Looking for a few ways to spend free time with your kids? You have come to the right place!
When you’re looking to squeeze in moments of quality time with your kids, a few parents from Reddit have shared what has worked well for their families. Happy scrolling!
12. “Really, just make a game out of ordinary things. We’ve played Pictionary in which we’ll take turns guessing each other’s drawings. At dinner we’ll build stuff out of the forks and spoons and spin them around. As a family, we made teams to guess our impressions of animals. Simple games foster competitiveness as long as you make it achievable. Recently we made simple (and safe) science experiments like making a mini parachute, testing [buoyancies] of random objects, [playing] with static electricity, and [making] a paperclip spring. These are fun because they start with a scavenger hunt for materials [and then progress] to the building phase, and the macguyver moment happens when you test it out. Toddlers are pretty curious [about their] environment so they like learning with their hands and the freedom to try things and you can teach them about cleaning up afterward.”
11. “Free things to do outside are: -bubbles (like holy s*** kids never tire of bubbles) -chalk drawing -shaving cream fights (keep it out of their eyes!) -painting with dyed ice cubes on the sidewalk -throwing water balloons on the sidewalk -check Pinterest. Like, literally it’s where all my ideas come from these days.”
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10. “What I did as a child was to go build a [hideout] in the woods, which we called a bunker. We just gathered up sticks and some big a** leaves and we basically built everything out of it with a bit of string.”
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9. “My kids follow my lead. I don’t stay indoors so they’ve grown to love being outside with me. I include them with what I’m doing or I’ll play with them. We throw the football or baseball every day after school. Or we’ll take a bike ride, kids love bike rides and exploring.”
8. “Geocaching – it’s a great bridge into real-world/outdoor activities, and it has a lot of the properties of a video game that might appeal to a child his age.”
7. “Camping. I take my family camping a couple [of] times a year. We visit different state parks, walk the hiking trails etc. My son will be 10 this yr too. Teach him to make a campfire and responsibly take care of it. Can’t go wrong with camping.”
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6. “Boy Scouts. When my son was born we did not live in a neighborhood so there was not a lot of children to play with.. He started in Cub Scouts while in the 1st grade and went all the way through and became an Eagle Scout. Camping, swimming, canoeing, fishing, hiking are all great outdoor activities. He learned planning, budgeting and how to build things. He’s 23 now and still friends with the Scouts he grew up with. One is in Germany, one in Washington state and several scattered across the U.S. Scouting was the single best thing I did for him as a father.”
5. “With my kids I almost ‘make’ them do everyday things with me. Running errands is a big joy for us. Changing the oil, taking care of our pets (goats and chickens)…I basically just hang out with them all the time which turns even the smallest thing (going to the grocery store) into something fun for them. That’s just been my strategy and now my kids say ‘daddy we are OUTSIDE people!'”
4. “Radio-controlled flying. It’s an amazing hobby. You can fly drones, planes, gliders. You can even get into building your own electronics using Arduino or Blackberry Pi. Get a cheap 3d printer, and create your own chassis. Electronics is a great hobby.”
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3. “My Dad was actually a gamer/proud nerd and would host Halo/Half Life parties and play with my friends and [me] as a way of bonding with all of us. He would also take me to gaming conventions and we would design matching cosplay outfits for comic con. I thought he was sooo cool.”
2. “Diversify your own interests too. A recent interest of mine has been antiquing/decorating my home. So I’d say a cool idea is if you were like ‘Son, I’m thinking this place is looking boring. I know of somewhere cool where we can find some cool stuff!’ and hit up an antique store! Or do something of the like; get something new for you guys to experience together!”
1. “Introduce him to carpentry, welding or other tool-based activity. Most kids can get excited about using power tools much in the same way as a video game because its perceived as an experience, at the end of which you may be rewarded if done well. Plus, it provides a lot of teachable moments about taking your time to do things right and the value of proper planning… I think working with my hands from a young age had a huge impact on who I am as an adult.”
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