Do you ever feel like what you can do for the kids in your life is not “fancy” enough? It’s not “extravagant” enough? I want to remind you today that little things you do with kids are often the big things. There are many ways to have fun together that don’t cost a thing. Read a favorite book together. Save up toilet paper or paper towel rolls and do a craft. Do something silly together. Here’s an example of that: For Christmas this year, our family decided to dress in Ugly Christmas sweaters or other holiday bits of fun. (And that idea got started by one of our grand kids! 🙂 ) When we all got together, our grandson and I realized that we were wearing matching socks! We had a good laugh about it, had to take our picture together and then he ran off to share the excitement with his mom. It was a fun moment!
Tell them a story. Maybe one about when you were a kid and something funny happened to you. Kids love stories about when they were a baby too. Or make up a story together. You start with a line like “Once upon a time, there was a…” and then let them tell the next part. Take turns back and forth until you reach “THE END!”…if you ever do! It’s free and they will have the best time laughing over the story you come up with together.
Play a game. Kids LOVE to play games! For older kids, let them take on an adult in Chess. (Ummm, maybe not ME, but dad’s, grandpa’s and uncles are good for that!) Or there is that all time famous game…Monopoly. 😉 IF you are feeling VERY patient and have nothing to do for the next several hours.
Don’t have any board games handy? All you need is a piece of paper and a writing utensil of some sort for a few rounds of Tic Tac Toe. No paper and pencils handy? Go for “I Spy”! If you’ve never played “I Spy” all you do is pick out an object close by and say “I spy with my little eye something (tell the color)…let’s say blue. Then the other people playing take turns guessing what you have spied. The first person to guess correctly becomes the next person to spy an object.
Those are a few simple ideas, but I just wanted to make the point that “extravagant” really isn’t necessary. It’s not really so much about WHAT you do together as it is the fact that you ARE DOING something together. That’s what they will remember and cherish.
The Kids Niche 