Free Events/Activities
- Read together. Get a public library card and read every night. Take turns reading out loud to each other.
- Go to public library events together. There are story times and puppet shows and craft events every week.
- Go to the park. If you're tired or have work to do, they will appreciate just being taken to the playground and having you there to watch them. Make sure you spend time watching them!
- Play a game. (If you don't have any games in your home, please let me know! I will get you some!)
- Go for a walk.
- Play with the dog/cat.
- Brush his/her hair.
- Get a book on CD from the library to listen to together.
- Invite him/her to help you with dinner.
- Turn on the radio and dance
- Play in the rain (no thunderstorms!)
- Have a photoshoot (real or pretend) with your old clothes, blankets, towels.
- Volunteer together. Create a culture of service in your kids by volunteering to collect toys for Angel Tree, babysitting for a single mom, serving food at the homeless shelter, or (if your kids are old enough) building a house for Habitat for Humanity.
- Rent an old movie from the library and pop some popcorn for an in-home movie night.
- Meet someone from another culture and learn a new language together.
- Have a "treasure hunt". Here are some ways you can do this:
- Hide specific things around the house/apartment for your kids to find. Give them a list. The person with the most things off the list wins.
- Tell them to bring you things that fit a certain description. "Bring me something blue" or "Bring me something big". The first one to bring you something wins. Or maybe the most creative person wins.
- Get some balloons from the Dollar Tree (where everything is $1!). Blow one up and play "keep up". Bounce the balloon around the room and don't let it touch the ground. Balloons are better than balls because they are less likely to break something. :)
- Learn how to make paper airplanes-- get directions online.
- Draw a picture or write a letter to a friend or family member. Send it in the mail. Your kids will have fun seeing the way people sent letters before the internet. If you don't have stamps or envelopes... let me know!