabella shows me how she can run, moving a lot, in her toddler body, like the tin man before Dorothy gave him oil.

We dance and we dance and we dance.

We take turns giving Mommy kiss attacks.

I stick my finger under Isabella’s arm and leave it there till she says “wiggle it.” I do and we squeal with laughter.

We talk about all the things we can see and say hi to them all: “Hi cars, hi buildings, hi sky, hi trees, hi dog, hi lady…”

We ride over to the Hudson River Park where Isabella always walks to the rails and says, “Hello river, how are you?”

We play in the fountain in Washington Square Park, where Michelle worries that the water is too dirty but can’t help cracking up at Isabella’s joy.

We go to the new swimming pool for kids and their parents on Thompson Street in SoHo, where an 11-year-old boy keeps trying to get Isabella to give him a high-five but she just smiles because she is too shy.

We eat lots of grilled cheese sandwiches cut in long strips and I fruitlessly attempt to get Isabella not just to bite off the cheese and give the bread to Frankie the dog.

We make bread together, which means I make the bread, and Isabella stands on a chair and takes everything out of the kitchen drawers and drops it on the floor.

We cook together, which means I cook, and Isabella stands on a chair and takes everything out of the kitchen drawers and drops it on the floor.

We stomp the laundry in the bathtub together. “I’m splashing with my feet,” Isabella says.

We wash the dishes together. “You need my help, Daddy?”

We roughhouse on the bed together.

We ride aimlessly around on the No Impact Mobile (our tricycle with a back seat for Isabella), seeing what we can see and singing This Old Man if it’s sunny and The Old Man is Snoring if it’s raining.

We bang things really loud.

If Michelle isn’t there, we tell her things all the same and wonder if she can hear us in her mind.

We practice seeing who can scream the loudest.

We play hide and seek

We examine Isabella’s body for booboos and kiss them all.

We practice jumping really, really high.

“We go weee, weee, weee,” which is Isabella’s way of saying we go to the swings.

We go for a bike ride over the Brooklyn Bridge, and stop in the middle to look at the other bridges, which Isabella adores.

We go somewhere with Isabella’s best friend Hannah. When they greet each other, they hug each other really hard, lose their balance, fall over, and start crying. We then cheer them up by putting them side by side on the No Impact Mobile and ringing the bell a lot.

We put Isabella’s hair in pony tails and then she goes and shows them to “my sister Frankie”—the dog.

We play fetch with Frankie and Isabella laughs her head off.

We read books.

We call the grandparents—Nanna or Grannie or Poppie or Jojo or Poppa—on the phone and Isabella gets so excited that she talks too fast to get the words out.

And at bedtime, we sing “Somewhere over the Rainbow” and a James Taylor song that starts “Well the sun is surely sinking down…”

Comments

[patti]

I raised 2 kids without tv or video games. Kids thrive without being entertained by flashing lights. When people ask what we do with ourselves, I answer, "Everything else."

[Nev]

It sounds like you have a great time together. One of the nicest little articles I've read for some time :-)

[Rox]

Touche - Isabella is a very lucky little girl and you are creating memories that will last long after the no-impact experiment is over.

[Lynn]

We have 2 boys under 3 and no TV and I get that question all the time. Beautiful post.

[Frank]

They asked what you did - I would say you lived and loved your family. Your post made my morning! Keep it up no-i,pact man - ROCK ON

[Katy]

How late does Isabella stay up?

We chase the fireflies in our neighborhood park here in the Bronx a little after 8:00. Somehow, it never gets old. Perhaps Madison Square or Washington Square Parks have some fireflies that need chasing.

[Lissa]

This is delightful. My nephew was born on Sunday afternoon, and my niece is 2-1/2 -- I'm forwarding this on to both moms later this morning.

[Darcy]

Thank you for this nice sweet post. Your daughter is a lucky child to have y'all for her parents.

[Deb C]

Great post Colin. I think of all the children with TV and video games and I feel sorry for them (and their parents. They are missing out on so much. You are one cool dad.

[tracey]

:) What a lovely list...

[Deb G]

This is wonderful! I grew up without a television for large parts of my life. My mom says that children just need to be a part of what's going on around them. She also feels that my brothers and I are very good at entertaining ourselves as a result of no/limited TV. I've actually only owned one TV in my life, for about 6 months and then I got rid of it because I never watched it. It was given to me by someone who thought I'd like one....

[Cheryl]

What a lovely post, that's exactly how childhood should be.
Thanks for making me smile this morning!

[emily]

what a beautiful list.

[gmpicket]

The years that I have been TV-less have been my most enjoyable and most productive.

[HistoricStitcher]

Outstanding!
My son is seven now, and he's been raised with no TV. He'd far rather play outside or read a book than sit in front of a box with flashing lights. I recently offered to let him watch a DVD when he was sick and I had to work at home and he politely refused and wandered off to read a book in bed.
Also wanted to let you know we've instituted a "no van on the island" rule here. We live, work, and have family on an island (10miles by 3 miles)and while we still use the minivan when we have to leave the island, if we're staying on, then it's bikes for us! You inspired us. We'll give it a month and add something else.

[Leslie]

Can anybody make sense of how yesterday's blog contrasts to today's? If there's ever a question of what is right and what is wrong, what gives life meaning and what destroys life's meaning, it might be here.

[AnnaV]

What a fantastically inspiring post! In my opinion, this will motivate people to be less impact far more than any news report. People want to be happy and the three of you sound very much so. Thanks for sharing!

[Greenpa]

FABULOUS!!!!!! I think you've written what will become a classic answer to that question; certain to be quoted for centuries.

:-)

[Mandy]

My kids are 4.5 and 1.5, and don't watch TV. We bought one a few months ago, but save it for after the kids go to bed. They stay plenty busy!

[Beth]

This is the sweetest post yet!! I love the posts that give insight into what you do with your time. I think it is wonderful that you are creating so many lasting memories with your daughter. What do you think she will remember more...watching the same cartoon over and over again or taking walks with Daddy and talking to all the living things you see along the way? I love it, all of it, and I am sure the three of you are enjoying each and everyday without the hassles of TV, video games and all that other junk that takes up precious quality time!!!

[Garnet]

Hello Colin,
Isabella is blessed to have this attention at this point in her life. It is also wonderful to read how you and Michelle obviously love your daughter.

You and Michelle are doing wonderful things to stimulate the growth of Isabella's mind. When she reaches school age the teachers will be able to tell within minutes that your child is loved and recieved grand attention when she was little.

One of my dearest friends is a 2nd grade school teacher. By second grade the children who did not recieve this possitive parental attention have already fallen far behind their peers.

Reading to her, singing, saying nursery rhymes are all so vital to her brain growth. Isabella will be a good reader, because of what you are doing. All of that stimulates the part of the brain which has to do with reading.

Isabella might like to play with homemade Playdough while you make bread. Children her age love to copy everything the adults are doing.

Here's a link to some good homemade playdough recipies:
http://babyparenting.about.com/cs/activities/a/playdough.htm

How blessed you and Michelle are to have Isabella in your lives.

~Garnet

[Sara]

Kitchen Math. When I was little I helped my mom in the kitchen a lot. But it wasn't just cooking. It was learning math, I'm a whiz with fractions; and politics, we always had public radio on and I always wanted to know why people thought and said what they did; and anything else that I happened to have endless questions about.

But really I'm sure she does plenty of entertaining herself. I feel like there is too much emphasis on external, TV or mom and dad. Kids can make up thier own games and play alone or with friends without someone telling them how to.

[tansy]

what?! you mean you actually parent your child instead of letting the electrical box do it for you?! what kind of a human are you!!

we too get this question a lot and it always amazes me how much people don't want the kids to be involved with their lives. i love having my 2 1/2 year old 'help' me with everything i do. she loves to do the dishes and roll out dough and all sorts of things and does it pretty darn well!

what a great list you have!

[jewishfarmer]

Nice post, Colin. Someone once recently asked my kids what their favorite toys were.

My oldest's favorite toy is a guitar. Second favorite is the dog.

My second son's favorite toy is his baby brother Asher. His second favorite is the sling I made for him to carry Asher with on his back.

Son #3's favorite toy is the garden. When told he could pack a toy to take to visit Grandma, he packed a salad he picked from the garden, so that she could see all the things he grows.

The littlest one (a bit younger than Isabella), when asked what his favorite toy was said "Brothers!"

Sharon

[Sara]

Lovely! My favourite blog yet. I don't have a child of my own to share it with, but I think I'll say hi to everything today just because it sounds so perfect.