Friday, June 13, 2008

Fun Things to Do with Children at Home




We had an Relief Society Enrichment mid-week activity that was centered on children. The purpose of the class was to provide ideas for moms and grandmas.


We passed out lists of things to do with your children at home, local places to go, and children's book list. The kids made froot loop necklaces and we had a story time for them. We let the parents print out practice papers for the kids to write their names and alphabet letters & numbers (see above picture).


Sidewalk chalk- my kids love for me to trace their bodies and let them color their eyes, hair, clothes, etc…You can also do this inside on butcher paper (with markers) they love it!


Fruit loop necklaces or bracelets...fun for kids of all ages. With younger kids you can use this activity to teach colors and also counting. As they get older you can start teaching patterns.


Play dough. Roll out the dough and make “cookies” with cookie cutters!


Give them a bucket with water and a paint brush and send them in the backyard to “paint” the fence.


Turn out all the lights, shut the blinds (I will even put blankets over the windows to make it super dark) pop some popcorn and watch a movie…your own movie theatre at home.


Bake cookies


Have a tea party


Build a fort with blankets and read scary (or not so scary) stories


Make binoculars by hot gluing 2 toilet paper rolls together and stringing some string through…let the kids decorate. Or make a telescope with a paper towel roll


Hide treasures in your backyard (my kids love the 88 cent bag of spiders, snakes, or caterpillars) and let the kids find them with their new binoculars or telescopes.


Play a game…my kids love to play Hullabaloo, memory, Uno, Candyland, Elefun, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Lets Go Fishing


Turn on the music and DANCE…kids love to let loose and be silly with their parents


Go swimming and play a pool game with your kids…what time is it Mr Shark?, Marco Polo, sharks and minnows etc


Get a fun sprinkler attachment or a slip-n-slide that the kids can play in


Any painting or crafting. My kids love to make holiday crafts. Some examples are painting an American flag, making a windsock (by letting them paint white stars on blue construction paper staple the ends of the construction paper together all the way along to make it round than let the kids glue (or staple) red and white crepe paper on one end of the “sock” put string on top and hang windsock, make “firecrackers” by letting the kids paint a toilet paper roll cover one end with construction paper and fill it with confetti then cover the other end and break on the 4th of July.


Finger Paint- you can tape up some butcher paper in your bathtub and let the kids finger paint in there (to reduce the mess)


Have a talent show


Puppet show- let the kids decorate puppets either by drawing their own, printing some off from the computer, or from coloring books then have them make up a puppet show with the characters (bugs, princesses, pirates)


Let the kids make a collage with old magazines. You can give them a theme like things that start with the first letter in their name or things that are red.


Shaving cream fingerpainting. Let the kids “fingerpaint” with shaving cream on your kitchen table. Super fun and a good way to clean your table!
(List was compiled by Kyle Bashford - Thanks!)

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