I sometimes wish I had the amount of energy my kids do.  Can you relate?  It's great for them but can be hard as a parent when we are exhausted with all the things.

The first thing I want you to consider is dropping the guilt for feeling too tired to play.  Are you willing to shift the story you tell yourself and drop the should’s?  We ALL feel like that sometimes and it is totally ok to take the foot off the pedal now and again. Luckily there are ways to keep your kids amused for those times where you are too tired to.  I wanted to share a bunch of ideas and a mix based on the age of your child.

<1 Year old

Though independent play doesn’t happen for long at this age there are ways to engage when you are low on energy.

1. Lie on the floor

   • Yup just lie on the floor with your LO and talk to them in a playful or calming voice.  They love the sound of your voice.  Too tired to even talk?  Lie down and play some of your favourite tunes.  Just ensure there are no hazards around!

2. Blow bubbles

   • Don’t have to be <1 to love this one but instead of a toddler that will run and catch them babies will be mesmerized and entertained by them and doesn’t take much energy to do it.

12-18 Months

Too tired to play with your toddler? They are likely moving alot more at this age.  So getting them active while you don’t have to is key when you’re tired.

1. Dance party

   • Play some awesome tunes and you might find the energy to shake it or watch your LO bust a move

2. Tupperware party

   • My boys would keep so busy in a drawer of Tupperware.  Challenge them to match the tops and bottoms.  Give them a few words of encouragement while you sip your coffee, tea or other beverage of choice.

Also watch for their sleep cues because I used to often mix up crazy energy with being over tired.  You might be surprised that a lay down with soothing music is just what you both need.

18-24 Months 

1. Arm Chair Games

   • Sit on the sofa and play balloon volleyball.  Have your child count how many times you can pass it back and forth without it falling on the group.  Want them to tire out?  Hit challenging shots in every direction while you remain in 1 spot!

2. Test their strength

   • Lay in bed and be dead weight (tough one right?), see if your kiddos are strong enough to roll you over.

3. Creative wake up

   • Lay down and pretend you are sleeping making loud snoring sounds.  Your kids need to wake you up in creative ways....do this at your own risk!

4. Play doctor

   • See a common theme...lie down.  Have your child examine you.

3-4 Year old

1. Scavenger Hunt

   • Hide something and have them search for it but set boundaries on where they can go so you don’t have to worry about them getting into something they shouldn’t

2. Memory Game

   • Ask them if they can remember what they had for breakfast, lunch or dinner yesterday, day before, see how far back they can go.

3. Tell a Story

   • No not you.  Ask your child to tell you a story.  Sit back and enjoy their creativity

4-5 Year old

When you are too tired to play with your child, try some of these challenges that kids this age love.

1. Ball toss

   • Either indoor or outdoors.  Get a basket and some balls and see how many they can get in within 5 min.  See if they can beat their score.  

2. Sensory play

   • Set out a bucket of water somewhere you don’t mind if it spills and let them pick some water friendly toys to play with in it.  My kids did this with their sea creatures and had a blast.

   • Kinetic sand if you have is fun and creative.

   • Playdoh.  Challenge them to make something, like balls of different sizes.

3. Drawing or colouring

   • Get a colouring books, print a colouring page or have them draw whatever their heart desires

   • How about you sit down and ask them to draw your portrait

6+ Year old

While many of the above games work with kids of all ages, here are some older kids like as well:

1. Family reading time

   • Reading together as a family is a great way to connect and do something low key.  Most kids, no matter the age, still love being read to.  I love reading my boys some of the classics that I grew up with.  Right now we are reading “The Hobbit”

   • This can also be audio books.  

2. Extended Family Facetime

   • Ask someone from your extended family, if possible, if they would read to your child over screen time or play a game virtually or just chat.  This is great for extended family that don’t live close by or when there are pandemic restrictions.

3. Screen Time

   1. Yes it’s totally ok to let them have some screen time when you are too exhausted to parent.  

   2. Remember our needs matter and if we are exhausted, we can't do our best parenting so weigh the pros/cons of withholding screens but losing your cool versus giving them some screen time while you recharge.

Final thing to keep in mind is that you do NOT always have to entertain your kids. My favourite response to, "I'm bored." is "I know you are so creative so I can't wait to see what you come up with."  Let them use their imagination. This will reduce their dependence on you. Read more about the benefits of boredom here.

Much love,

Jenn