Families enjoy many times together, and those quality moments do not have to be expensive or even cost anything at all. There are many free fun things to do with your children, here are ten of them:
Walk
Most children like to observe their surroundings whether they are city dwellers or live in the country. Walks are suitable for a range of adults’ fitness levels and children’s age and ability. Small children are relatively new to the world and what is usual and mundane to adults is often fresh and exciting for kids. Kids, especially toddlers, will often point things out to adults, as though they had never existed before they saw them. The wonder and pleasure kids’ faces reveal can be refreshing for adults to experience. Walks in the country or city will differ according to the season. Each season is interesting in its own right. Dressing for the weather can be fun for children too, especially if it’s raining or snowing; umbrellas, mackintoshes and galoshes make going outside exciting.
Read
Children love to have stories read to them and read to themselves. Borrowing books from a library is a great way to get children interested in literature. Choosing their own books from the vast array on offer is fun and exciting for kids. Children of all ages can benefit from libraries, and they are free to join.
Crafting and bubble fun
Children love to get involved in painting, drawing and other crafts. Paper and pens, pencils, crayons and anything involving glue should hold a child’s attention for a good while. Just prepare first so that any mess is minimal.
Washing-up liquid can be used to blow bubbles. All that is needed is a small container to decant the liquid and a wand to dip into the bottle. These activities can take place outdoors weather permitting.
Play-dough
Children generally love to model and create things, be they animals, people, shapes etc. Play-dough provides stimulation for young minds and is fun to use. Kids are usually happy to play alone or with their peers. If you don’t have play-dough it is easy and cheap to make dough from flour and water. The child/children could help make it with the adult.
Make up games to play
Invent games that you play with your kids or that they can play together. How good is your imagination? A simple game for young children is to find items of a certain color around the house. The one who finds the most things is the winner. Each child could have a different color. Or they could be set a task of finding things that begin with a certain letter. Games, such as placing a number of items on a tray and asking the child to memorize them before one is removed (the child cannot look) is good for boosting memory as well as being fun.
Cards
Children can be taught simple games. Pairs is a simple game for kids as is snap. According to children’s ages, there are many different card games for them to learn.
Board games
Older children will benefit from board games. Snakes and Ladders, Ludo, Cluedo etc. provide hours of entertainment on rainy days or other days when games are played.
Cooking
Cooking and baking are often a lot of fun. Kids love to create things especially if they can eat them too. Cooking and baking for other people also provides great incentive for children; obviously adults should supervise accordingly. Cakes and cookies make great treats and can also be iced, or candy can be added for decoration. Getting kids to weigh out ingredients and determine cooking temperatures and times is also educational.
I-spy
I-spy is a simple game. It involves using imagination and a knowledge of the alphabet. It can be played in a car, in a park or even in a house. This makes it a fun and quick game to play just about anywhere.
Outdoor games
Outdoor games such as hide-and-seek, tag or tick and skipping rope are good games and will get kids exercising without realizing it. Ball games from tennis to football also provide hours of fun.
Finding free family fun to entertain children and adults is easy to do. Plenty of fun games, household activities and outdoor pass times exist to fill more than just a weekend.