1. Watch some Internet TV together.
My kids and I love watching Internet TV together. They particularly enjoy watching toy promotional videos submitted by children themselves, hilarious vlogs addressing the quirks of our culture, and funny videos for babies and children. There is no dull moment with this one.
2. Share great reads together
Snuggle up and enjoy reading aloud to them 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. Make crafts with them
A great way to enhance your child’s creativity is through arts and crafts. This is always a winner with children. Instead of using crayons to color pictures, why not cut pieces of art paper and paste them onto the image as a mosaic or let their imagination run wild by letting them randomly glue the cutouts 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 coating your cookies with chocolate and colored sprinkles or just drawing a smiley face with a simple frosting.
5. Write a book with them
Most of the children love to spend their time just 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 turn it into a true comic hero story?
6. Join them in playing 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. Set up the tent, spread out the picnic blanket, and grill or fry up some hot dogs. Cook some popcorn too. Put on their favorite movies or just let them play in the store.
8. Make a small potted garden out of them.
Basil, Thyme, and Sage: Delicious herbs as they are fairly easy to grow and safe for children. It’s also a smart way to introduce them into your kids’ diet, as they’re more likely to eat what you plant.
9. Supervised Bath Play Time
Let them have a lot of fun with the water. Let them bring enough toys: squirt guns, ducklings, etc. Just make sure you keep a close eye on them.
10. Play a board game with them.
My children, ages 11 and 4, and I love playing Monopoly. My older son can brush up on his math skills anytime. My little girl trusts me for everything but strangely enough, she ends up hitting her brother and me most of the time. We always have great laughs afterwards.
Fun does not always have to be outdoors, much more traveling. Although from time to time, it is 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.