Nothing is more important than giving your family the love and attention they deserve. The bonds you form when they are young can help to shape the quality of their future relationships – as well as yours! Finding unique ways to spend time with them can help strengthen those bonds and create special moments that will last a lifetime.
In this economy, it can be hard to go out and have fun together because of the expense. But you shouldn’t let that stop you from having fun with your family – because there are many ways you can have fun for little or no cost. Using your imagination is your best asset!
Let’s look at what kinds of activities you can participate in with your dog to build up a lasting bond. The more you get your pet involved in helping you plan and participating, the more fun you’ll have with them.
Game Night
Kids of all ages love to play games! You should have a weekly get-together to connect with your loved ones and have fun. Games are a wonderful way to spend time as a family, learn skills like taking turns, sharing, working together to win the game, and keeping score.
Many people of all ages love games. The best way to help your child learn to read is by playing a game with him or her that’s geared toward their age and reading level. You can also play learning games with your child on teams, using flash cards or paper to write down words as you play. And remember, there are many different kinds of games for kids of all ages, so talk about the types of family games you enjoyed when you were young!
You can bring some snacks to the family fun night too. It would be interesting to make some pizza perhaps or maybe another type of food that could easily be made in bulk before hand.
Nature Walk
Kids are kids. It’s great as an adult to just be kids again and enjoy the simple pleasures in life. If you have a park nearby with nature trails, spend some time with your children taking a walk on said trails or maybe even making small journals and then sitting down writing about what you see as well.
When you take a walk in the woods, it can feel like a huge world, one that is just waiting to be discovered. And while you are out there enjoying nature, take something with you and keep an eye out for things like small plants, animals and other items that catch your attention and interest. A magnifying glass will help you see the details up close and using a guide about them may even make it educational for you to learn more about what’s all around you! When you get home after such an adventure, organizing all of these items by making a collage is always fun as well!
You might not have a park close by, but that’s okay! Go for a walk and you’ll find nature nearby no matter where you are. It’s important to get kids as early as possible out of the house so that they can do things on their own without having an adult watching over them all of the time. Get them going outside in nature to find things that they never noticed before when playing on their own where it may be quiet and peaceful away from all the comings and goings in your everyday life. Kids love this moment of independence, it helps them develop independence skills which will help later on in life like knowing how to take care of themselves when they go off to college or when they start working after graduating.
Paying close attention to nature and keeping careful track of its changes throughout the year is a great and educational way for kids to learn more about the world around them. In this way, parents can teach their children that there are interesting differences in whatever time of year it happens to be, from springtime when flowers begin to bloom and trees come out with new leaves to winter when snow sparkles down from sky during the night.
Backyard Camping
Everyone should learn how to camp but it can be expensive and time consuming. To save on both, try staying in your own backyard! All you need is a tent, sleeping bags, and your favorite hiking gear to enjoy some peace and quiet out of doors. After all nothing beats going camping close to home.
When camping, one will require essential camping essentials like a tent and sleeping bags for each person or even just a few warm blankets depending on where you plan on setting up camp. You can cook out with other members of the company around a campfire and not be too far from home while you tell ghost stories. When nature calls, however, you are near to an indoor shelter which offers electricity as well as most modern conveniences so there aren’t any problems at all!
This is also good practice if you’d like to take a trip away from home. Your children can get used to what it’s like to sleep under the stars by setting up camp in your yard or even the living room. Then when it’s time to go farther away, they will already be accustomed to what camping is like and will be less likely get scared just because they aren’t familiar with the new environment.
Crafts
Enjoy making crafts with your family! This can be done by using all sorts of materials like paper towel rolls, egg cartons and old newspapers. The best thing about doing this kind of activity is that you can use your creativity to make numerous fun items, so get together and let the fun begin!
When you keep and set aside supplies, such as tape, glue, and markers, throughout the year they become useful in creating arts and craft projects. One can display these newly created works of art around the house or in mostly a place that your child’s play place is located at. Replace them when necessary when making an art project again or as the season changes over time.
Local Museums
It’s important to show children the value of education, so enroll them in local educational programs where they can learn through cultural exposure. Many museums offer community outreach as part of their mission statement and as a way of exhibiting their collections.
Plan a family fun night at your local art museum, history museum, or science center. Bring a journal from home and encourage your kids to visit their favorite exhibit and then write down their thoughts on the exhibits they saw while there. Afterwards, talk about these findings as a whole family!
Tour Your Own Town
Many people are aware that there are lots of tourist attractions that line the streets of many different towns, but there’s something most don’t realize: people tend to not even visit these locations in their own town. It’s kind of crazy, isn’t it? Why not make it a point to spend some time checking out places like this in your hometown today?
Making travel with kids more fun can be a daunting task, but there are plenty of things you can do to ensure it’s an enjoyable experience for all. For starters, checking with your local chamber of commerce or visitor’s center to see if they offer free maps that show popular local attractions and landmarks (such as museums, parks, restaurants and hotels). These can help you come up with exciting things to do while on vacation. Discuss the different activities you’d like to include in your trip with the whole family before setting out so everyone has a say in what will be done and where the group will go – this way everyone knows what to expect from day one!
While touring, make sure you are taking lots of photos and compiling them in a photo album when you get home. This way when you look at the album it will remind you how much fun you had on your trip out of town!
Put on a Play or Puppet Show
Children love to use their imagination. So why not turn your living room into a puppet theater? Parents can help make toy props — like tea sets and little cars — and kids can write scripts, create costumes and produce their own mini-movies. You can do this with music, or even without; kids are often less distracted by background noise than adults!
If you have a video camera, we want to encourage you to film your child’s play production. Children love getting a glimpse of themselves in action during their younger years and watching it later because they never knew back then that they would be as skilled at performing. To make sure that everyone including you as the parent is having fun, we recommend encouraging your kids to do as much on their own as possible but offer occasional help if needed.
Plant a Garden
You can also involve your children in the gardening process by having them plant their very own garden. Teaching kids about sustainability and how to grow food for themselves goes a long way in terms of helping them understand just what it means to nurture something that’s healthy and edible. Not only will this give them a sense of responsibility, but they may have some fun along the way!
As a child, there’s nothing better than growing and nurturing your very own plant. You’ll be amazed at the results and will take pride in knowing exactly where they came from. With appropriate planning, it is not hard to cultivate a few plants as part of your learning routine. A lot of parents ask us about a good starting point for kids. One easy way to go about it is by asking some important questions like what kinds of veggies do you prefer? What type of soil are you going to use? Where is it easiest for you to grow them? Once that’s all figured out, then it’s time to move on and look into getting started!
Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts are great ways to make a fun day out of an entire weekend. If your family has the next door neighbors close, you can team up and have a scavenger hunt contest. You can come up with a list of things to locate or actions you take while in your town. Bring along a digital camera, and get started!
Scavenger hunts can help build relationships, provide some laughter and even help the team stay fit and healthy. They’re also a fun way for everyone to enjoy themselves. One idea is to ask all of your employees to get their own copy of the city map and draw out checklists that involve checking off landmarks in your town such as museums or shopping centers. Teams will have to cover more ground to find everything on the list, which means they may end up exploring parts of town they never knew existed. Another idea is always putting a twist on things by making sure there’s a special missions that involves teams competing against each other for example having contest like who can collect items from willing neighbors (which are always fun and useful). Whatever you decide simply make sure you involve the whole team!
You can make the game even more fun by awarding prizes for winners. For example, a prize could be organized in the form of a silly “trophy” made from household items, or so-called losers may be tasked with doing basic services for the winners.
Family Cooking Night
Moms and dads don’t have to be the only ones to help prepare a meal. Therefore, get kids involved in planning the menu for their favorite tasty treats or mouthwatering meals such as grilled hamburgers or spicy bean burritos. Young children should also be included when it’s time to take everyone grocery shopping so they can select their favorite snacks, individual ingredients and more!
If you want to let your kids get more involved with mealtime, you can make a “restaurant” as an added activity and allow them to take orders from family members. You’ll get time to rest now that they’re helping you out!
Picnic
Kids always love to have a picnic, especially when the weather is good. When you have an outdoor picnic, you can spread out the blanket on the grass and eat your lunch together with family and friends. In case that it rains or if it’s too cold for an outdoor picnic, you can have a fun indoor picnic in your living room instead. Spread out your blanket on the carpet and set up a few snacks and some beverages to enjoy!
Picnic items great include fried chicken (with or without legs), sandwiches, chips, fruit (cherries included), fresh vegetables and dip, lemonade, and cookies. Let children help make the meal and pack the picnic basket. Don’t forget to bring napkins and utensils with you when you go out to do this as well.
Letter Writing
If you have family members who live away, a fun way to spend time with them is by arranging a letter-writing night. You can each take it in turns to write or draw something for your distant relatives, who will probably be shocked and excited to receive cards from wherever you all are! Then simply put the individual notes into one bigger envelope then send them off via post!
It is possible to get a family member who is currently out of the country to respond back to you via a letter sent through the mail. This makes for fun and exciting use of a pen pal relationship, especially because you may not see some individuals very often and can use the letters as an opportunity to encourage correspondence with those who live far away or whom you might not otherwise see on a regular basis. It’s also great when you receive something in the mail which feels like a real piece of mail, even if it’s just an envelope! You can also exchange pictures or small gifts with an overseas relative – this can be another fun way to continue building your pen pal relationship that has now flourished with many behind locked doors conversations between two individuals sharing much more than simple letters.
Plan an Etiquette Dinner
Eating can be a turn-off when it comes to enjoying oneself. If you have pleasant manners, it’s likely that people will not think twice about joining you for dinner at your house. To learn more about proper etiquette and dining habits, hosting an etiquette dinner is the perfect way to get an inside scoop. As an added bonus, you could even invite over some people who don’t know what etiquettes are!
Teach children with demonstrative gestures on how to set the table properly, to put their napkins in their laps, and how to pull the chairs out properly. You should also explain the proper way to eat foods using utensils and to eat together silently.
We may not think as much about manners when it comes to our own children at home because we assume that they know enough about them, but it’s always important to teach them good manners for the future. It may seem that it doesn’t matter so much if your children are polite when at home enjoying a quiet dinner together with the family, but you never really know what kind of social situations they might be required to face in the future – so you might as well teach them how to behave properly from home!
Put the Puzzle Pieces Together
Puzzles are an interesting way to have time spent together as part of a family, and it offers hours of entertainment. The best part is that you can do it almost anyplace at work or at home. And the good news is they don’t cost much money.
When you have completed a puzzle, it’s not hard to save it for another time. You can either save it or let it disassemble and leave the picture lying around like wallpaper, or you can inject your life with more creativity by framing and displaying the pictures to remind yourself about the memory you created with your loved ones. The older the members of your household are, the more challenging the puzzles should be so that they can create deeper relationships with one another as times go on!
Service Project
As a family, volunteering as a group is a volunteer opportunity that you can all enjoy together. You can serve food together or pick up litter in your local park. These are two activities you will all enjoy doing together that will also benefit others in need and make your neighborhood more pleasant to live with too!
Another great date idea that works year-round is to visit an elderly home, or one for children. You can also just make cookies as a family and deliver them to your neighbors! It’s all about the little things. Working together to serve others is one of the best ways any family can bond with one another because you aren’t just serving people, you are being human.
Prepare for an Emergency
It’s a good idea to spend some time really digging deep and gaining additional knowledge on how to handle emergency situations at home. We suggest coming up with an escape plan and designated meeting places, in case of any natural disasters that may occur.
You can talk to your children about the importance of fire safety and the right steps to take in that case. When you hear the smoke alarm, it is best to stop pouring water or baking soda on what’s burning and rather to STOP, DROP, AND ROLL; this ensures that their sensing will be functional once they wake up from their unconscious state. If you’re in an area where tornadoes or earthquakes occur, discuss ways to stay safe as a family including collecting materials that could bury you if debris fell through your home.
Learn a New Skill
As a family it’s fun to learn new things. Maybe try taking a cooking class together, maybe take up a sport that everyone can play at the same time or maybe attend an art class.
Practice is important if you want to be really good at something. Once you’ve learned a new skill make sure to keep up practicing it outside of class! Arrange nights together to play the new sport or spend time cooking a family friendly meal. Practicing will help avoid forgetting things learned in the classroom!
Fun Doesn’t Have to Be Expensive
It’s important to spend some quality family time whenever possible – even though you’re likely to find there are always a lot of things for most families trying to make ends meet that get in the way. One way you can still spend some enjoyable time together is by taking inspiration from people who aren’t afraid to take something from elsewhere and then use their imagination to create something wonderful that works for them and their specific situation – like here!
