Planning different activities for your kids can be a challenging task. They may get bored easily or want to go back to whatever screen held their attention before. In addition, you can’t always take them to the go-kart track or spend a ton of money on whatever is on the docket for the weekend.
You shouldn’t feel like you have to either. You don’t always have to have the most incredible, world-changing idea. Sometimes the simplest things can be the most enjoyable and create the best memories. You’ll have to start thinking about it more now that summer is coming along.
In case you’re running into “activity-block”, here is a quick list to get those gears turning.
Invent a Household Game
Let your kid’s imagination run wild to see what they can come up with. Look around your house for items or different ideas. Try to take an old classic game, like hide-n-seek or tag, and add a certain spin to it.
Instead of playing baseball with the old bat and ball, why not play it with a tennis racket and tennis ball? Play a game of Scrabble but you’re only allowed to use invented words (provided they give a real definition). Or come up with your own board game!
The options here are endless and can only be restrained by your own thinking.
Give Baking a Try
Perfect for a rainy day, dust off a recipe book and see what concoctions you can come up with. Maybe you can try to make your grandmother’s famous chocolate chip recipe or come up with your own recipe.
Why not go wild with it as well? Instead of making a bunch of different chocolate chip cookies, what would happen if you tried to make one giant cookie? You could also try your hand at different shaped pancakes or whatever else comes to mind.
Start a Classic Movie Tradition
There are tons of classic movies out there and you can consider it your duty to show them to your kids. When they’re old enough, start to bring out some of your childhood favorites.
Make Saturday night a classic movie night and start watching one in the series. Here are some to get you started:
- Indiana Jones
- Jurassic Park
- Star Wars (the most recent three optional)
- All Marvel Movies
- James Bond
Fire up the popcorn, get comfortable and rewatch some of the greats. If the weather is agreeable, you could also set up a movie outside. You would need a big white sheet or open space on the side of your house to project it on. There are tons of small projectors that won’t break the bank either.
Get Educational
Reading is a great activity and fortunately for everyone, the public library has tons of books to check out. Head down to the library and grab a book for you and your kids. You can take turns reading to each other or telling each other what is happening in the story.
See if there are any events that museums are holding. Lots of museums have activities for children like scavenger hunts, puppet performances or plays. It can also be a good time to sit quietly while your child is occupied.
Get on Your Bikes and Ride
Find a local bike path you and your kids could enjoy. Make it your own special trek from your house to the river or the special climbing tree.
If they don’t know how to ride a bike, now is the perfect time. From there, they can start riding with you on special trips.
Start Fishing
Even if you’re not an expert fisherman, there’s not much to putting the bait on and seeing what you can catch. It can be a fun tradition to make your way to the water and see what’s there.
You may come up empty, but you can still have a fun afternoon. Pack some snacks and be sure to take plenty of pictures if you do lure in a big one. Remember to keep the fish story alive and make sure the fish gets bigger and bigger every time you tell it.
Make a Fort
One of the classic activities, you can make a fort by grabbing all your blankets and pillows while pushing the couch together.
You can make one outside as well by getting some limbs and branches to put together your next abode. The wind may blow it over eventually, but it will be a fun activity for all involved.
