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.

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.

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!

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.

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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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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!

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!

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.

This is a great activity for parents or grandparents. Assuming you have one or more a pet dogs, a great way to spend time with your son or daughter (or grandson or granddaughter) is to simply take the dogs for a walk around the neighborhood together. You are doing something that you need to do anyway, but with the bonus of having a chance to walk and talk with your child. He/she will love holding the leash for at least part of the walk, and you both get some light exercise as you have a chance to talk together without the interruptions that you might get in the home. Don’t forget to carry a doggie bag to pick up after your pet, if necessary. Doing this also teaches a good lesson to your child or grandchild.

For Immediate Release

Burbank, California — November 25, 2008

“Mr. Buddy and Grandy” is a compilation 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 was a labor of love to memorialize what my grandfather did for me, and also to offer ideas to other adults of the things they can do with their children or grandchildren,” said the author David Rozzell. “I believe that the more time adults and children can spend together exploring the world around them, just doing simple activities, the stronger their family bonds will be and the better prepared for adolescence and adulthood the children will be.”

Along with the book, a pamphlet “25 Things To Do With Your Child: Things That Are Fun To Do and Won’t Break the Bank” will be offered free of charge with every book purchased. “Given the financial pressure that everyone is now facing, it is especially important to find inexpensive ways to build and maintain good relationships with children,” Dr. Rozzell added. “The message of “Mr. Buddy and Grandy” is that building a great relationship with a child doesn’t have to cost much. “Mr. Buddy and Grandy” promotes better adult-child relationships through the ideas described in the stories, and the pamphlet supplements those ideas with more examples of simple, inexpensive things that adults can do with their children or grandchildren.”

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“Mr. Buddy and Grandy” is published by Lulu.com, the online marketplace for books and related digital content, and is also 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.

About the author

David Rozzell earned a Ph.D in Chemistry and has edited one scientific book, but this is his first foray into popular literature. He currently resides with his wife and five children and stepchildren in Burbank, California.

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