Fun Things for Kids Left Behind by Siblings Who Go to School

With all the hustle and bustle surrounding the beginning of the school year its not uncommon to leave the little ones out of the loop. Its hard to remember how alone theyll feel when their siblings go off to school as you shop for new school clothes, purchase school supplies and go meet the new teachers. Theyre already feeling less than important as all the older kids get the attention. The inevitable day arrives and the older kids catch the bus while the younger ones often mope and sit alone. Your child might think hes lonely and bored after the siblings have left but you can put a stop to that in a hurry by having some fun with the day.

Let the preschool child play with food. Make breakfast and/or lunch fun by allowing the child to make funny faces, silly characters and other interesting foods. Youll find tons of online recipes that are easy and inexpensive. Kids can make caterpillars with crackers, edible tomato faces and other foods that will make them giggle and forget that their siblings are gone. Typing "cooking with kids" will get you the search results you need to find the fun recipes or you can just check the vast library of recipes, here, at Associated Content.

Also at Associated Content youll find literally thousands of craft projects that will get your young childs mind off of being alone. The child will begin to look forward to the project of the day at your house. The crafts dont have to be complicated or expensive. There are many cheap and easy projects the child can do alone or with your help. He or she will have a real sense of accomplishment when the project is done and hell feel as though he has something cool that his siblings dont get. Have a little school for the child without it being known as that. Set up a chart where you check the weather outside then use stickers or other ways to show whether or not its rainy, hot, cold, snowing or even windy. Your child will enjoy this simply project that helps him learn about weather and seasons. Along with checking the weather you and your child can check the calendar and put a check mark on the day. He or she will learn about the days, weeks and months without even realizing hes learning. Print out dot-to-dots, matching games and similar printable work for the kid. Most kids love to do these types of activities and you can find literally zillions of them online. Choose ones appropriate for your childs age; these are activities he or she can do alone while you take care of housework or just relax. Even though many kids dont like being told to get in the tub theyll happily jump in if you ask them if they want to go swimming in the tub. Theyll be thrilled to play in the water when you let them select some toys to take with them. Although you might not want to let the child "swim" everyday it can be a special treat for a child who is sad and lonely. Its an adjustment when siblings go off to school and leave one behind. He or she can feel left out; thats natural. Your child will be just fine, though, because youll keep him or her so busy and entertained that each day will just fly by. Of course, in no time, that child will join the others and youll have all the time in the world, so spend as much quality time with him now, while you can.