Fun Times with the Big Kids

Eliza Clark
November 15, 2010

We love preschoolers beyond belief: their imagination, their wild and wacky ways, their energy, their cuddles and sweetness. It’s very hard to think of them growing up and becoming… big kids.  Yet it does happen rather quickly, for there is only a very thin band of time separating preschool and grade school.

When that bridge has been crossed, and nary a “T” is to be found on any of their clothing tags, life continues.  Indeed, it continues with consolations – significant consolations – and that’s what we’re here to talk about today.  So rather than preemptive mourning, let’s do a little anticipating of all the exciting activities we’ll be able to enjoy with our soon-to-be big kids.  Here are just a few that make us happy:

Museum visits.  We do take our preschoolers to museums, especially of the natural history and children’s variety.  Sometimes, with a fair amount of strategic planning, we even take them to art museums.  But with big kids, it’s a whole different story.  We can talk about artists beforehand, we can sit and sketch together, we can refrain from saying “no touching” every two minutes.  Heaven!

Playing catch.  Big kids can catch a ball.  Wow!  So much fun.  I mean, all you need is a ball to throw back and forth, and you’re pretty much set.

Riding bikes.  Ok, ok. So some preschool prodigies learn to ride their bikes at age three. Fine. But most kids master the two-wheeler around age six, and what a blast it is to ride around side by side!

Air travel.  Big kids can easily entertain themselves with coloring, games and movies for a long, long time. And then, they have a snack and take a nap. Far-flung destinations, here we come!

Reading chapter books.  No one loves picture books them more than we do here at the Savvy Source.  But there’s something about snuggling up with a chapter book and a kid who will happily listen for long chunks of time without fidgeting.  And there’s something about watching our big kids get absorbed in their own independent reading.  Just thinking about all the great books they have ahead of them (as we do here and here) makes us smile.