Fun Family Ideas for Parents + Kids

There is no doubt today's parents struggle with having time to get everything done and finding time for them and their children to have family fun time. A family life with all work and no fun makes for dreary boring parents and children. There is hope though. Maybe there is a way for parents and children to rethink what they do when the family is together to make that time more satisfying and fun. The idea is to think about the natural times parents and children have together. Typically these times are: getting up in the morning and getting ready for school or work and coming back together after school and work for dinner and evening routines. Thinking about how to "rethink" what happens during these times parents and children are naturally together may be the key to building new ways to have family fun.

Parent and Children Morning Fun Calendar

Maybe right now this idea feels a bit like an oxymoron to you - morning and fun, but it doesn't have to continue to feel incongruent. Making a Parent and Children Morning Fun Calendar could be just what the fun doctor ordered to put a new spark in your family's hearts. To make the Parent and Children Morning Fun Calendar, decide when a family meeting can be held to plan calendar ideas. Ideas you might consider include something like starting a Breakfast of Champions Chair Exercise Contest. Family members think of healthy exercises to do while fixing and eating breakfast such as: sitting in the chair with legs stretched out in front of them and holding them in that position for 10 seconds, stretching necks by lowering an ear to a shoulder and holding it there for a count of 30 and switching ears for the next 30 seconds. Make a chart that can be written on with the days of the week and the exercises your family has chosen. At the end of breakfast everyone marks down what they did. At the end of the week everyone's total times are calculated and a prize is awarded for the most times, the worst total, the most improved etc.

Parent and Children Evening Tall Tales

Another idea parents and children might consider to make into family fun is to use dinner time to make up tall tales about their day. The gist of this kind of activity is for everyone to think about their day and to tell a tall tale that has the facts embedded into pretend or make believe. The story teller has 5 minutes to tell their tale and then the rest of the family tries to decide what was real and what was make believe or the tall tale.

Once your family has tried out ideas for fun during these natural times together, it is time to plan fun activities for other naturally occurring routines such as bedtime, doing chores, riding in the car and weekend and holidays.

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