1. Watch some Internet TV together
My children and I love to watch Internet TV together. They particularly enjoy watching promotional videos for toys submitted by children themselves, hilarious video blogs addressing the quirks of our culture, and hilarious videos for babies and children. There is no dull moment with this one.
2. Share great reads together
Snuggle up and enjoy reading aloud from a beautifully illustrated book like one by Winnie The Pooh or Mercer Mayer. Children never tire of these books. The illustrations are amazing and the words are perfect for your attention span.
3. Do crafts with them
A great way to enhance your child’s creativity is through arts and crafts. This is always a winner with kids. Instead of using crayons to color pictures, why not cut pieces of art paper and stick them onto the picture like a mosaic or let their imaginations run wild by letting them randomly paste the cutouts together to create their own art?
4. Prepare a snack with them
Baking a cookie is quite easy and very interesting for any child. Young children will definitely enjoy cutting the dough with a cookie cutter, while older children can do it step by step with you. Both of you will greatly enjoy covering your cookies with chocolate and colored chips or simply drawing a face with simple icing.
5. Write a book with them
Most children love to spend time simply drawing. Mine has used countless notebooks illustrating the heroics of his Marvel/DC fueled mind. Why not create great memories with your drawings by asking them to let you make it into a true comic hero story?
6. Join them to play with their favorite toy
Build blocks, play with their dolls or action figures, enjoy tea time – join them as they play with their favorites and you’ll be amazed at how time flies.
7. Have a picnic in the tent
Any kid would have a blast with this one. Pitch up the tent, spread out the picnic blanket, and grill or fry up some sausages. Cook some popcorn too. Put on their favorite movies or just let them play in the store.
8. Make a small potted garden with them
Basil, thyme and sage – delicious herbs as they are quite easy to grow and safe for children. It’s also a smart way to get them into your kids’ diet, as they’re more likely to eat what they plant.
9. Supervised Bath Play Time
Let them have a lot of fun with the water. Let them bring enough toys: water guns, ducklings, etc. Just make sure to watch them closely.
10. Play a board game with them
My kids, ages 11 and 4, and I love playing Monopoly. My oldest son can review his math skills at any time. My little girl trusts me for everything but, oddly enough, she ends up hitting her brother and me most of the time. We always have great laughs afterwards.
Fun doesn’t always have to be outdoors, much more traveling. From time to time though, it’s great to have our children’s memory bank filled with beautiful images and their minds charged with new knowledge and experiences. Still, home is where the heart is. It is the best place for our children to spend the best moments, whether it rains or shines.