Keeping kids entertained with wholesome activities can sometimes be quite a challenge. What are the best ways to have fun with kids nowadays? Kids these days would rather sit at home in front of their computers or be glued to their iPads than to partake in any real physical activities. While there are some pretty high educational tech values that they could gain from the use of today’s tech-savvy gadgets, but not everything is beneficial for them. Kids also need to be physically active to stay healthy inside out.
Parents today may complain that there is nothing much they can do to match up to the exciting apps and games that kids can get these days. It is not necessarily true for one with a little imagination and determination. As the cliche saying goes – If there’s a will, there’s a way.
Our advice is to start spending more time with your kids so that they may value your companionship and learn to appreciate an all-round family bonding. Here are some fun activities you can try with your kids whenever there is time to kill. Time spent with your children is crucial for their emotional and mental well-being, where parents should ideally make that time!
10 Ways To Have Fun With Your Kids
Indoor
1. Living room Tele-match
Set up an exciting and challenging indoor tele-match course. Have your family members split up into teams and hop along the hall, crawl under the table, do a forward roll on the cushions and transfer ping-pong ball with a spoon from one end of a room to another. Use everyone imagination to come up with any challenge. Here are some fun ideas for you and your kids to try:
- Crawl under or over a row of chairs.
- Crawl under a string or bar set between two chair legs.
- Jump into and out of a Hula-Hoop five times.
- Walk on a balance board.
- Throw a beanbag into a laundry basket.
- Run while balancing a beanbag on your head.
- Do a ring toss.
- Ride a tricycle along a predetermined route.
- Do a handstand.
- Skip in place while reciting a jump rope rhyme.
- Do ten jumping jacks.
2. Hide the Object
Using any ordinary object such as stuffed animal, pencil, drinking cup, etc. Play this fun, hide and seek game with your kids. Simply have your child hide their eyes, then place the object somewhere in plain view. Probably on the fireplace mantel, on top of the TV or near the front door. Let them have a look for it. Another idea is to use objects relating to a particular theme. For example, if your kids are focusing on the letter “A” that week, use objects that begin with “A”. You can mix the game up for older kids by hiding the object a little deeper. You might place the pencil or toy halfway behind a framed picture or maybe tucked behind a cushion.
3. Get on board with board games!
Family board games like Scrabbles, Ludo, Monopoly or Cluedo can let hours of mind-stimulating fun! Not only are these board games a delight, but some like Cluedo and Scrabbles can also be mentally and intellectually challenging too! Make family board games night a regular thing- it can be a new family tradition. Pair with home-made snacks such as finger sandwiches or chilli fries, your kids will definitely have no problems sitting down to some valuable family bonding time.
4. Never Ending Adjectives
Ask your child to point out an object, then take turns coming up with adjectives for that object. For example, you may say “a doll”, your kids would say “a Barbie doll”. The game might continue with “a beautiful Barbie doll”, “A blonde beautiful Barbie doll”, “A tall, blonde, beautiful Barbie doll” and where ever else the sentence might take you!
5. Make and bake
Let your kiddies involved in the kitchen for your rendition of baking day. Kids would love to help mix batter, knead dough or sprinkle in raisins or chocolate chips! Have fun baking in the kitchen. It isn’t just a good bonding session but also good for their development. Let the aroma of freshly baked cookies, cake, pie or even bread flow through the air! Last but not least, there’s always the universal question when it comes to baking- anyone wants to lick the batter off the spoon?
Outdoor
6. Street sports
Organising a game of street hockey or soccer with other families by bringing some excitement to your neighbourhood streets. Arrange potluck refreshments to brought by participating families. It’s a great way to get to know your neighbours. Just be sure the venue chosen for your activity is safe, away from traffic and open space. To fit everyone and suitable for all the planned games.
7. Planting the love of nature
Visit a botanical garden or a butterfly park. Plants and trees are just as important to us for they use the carbon dioxide we expel from our bodies and in return, give us oxygen to breathe. Family outings to botanical gardens and butterfly parks can be an excellent opportunity for you to help your child understand the delicate mechanics of nature and how important it is to look after our ecosystem.
8. Outdoor art
Take art supplies outside with you like crayons, markers, pens and don’t forget the paper. Think of anything based on your surrounding to draw. For a touch of creativity, get your kids to draw it from a different surface you can find outside. Your kids will notice that each surface creates a different pattern.
9. Guess and tell
Take turns blindfolded. Whoever isn’t blindfolded have to bring different things to be used as a subject for the blindfolded one to see if they can guess what it is. The sense of smell, sense of touch or sense of hearing has to be utilised to identify the object.
10. Check out the happenings in the city
Our local culture is never lacking in festivals, sales, exhibitions and fares. These not only offer visual excitement, but great deals and bargains may also be awaiting you too! So, check out our local event schedule online and determine which ones that would appeal to your family and enjoy! Another tip is to go to any hidden gem places of the city.
How about that? Do you think this list of activities will give you extra points for being a fun-loving parent for your kids? We sure do hope so. May this activity brings your family more bonding time together.
Stay tuned for more tips and tricks on parenting on our blog. Don’t forget to check out Motherhood.com.my for you the best quality baby needs.