Ideas for a playtime (5 year old)

Hi every1.

I have a 5 year old boy. I would love to spend some more time with him
one on one. After i pick him up from school i just tend to put a tv on
for him and. But i would love to sit down and make things with him.
Arts and things.

So if you have any good ideas please let me know.
What do you do with your kids?
Anything would be great.

toypup...

We walk around the block, which DS loves. I walk, he rides a bike or
scooter or something. We go to the park, but he goes off on his own there.
We play board games together.

JennP....

Good for you for taking the initiation to get that tv off. I know how easy
it can be to just turn it on and ds will never complain. :) Without knowing
your ds and climate, some things that come to mind are pretty simple. Lego,
playdough or clay, do a puzzle together, read a book, watercolor paints,
simple beading, etc. For outside activities I know my ds (6) loves hockey
and can go outside and play street hockey for a long time. Bike/scooter
riding, play soccer, etc....

It doesn't have to be some big planned craft or elaborate game. Keep it
simple and he'll appreciate it the most.

Thanks a lot.

Nikki...

I'm not so crafty but that is OK because my 5yo gets his fill in school and
is not so interested in arts/crafts at home. He likes to
Play card games
build things with blocks or logs
puzzles
play board games
cook
play dough
read books
to cold here to do outdoor things right now but he likes all that stuff too.

I also have a 7yo so they spend a lot of time playing their own pretend
games

Jeanne...

I'm not artsy or crafty at all so I can't help you with the arts.

I take DD (9) and DS (3.5) to a neighborhood park (several other
children from school go there but when we started it was just us). It's
cold now but they really like it so we go even when temps are in the
30s(F). Once I took a kite, they couldn't get it to fly but they had
fun running around with it. DD also takes dolls and other stuff. DS
will gather sticks and pinecones and make a "fire" or "fireplace".

When it's really bad weather, I let them rollerskate in the house
(another reason to forego furniture). We may bake brownies (at 5, he can
stir and pour). DS likes to do jigsaw puzzles, in an afternoon we may do
4 or 5 (25-50 piece puzzles). Both kids like to build things so we do
Legos, blocks, and most recently Toobers and Zots (?).

Knit Chic...

We do quite a bit of cooking, DD can stir, mash or tear. There is also
playdoh, playing card games, art projects, yoga, going for walks, putting
dish soap on the countertop and drawing pics into the soap (you will also
end up w/ a very clean countertop) And when I'm not in the mood to do
something side by side w/ my children we will often just sit down and read.
I think it's important for kids not only to read but to see the adults in
their life read as well.

Jeff...

You can find lots of artsy ideas at Crayola.com as well as you local Target
stores.

Besides the ideas that Jeanne had, kids love toy trains.You should be able
to find a starter kit for around $40. The kit would have an engine, a few
cars, track and transformer. Bachman, IMHO, is the best for this.

stasya...

I don't do crafts with my kids. (I couldn't care less about crafts, but
my babysitter loves crafts, so they get their creative wiggles out with
her.) However, we do play a lot of games, card games, board games. Most
of the kids I know *love* card games. And they can take either 5
minutes, or an hour, so its very flexible.