There is no denying that getting your kids to participate in family activities can be challenging, especially when they hit their tweens. However, family nights are the kind of fond memories they would look back on once they reach adulthood.
That said, it is important to plan fun activities that your family can look forward to every Friday night or weeknights! Keep on reading for some fun at-home activities that you and your whole family can do.
Creative crafts
Arts and crafts are great in engaging your kids and nurturing their creativity. For one, it can help develop fine motor skills since art projects such as coloring involve movement of hands and fingers.
Some crafting activities like paper mache and origami include mathematical aspects like geometry and 3D comprehension. It teaches your kids to be patient and gives them a sense of achievement.
What’s cool about this kind of activity is that you can do it with the whole family! So, why not learn how to make origami with your kids?
It will not even cost you much since all you need are patterned papers and tons of creativity. You can even use your old newspaper if you feel like it.
Board games
Despite the mobile and digital games available nowadays, you can still see board games on sale. And that is for a reason.
According to Beatrice Tauber Prior, Psy. D, “Families are struggling to find the balance between digital and [real-life] connections, but board games provide a tool for that emotional connection to each other.”
Playing board games with the family is a great way to unplug and disconnect from the web. It is a good time to spend some quality with the people who matter, as well as take your kids away from their screen.
So bring out that board game that has been collecting dust in the basement (or garage), order some pizza, and start rolling the dice with your spouse and kids.
Build blanket forts
To us adults, it could look like a mountain of mess. But for our kids, building blanket forts is like building a magic castle. Subconsciously, it helps them develop their planning and problem-solving skills.
In addition, it fosters teamwork among siblings and friends because of its unstructured playtime nature. It encourages kids to organize themselves and get along without their parents’ supervision.
Even an only child, on the other hand, can benefit from building blanket forts. That’s because it helps them to develop self-entertaining skills.
So if it is raining or chilly outside, one the best way to entertain the family is to build blanket forts. You can even pretend to be camping in the wild, as that can boost their creativity and imagination.
Water balloon fight
Meanwhile, a water balloon fight is a great way to have fun with the entire family under the summer heat. After all, kids love to have fun and spend time outside!
Aside from being fun and allowing the family to beat the heat, a water balloon fight allows the kids to get moving.
If you have not organized a balloon fight before, here are some quick tips:
- Find the perfect spot for a water balloon fight. It can be your backyard, in a nearby park, or in a football field where there is a major balloon fight event.
- Invite your friends. Because a water balloon fight is not fun without friends and family!
- Get your arsenal ready. Bring your own water balloons, water guns, squirt toys, and more. You can even store your artillery in a water cooler or a baby pool.
Play charades
Charades is a classic game that lets children exercise their logic and imagination with their siblings and friends. In fact, you can adjust the game’s level of difficulty depending on your kids’ age.
Ultimately, charades is a great way to hone your kids’ communication skills. For one, it forces them to decipher what a person is saying or not saying. And they can only guess for the correct answer by listening, observing, and picking up subtle clues.
If you want to take your kids out of their boredom, playing charades can keep your kids entertained for an hour or two.
Do a scavenger hunt
Scavenger hunts are not just fun, but it can also help develop your kids’ problem-solving skills. That’s because they are required to solve a puzzle in order to move on to the next level.
In fact, scavenger hunts are customizable depending on what your kids’ are good at.
Is your son mathematically gifted? Give one mathematical problem that he needs to solve before you give him the clue for the next math problem. Make it advanced than the previous one, until he reaches the prize.
You can do the same if you have a daughter who is good with riddles, puzzles, or have an interest in cryptography (who knows?).
Play dress-up
Does your child have a superhero (even a villain) that he likes? Does your daughter wish that she could be a Disney princess for a day?
If that is the case, allow your kids to play dress-up!
It does not only put their brains go into high gear, but dressing up also has cognitive, physical, social, and emotional benefits for your children.
It engages their brain and memory, like dress up and dramatic plays require them to recall what they’ve seen or heard. They decide what their characters would say, which helps them build their vocabulary. It also hones their empathy, as they are able to see the world through their character’s perspective.
Regardless of the weather, there are a lot of fun activities that can keep your kids entertained and something that the whole family can look forward to. Which of the games listed above would you give a try this weekend? Let us know in the comments!