79 Suggested Activities For Quality Time With Your Kids - Part 4 - All Age Kids 

From LifeLearningToday.com

If you have young children, you know that the thing they want most is YOU! They want your attention. They want your teaching. And they want to play with YOU!

But here's the hard part - finding the time amidst all your work, home, and personal tasks on your to-do list. Then what are you going to do with your children? 

Below is a continuation of the list. You can either just print out the list below or you can download a PDF file of the list to make your own 3 x 5 Activity Cards.

Click to download file.

ALL AGES

23. Go to the Beach - sandcastles, swimming, playing ball or Frisbee, taking a walk. The beach or a lake is a wonderful place to bond and chat the day away with your kids.

24. Crafts - some fun projects to look up on Google: paper Mache projects, cut & paste with construction paper, etc. Search for others based upon the materials you know you have already.

25. Create a Chart - Use this method for encouraging any behavior you're trying to work on with a child from potty training to (older kids) putting on their seatbelts when they get in the car. Let the child make the chart with you. Let them decorate it. Their involvement raises the excitement level and ensures success.

26. Play Catch - with little kids, you can start with catching stuffed animals that are easier for them to grab onto, then graduate to an actual ball.

27. Jumping games - jumping jacks, jump rope, hopscotch, etc.

28. Mother May I - an old favorite. Everyone asks "Mother may I" take so many steps. The idea is to take big steps. The first person to touch Mother wins.

29. Tag/Chase Games - always fun and good exercise for everyone involved! Try this website for several variations of chasing games: http://www.gameskidsplay.net/games/chasing_games/index.htm

30. Hide and Seek - (indoors for little kids)

31. Stamping - use all kinds of objects with paint to make different patterns, like sponges, string, leaves, forks, and more. Or you can make stamps with potatoes. Older kids can use a spoon or other non-sharp object to carve out a picture on the potato. Never let a child use a knife even with supervision.

32. Paper Airplanes! - Do a Google search to find instructions on making different kinds of paper airplanes and then see which ones fly the best! Try this site for free instructions: www.paperairplanes.co.uk/planes.php. If you want a book, I recommend The Gliding Flight by John Collins.

33. Tea Party - cookies and decaf tea! What fun! Maybe the kids can even dress up in mommy and daddy's clothes!

34. Dress Up - Let's put on mommy and daddy's clothes! You be the kid. Let your kid show you how they see you! See what it's like to be them. This can be really funny and eye opening!

35. Dance Fever - have a mini dance party.

36. Put on a Mini Play - either use a story you all know or make one up.

37. Volunteer - How about a visit to a local nursing home? Or maybe you could take an elderly neighbor on an outing with you, say to a bookstore or coffee shop. Helping others is always a positive experience.

38. Visit a museum - science, natural history, art. Go for a drive and enjoy the day together learning.

39. Painting Rocks - Find some nice rocks. Paint with acrylic paints. Paint pictures and let them dry. If you want a shiny surface you can put a coat of clear acrylic nail polish over the paint once it has dried.

40. Have a Limbo Dance - This is best if you have a few people. Get a rope or a bar that two people can hold and each person has a chance dancing under it. Keep lowering the bar and see who wins. Play some fun steel drum or Caribbean music if you can find it. Or any kind of dance music will do.

41. Make Me Smile - Players form a circle with one player in the middle. The middle person approaches each player in the circle and ask, "Honey, do you love me?" The person being questioned must answer, "Honey, I love you but I just can't smile." If s/he does smile or laugh, s/he becomes "it" and the previous middle person joins the circle. Decide whether you want to allow light tickling or just funny faces.

42. Red Light Green Light 123 - Person who is "it" says "Red Light Green Light 123" with their back to the rest of the players. The "It" person then turns around and everyone has to FREEZE. Anyone who is caught still moving by It person has to go back to the start. First person to tag It person wins.

43. Write a Story - Use any combination of paper, pens, crayons, photos, collage, to write and draw a simple story. This is something you can build on over time. It doesn't have to all be done in one setting. Who knows maybe you can even publish this story. How about on a website?! Just use free blogging platform Blogger.com to post a new page each day.

44. Plant some flowers, vegetables or herbs - you can use an empty egg carton to start or buy some little starter containers. Once they are big enough, transplant them outside. It's fun to grow your own plants!

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God bless your family and your marriage.

Jim Stephens