Having fun with children is easy as long as we don’t overthink it, because they are still able to embrace the small things (unless we assume they want what we want. In which case they will expect more, faster.)

Sure, I want them to see the world and have awesome once in a lifetime adventures, but all in due time.  On some level, I think we can embrace the small things first, to appreciate the “bigger” things in life.  It doesn’t seem difficult for children to embrace the smaller things, like flowers and ladybugs.  As men, I hope my boys still notice the beauty in the animals as they trail blaze in a raft or in a jeep on safari. (!) My hope, is that I am able to help facilitate their life long notice of and appreciation for the world around them.

Other activities are just ways to teach or to practice creativity (I do think creativity is a practice, because so many of us feel limited by easy to purchase materials from a store or we are limited by what knowledge we think we can get from someone else.…that has disempowered us, I think.)

Simple things to do:

Picnics! Bubble picnics on a towel. Only requires blowing bubbles, a towel, and the outside is great, but not necessary. Veggie and fruit Picnics.  It’s a fun way to introduce a healthy diet. Plus, it reinforces a positive message about healthier food. FYI, fresh produce is usually very inexpensive. It’s how I ate through my undergrad years. You can slice up apples or sweet peppers and enjoy being outside.  If your child likes vehicles (and you live in the city) you can watch them go by and name the colors or even watch construction vehicles.  I know some people who watch trains go by with their very excited kids.  Young kids are so excited about everything.  We just have to pay attention, to what grabs their attention.

Take a walk.  Does this seem boring?  It’s my experience, that very young children enjoy the outdoors, even walking. There is some much to stimulate their senses, outside.

Dig in the dirt with toys, or make twig huts for smaller dolls.  Seem too simple?  Seriously, I have seen children giggle over the simple dirt play. Plus, you can talk to them about what they see. “This is an acorn.” “We call this a shell. There are many kinds of shells.”  “This is a pine cone.”  This is a fun, and simple way to teach vocabulary.  And, vocabulary encourages communication. (!)

Make flash cards together.  I do this with simple words, like ‘the’, ‘a’, ‘I’, ‘me’, etc.  Kids may even pick up on bigger words, if it is related to their favorite objects.  For the boys, the bigger words are ‘car’, ‘truck’, etc. I began doing this after they learned letters.  We are still leaning the letter sounds, but learning to sight read goes with learning sounds.  Hint: I made some of the cards first, because the boys tend to take over what I am doing…

Paint with washable water color paint.

Dance. The boys have really grown into dancing- one of them was born with a more serious disposition.  I feel like it has helped to keep them playful.  My aim is that they will grow into men who don’t take themselves too seriously.

Pick a topic and talk about it.  Recently, we have done this with planets.  Look online for info and videos.  Sometimes, stores for teachers can be helpful.  I have also found various kinds of instructions for lots of different things or ideas.

I have also talked about things for the sake of making something clearer.  Let me give you an example.  When I was very young.  I noticed something that made me stop believing in Santa Claus (actually, I didn’t like him first, then soon, stopped believing.)

I noticed that a very mean boy always got a lot from Santa, while a friend of mine didn’t get much.  This girl was so tender hearted and so sweet.  First, I didn’t like Santa, because I knew his secret- he was like everyone else.  He thought that boy was nice, but I knew he wasn’t a good boy.  In my child mind, Santa lied about having powers or caring about kindness.  Plus, he had forgotten my friend.

Now, as an adult, I am careful about how I engage in “Santa goes to the good kids’ homes” talk.  In reality, Santa has nothing to do with kindness.  Santa is about privilege. As a young girl, I didn’t have the words to verbalize the confusion I felt- Getting things doesn’t mean you are kinder or better.  Yet, I saw that people who had things were sometimes confused for kind people.

I know we all differ on this, but I am clear to my boys about Santa.  We have fun with it, but they know mommy is Santa, and mommy values kindness and compassion, first.  No myths or untruths are more important than the way we treat each other.

Read to them. Use voices, and let your inner movie star come out!  What’s your motivation? Your children’s laughter!

Let them draw. I draw with them and if they ask, show them how to draw objects and shapes.  Most of the time, they want to scribble.

Play with pillows and blankets.  The boys enjoy pillow fights and being “ghosts”.  Admittedly, this can be tricky because, one is a little stronger and rougher. They also enjoy making huts.

Play Pretend. In this home, we pretend to be trucks or animals.  Normally, I have to be the crane truck that picks up the boys.

Plant Seeds.  Simple flowers seeds can be planted anywhere.  I have been surprised by what will grow, fairly easily.  Our weather is unpredictable, but even after a week of 80’s and a sudden deep freeze, we still had wild flowers sprout in a pot.  The boys had big smiles when they saw plants and flowers growing from that activity.

 

 

Go to your local library for their “storytime”.  Look online first to see the schedule for the different ages.

Check out the Children’s Museum nearest you.

Explore the parks in your area.  I like to look up parking, and traffic conditions before we venture out too far.

Indoor playgrounds. These can be found in malls or as businesses and you pay admission to enter.  These can be fun, but sometimes it’s a challenge if the age limit is high.  Older kids can easily take over.  We try to go when these places open for the day.

A lot of these activities can be done while siting or with little energy.  I know we are often tired while our kids run laps around us. Also, I have found that being outside can be rejuvenating, it doesn’t matter whether it’s cold or warm. It doesn’t even matter if there are a lot of other people around…especially if I am watching my children enjoy the outside.  In some ways, our kids give us an excuse to get away from the complications, the room, the demands…if we let them…