Activity Themes for Family Fun

Are you constantly searching for new activity ideas for your kids? Whether you're a stay at home parent trying to amuse your small children all day long, or you're looking for ways to spend better quality time with your older kids when they're not in school, coming up with activity themes can be a great idea! Take your cue from early childhood teachers, pick a theme for the day or the week, and then plan your activities around the theme. The whole family can get their creative juices flowing as you decide on themes and activities. When I pick a theme, I like to think of one big activity or project, and several smaller ideas to supplement it. Here, you'll find a few of my favorite themes that I've used in the past!

Post Office Theme

Make mailboxes for each member of your family. You can use shoe boxes, manila envelopes, or whatever you've got around the house. Each box should have the family member's name on it.

Get out lots of paper, stickers, stamps, crayons, markers, pens, stationery... whatever you've got! Everyone in the family can write letters to each other. Even toddlers can scribble or put stickers on paper, and dictate their letters to you.

Have everyone seal each letter in an envelope, and address it to the person it is for. You can make this activity even more realistic by buying real one-cent stamps for your envelopes!

Next, everyone can take turns being the mail carrier and delivering their letters to the mailboxes!

Later, it will be lots of fun for everyone to go to their own mailboxes and open their mail.

For even more fun, or for an alternative to the family mail box idea, write and address the letters and cards to your favorite neighbors, to friends and relatives, or to people in the local retirement home.

Supplement this activity by visiting the library and checking out books about letters, the post office, or mail carriers; bringing the kids with you to mail a letter or package; or taking a refreshing walk together to the nearest neighborhood mailbox.

Teddy Bear Theme

Who doesn't love teddy bears? This is one of my all-time favorite themes!

Get out all the teddy bears in the house and give them some pampering! Brush their fur, put some festive ribbons or bows around their necks, maybe even sew up any holes or fix any missing eyes!

Have a teddy bear picnic, whether its in the park, your back yard, or on the living room floor! Beforehand, make teddy bear biscuits* as a treat, or make cookies and use a teddy bear shaped cookie cutter. Peanut butter and honey sandwiches are also a nice idea. You might even want to invite a few friends and their own teddy bears!

Make furry teddy bear pictures. Cut out piece of paper or poster board in the shape of a teddy bear. Then, take regular poster paint or tempera paint, and mix it with unused coffee grounds. Have the kids paint the teddy bears. When the paint dries, you'll be able to feel the "fur" on the bears!

Find, and listen to, the song "The Teddy Bear's Picnic." Jerry Garcia made a cool rendition of it on his album "Not For Kids Only."

When running your usual errands, let the kids bring their teddy bears along for the ride.

If you feel like making the day extra special, surprise the kids with brand new teddy bears, or a trip to Build-A-Bear Workshop!

*Recipe for Teddy Bear Biscuits:

You will need: One roll of ready-to-bake biscuits
Cinnamon (or buy the sweet kind of biscuits)
Raisins or chocolate chips
Cookie tray

To make each biscuit, use one pre-made circle for a head.
Pull off pieces of a second circle to make the bear's ears.
Use a round wad of the second circle to make a muzzle.
Add raisins or chocolate chips as eyes and a nose.
If you're using cinnamon, sprinkle cinnamon thoroughly over all of the biscuits, to add brown color and good flavor!
Bake as instructed on the package of biscuits (Usually on 400 degrees, for about 8 minutes!)

Dinosaur Theme

This would be a good theme to do if you're already planning a trip to a dinosaur exhibit, or if the kids are learning about dinosaurs at school.

You can hatch your own dinosaur! You'll need a small toy dinosaur, a balloon, and a good paper mache recipe. (I think the flour, water and newspaper recipe works fine!) Before involving the kids, insert the dinosaur into the balloon. Its tricky, but it can be done if the dinosaur is small enough! Then blow up the balloon and tie it, with the dino inside. Now you can involve the kids in covering it with paper mache, telling them its just a fun art project to make a dinosaur egg.

The next day, when the paper mache is completely dry, make a small slit in the paper mache with a knife, and pop the balloon inside. Call the kids and tell them that it looks like their egg is hatching, and that they may need to help it! Let them tear open the egg, and find the "baby" dinosaur inside!

Create a dinosaur dig. This is best if you already have, or are willing to get, a sandbox or sand pile in your yard. If you don't have one, or weather doesn't permit it, you can do this activity using a large, low box filled with something like cornmeal, oatmeal, etc. Hide small plastic dinosaurs in the sand. (You can buy a whole bag of them at a party store or the Dollar Store! I heard of someone who, instead of using dinosaurs, made the game more realistic by purchasing a model dinosaur kit and hiding the bone pieces in the sand. Give everyone shovels and paintbrushes (to brush away the sand once they find dinosaurs or bones) and let them dig!

To top it all off, serve "dinos and dirt" as a snack or dessert. All you'll need is chocolate pudding mix, and gummy dinosaurs or dinosaur fruit snacks!

Activity themes are a great way to make the days more exciting and fun for everyone in your family. The possibilities are endless! I've given you three of my favorite theme ideas Now, see what ideas your family can come up with!