When was the last time you had fun?
How about genuine fun with your kids?
If you have to think hard, you are not alone. We all want to have fun and be more fun, but there is never a shortage of things to do such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, running errands, work, etc. You know, all the not so fun adulting stuff.
Yet, our kids are definitely having fun! In fact, we drive them to many fun activities such as playdates, birthday parties and sports activities. However, it’s important for us to engage and join the fun. Having fun with our kids is key to building relationships, enhancing connection, establishing memories and keeping open lines of communication, especially important as our kids get older and gravitate towards friends.
Kids definitely grow too fast and we want to have wonderful, fun memories with them. No worries if the ideas don’t come naturally or if you are too busy to think up some fun activities. Below is a list of tips and ideas on how to incorporate more fun into your days. Your kids will be thrilled!
Tips to Get Started:
- It can be helpful to have a list of ideas and supplies ready for impromptu fun while you can schedule specific activities when your schedule allows.
- Look at your strengths and talents as well as genuine interests of your kids and build from there.
- Ask for your kids’ input to create a fun bucket list or family bucket list. You might be surprised what they come up with.
- Try not to multitask. Be present and give your kids your full attention.
- Get your kids involved in clean-up, so you can enjoy your time with them and not dread the clean-up after messy fun.
Some Fun Suggestions:
- Cook or Bake together with the kids. Depending on their age, they may have fun picking the dish or item to bake.
- Build a fort. Grab a flashlight and read books, sing songs or make up stories in the fort.
- Have a “Yes” day similar to the movie and let your kids pick the meals and activities (you can give them choices to keep it reasonable).
- Have a picnic at a nearby park, playground, beach or your backyard.
- Paint rocks, old boxes, posters, etc. You can do this outside or put an extra shower curtain on the table to help minimize the mess.
- Pajama Day – stay in pajamas and play board games, watch movies, create art, etc.
- Movie night – make it special with selected snacks and popcorn.
- Game night – try rotating the games and try new ones.
- Join a video game that your kids are playing. (“Just Dance” is fun!)
- Play a quick game of your kids’ favorite sports (soccer, basketball, tennis, etc.)
- Get out in nature. Go for a walk, hike or bike ride.
- Put on music and have a dance party.
- Play hide and seek.
- Make home-made Play-doh or use store bought and have fun with creations.
- Dig into Legos and make something cool together instead of just stepping on them!
- Plant a garden together and watch it grow. Bonus if you can cook with some of your garden items.
- Visit new spots in your local town.
- Go on a scavenger hunt.
The ideas are endless, but the key is that you want to tailor the activities to match what you and your kids/family will enjoy. I hope you and your family have lots of fun together in 2022! We could all benefit from more fun and stronger connections.
By Danielle Jackson, Show up with Danielle
Danielle Jackson is a mom to three active kids and a certified life coach from Life Purpose Institute, an ICF accredited program. She has worked as a marketing professional in both the corporate and non-profit sectors and more recently in education including teaching Conversational English while living in Japan with her family for 4 ½ years. Danielle’s passion is helping stay-at-home moms and those in stagnant careers uncover their unique gifts and skills to translate these into new opportunities, so they can feel purposeful and energized again. Her family of five now resides in St. Johns, Florida and you can often find them at the beach or a sports field.
Danielle would like to invite you to join her Facebook Group: A free community to help moms find more time for themselves, explore career direction and create fulfillment without the mom guilt.
You can also find her on Instagram
