Posted by drozzell on December 15, 2008
A movie night is a great activity with kids, whether you have one, ten, or any number in between. Rent a DVD or video, find a great movie on TV, or watch a video or DVD that you already own. All our kids like watching movies, and we filter what they are allowed to watch based on their ages. My 6 year old daughter doesn’t enjoy many of the action movies that my teenage boys like (although she does like the Star Wars movies!), and many are not even appropriate for her, so when she is with us we may watch an animated movie, a Disney feature, or something similar.
Interestingly, my older son has certain movies he enjoys to watching more than once. However, as much as he likes certain movies, he gets the most enjoyment from watching them when I am watching with him. He wants to share this great experience he is having, and I can see that it gives him a lot of joy! In my household we often make popcorn to munch on as we watch, but whether you enjoy snacks or not is up to you. The most important part of the activity is simply the time together. Family movie night is a great thing to do with kids.
Posted by drozzell on December 13, 2008
Bowling is a sport that almost anyone can play. In fact, I would say that bowling is a sport that is easy to be mediocre at (though very hard to excel at). For this reason, bowling also ranks highly as a fun activity that is easy to do. It is suitable for boys and girls of almost any age. My teenage son and I often go bowling for an hour in the evening or on a weekend. The sound of the ball crashing into pins is exhilarating, and the great feeling you get if you make a strike is hard to beat. My son and I have fun competing, but I also enjoy using the time together as an opportunity to talk about things privately that he might not want to share with other people.
Bowling is also fun for younger kids as well. Most bowling centers now have side rails that can be programmed to pop up when small kids are bowling, preventing the ball from going into the gutter (sometimes I think I need this, too!). In this case our five year old daughter can bowl with my wife, my sons, and me, turning the trip into a family outing. And even young kids can get strikes. I have watched many kids roll the ball down the lane with barely enough speed to reach the pins at the end, and then see every pin go down. That always brings a lot of smiles, and creates some good memories as well.
Posted by drozzell on December 12, 2008
I decided to stop numbering these posts; it was getting a bit ridiculous. But today’s post is anything but ridiculous.
Want to do something fun with your kid(s) and feel like you are doing something good for yourself as well? How about exercising together. If you are a member of a health club and your son or daughter is teenage or older, think about taking your child with you the next time you go for a work out. But going to a gym is not necessary. Maybe you have some weights or exercise machines at home. If so, so much the better, because you have a ready made location and equipment in place. if you don’t have a work-out area at home, you can do this in your back yard, on your porch, or even in your family room. If your child is older the exercises can be more strenuous. For younger kids, even simple things like jumping jacks, skipping rope, push-ups, and running in place will serve perfectly well. The length of the work out will also depend on the age of your kids—maybe only 10 minutes for a 5-10 year old boy or girl, up to an hour for a teenager. This type of time together is also valuable opportunity to talk about whatever is on your child’s mind.
Posted by drozzell on December 10, 2008
Board games such as Chutes and Ladders, Scrabble, Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit, Parchesi are all great. Just pick the ones that you and your kids enjoy and that are age-appropriate. If you like to play cards, have a Crazy Eights Tournament, a Hearts or Spades competition, even a Go Fish! challenge. You probably have a few games that have been traditions in your family over the years. Every now and then, make a night (or an afternoon, particularly a rainy afternoon) of it. Parents, kids, grandparents and even your kids’ friends can get into the games. I personally really enjoy these times. After an hour or so, we often take a break for a snack. Many times we will just get a game going on the spur of the moment with any of the kids that happen to be around and interested. Whether we play for 15 minutes or two hours, games are good ways to spend time with your kids doing something you all enjoy.
Posted by drozzell on December 8, 2008
This is a good indoor activity, especially good if the weather is not suitable for playing outside. Puzzles are widely available and typically very inexpensive. Make sure the puzzle is age appropriate, not too difficult so that your child doesn’t lose interest quickly. If you want the activity to be more educational, choose a puzzle with a theme: the world, United States, the solar system. I think it is best not to help out too much, but rather let your son or daughter work the puzzle with only a little assistance from you. You can scratch your head as you pretend to look for a piece, and maybe occasionally nudge it into view if you see your child is having trouble. One of my favorite puzzles for kids who are about 4-5 years old and up is a puzzle of the United States of America with pieces in the shape of the states. What a great way to learn about the 50 states while doing something fun at the same time!
Posted by drozzell on December 2, 2008
A classic activity, and not to be overlooked, is simply reading to your child. Every son, daughter, grandson, or granddaughter loves to be read to. There are so many books to choose from, and so many of them are terrific. The choice of book matters less than your attitude. Just hearing your voice, happy and full of expression, means so much to a child. In my opinion, Dr. Seuss, with his creative invented words and fun rhyming patterns and word cadences, is about the best there is for younger kids. I have enjoyed McElligot’s Pool since before I could read, when my parents read this wonderful book to me, and I have read that book to my sons and daughter more than 100 times since, I am sure.
My wife and I have read to our kids since they were very young. Now, and I think it is partly but not completely nostalgic, my wife still reads to her daughters, even though they are now college-aged. They still love it! And reading to your child costs nothing but a little of your time. The reward will be to build a lasting bond with your child and create special memories that your child will keep forever.
Posted by drozzell on November 30, 2008
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And our new book “Mr. Buddy and Grandy” is available. The book contains a series of short stories about a grandfather and his grandson and the things they did together–written to be read to a boy or girl, but also enjoyable for adults. The overarching theme of this book is that just doing simple things together with a child pays big long-term benefits in building a strong relationship. Click the Buy Now button to pay by Pay Pal or credit card.
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Posted by drozzell on November 29, 2008
If you prefer a healthier option than cookies, try this fun, quick and easy alternative. Slice some fruit and cheese and create a fruit and cheese platter. Pick whatever items your child likes—grapes, apples, bananas, pears, peaches, nectarines strawberries, orange sections, tangerines. There is almost always something in season. Add some whole grain crackers such as Triscuits to eat with the cheese. Depending on the time of year, there are often local specialties. I grew up in an area with many strawberry farms where you could even go and pick your own. During the season the strawberries were plentiful and delicious. Sometimes it is fun to experiment with less common fruit like mangos, dates or figs. Your son or daughter will almost certainly enjoy this!
Posted by drozzell on November 28, 2008
This activity is always popular. Everyone likes cookies, and baking them can be almost as much fun and eating them. Easy-to-make recipes are widely available (Nestle’s Toll House, for example). If speed and easy clean-up are priorities, you can just go for the slice and bake variety—they are surprisingly good! Your child can help arrange the clumps of dough on the cookie sheet. A tradition at my house is to taste a little of the raw cookie dough. In 10-15 minutes your cookies will be ready to eat!
Posted by drozzell on November 27, 2008
Teaching a young child to use his or her imagination is great fun, and helps teach a useful skill. A game of pretend can be spontaneous or planned, but however you get started let the stories evolve as you and your child each tell part of the tale. Let your stories develop and build off of each other. Some of my favorite story lines are living in Alaska, going deep sea fishing, camping in the mountains in the snow. Just make up what happens as you go along, taking turns to add to the adventure. As this is Thanksgiving, your story line could be about being a Pilgrim and having the first Thanksgiving feast with Native Americans. You will be amazed at how creative young kids can be.
