Activities that are fun, build closer relationships, and cost little or nothing to do
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Posted by drozzell on January 24, 2009
There are many simple card tricks, including a lot of self-working ones that even a young kid can learn. I recommend getting a book from the library or book store with easy-to-learn tricks and teaching your son or daughter how to carry it off. (It might be a good idea to practice it yourself first!) Then let your child show off for the family or friends. Card tricks always seem to be crowd pleasers.
Posted by drozzell on January 21, 2009
I can remember as a kid the first time I listened to “Peter and the Wolf” with narration by a well-known actor (don’t remember which one). This was the first time that I began to understand how music could convey a story and a mood, although I did not understand it nearly as clearly as I do now. “Peter and the Wolf” was conceived and written as a short musical symphony for children to help cultivate a taste for music in kids of early school age, and it succeeds (IIMHO). Each character has a signature theme played by a different instrument, so not only is listening to Peter and the Wolf fun and interesting, but it is also educational. You may find that you like it as well, humming the main theme for the rest of the day.
Posted by drozzell on December 28, 2008
I really like things that I can do with my kids that are also good for me, such as exercising together. Even better is when the activity helps others as well. Try signing up together with one or more of your kids for a walk-a-thon or walk for charity. You spend some fun time together with your kids, get outdoors for a little exercise, and support a good cause, all at the same time. This parent-child activity is like having your cake, and eating it with frosting!
Posted by drozzell on December 18, 2008
Is the weather too cold for a “camp out”? Not really up to sleeping outside yourself? Then make a “tent” or “fort” with bed sheets and blankets and pretend to have a camp out—really a camp-in, since you will do this activity with kids indoors, not outdoors. You can lay out sleeping bags, or just layer a few blankets on the floor. Bring flashlights and turn off the lights in the room to create the feeling of a dark night. Take turns telling scary stories. No camp-in would be complete without some food to enjoy together. Snacks are even more fun when shared under the makeshift tent you have created.
Posted by drozzell on December 17, 2008
This post is admittedly self serving, but so be it! My new book “Mr. Buddy and Grandy” is a group of short stories about a grandfather and his grandson and the things they did together. 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. Although the stories focus on a grandfather and his grandson, many of the same activities would translate equally well to things that any adult could do with children, boys or girls. Fully illustrated, “Mr. Buddy and Grandy” was written in a style for reading to children, yet also enjoyable for adults.
This book is a tribute to my grandfather to memorialize what my he did for me, and also to offer ideas to other parents and grandparents of activities they can do with their children and grandchildren. I believe that the more time adults and children can spend together exploring the world around them, just doing simple things together, the stronger their family bonds will be and the better prepared for adolescence and adulthood the children will be.
“Mr. Buddy and Grandy” is available directly from the author at his Web Site http://www.rozzell.com. The author can be contacted by e-mail at david@rozzell.com.
(60 pages) Perfect-Bound Paperback, fully-illustrated, $12.95 post-paid when paying with Paypal account or a credit card through Paypal
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
Ok, with a brand new blog on Things to do with Your Kids, here are the goals for the coming year.
1. Exceed 1000 RSS subscribers
2. Write and market first e-book
3. Figure out how to make Twitter work to bring more web site traffic
4. Launch second site
