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It’s easy to feel out of touch with your kids in today’s technology-steeped day and age. What is a “Fortnite” anyway, right? It can make it hard to come up with fun activities to do with your kids, especially if you don’t share their interests. If you’re looking for something to do with your kids, here are 10 fun ideas to get you started, in no particular order.
Play Dress Up
Dressing up doesn’t necessarily mean that you wear Mom’s old dresses and act like princesses. Dress up with your kids in old clothes, or make your own costumes and armor from cardboard and duct tape. The possibilities are endless.
Be a Spy
There’s nothing cooler than acting like a spy — so why not do it with your kids? Break out some yarn and some tape or thumbtacks and set up a ‘laser’ obstacle course that you and your kids have to navigate. If you touch a laser, you trigger the alarm and have to start again.
Make a Dance-Off Music Video
Is there anything more fun than putting on some good music and dancing? Appeal to your kid’s competitive streak by turning it into a dance-off. All you need is a cell phone camera, and you can record it so that your kids can use it to embarrass you for years to come.
Make S’mores
Even if it’s not getting cold quite yet, light up the barbeque grill or the fire pit and spend some time roasting marshmallows with your kids. Don’t forget the graham crackers and chocolate bars — you can’t make s’mores without them! You can even change them up with different chocolates or other foods to make it more fun.
Take a Trip to the Arcade
Arcades aren’t as easy to find as they used to be, but they can still be a great place to spend some time with your kids, especially if they’re gamers. Most places have cards that you can put money on and then let them pick out the games. There are plenty of two-player options that you can enjoy together, and it’s also a good way to teach them how to use money.
Stage a Pillow Battle
You might want to wait until Mom isn’t home until you try this one, but why not try to stage a pillow battle? It’s a step up from a pillow fight in that it takes place throughout the entire house. Find a place to call your base, and try to defend it from the Kid Army and their pillow onslaught!
Play Catch
Even if your kid isn’t really into sports, there’s nothing quite like a game of catch with Dad. Get outside and throw a ball back and forth for a while. If nothing else, it can be a great way to help your little one improve their hand-eye coordination, even if they’re not planning on becoming a starting quarterback.
Movie Night
Even if you’re not interested in the newest kids’ movie, planning a movie night with the works — popcorn, candy, drinks and everything you’d find at a movie theater — can be a great way to spend time with your kids. Just make sure their sodas are decaf, or you’ll be up all night once the movie is over!
Cook Dinner
If mom is the regular chef in the kitchen, why not give her a night off and cook a meal with your kids? Pick something simple, like hamburgers or tacos, and let them help cook. Even little kids can help — for tacos, their little hands are the perfect size to shred lettuce. Just make sure those hands get washed first!
The Floor Is Lava
Playing the Floor Is Lava is one of the best memories we have as kids — so why not share that fun with your own children? If your furniture is spread far apart, set up pillows as floating rocks that they can jump to until they reach the next chair or sofa.
If you want to play more with your kids, all you have to do is use your imagination and encourage your children to use theirs.
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Photo provided by the author.