Encourage your child to enter a whole new world.
It’s easy to forget that just outside our doors there’s a world of miniature creatures just waiting to be discovered.
Give your child the assignment to find and document (digital photo/notebook) as many different insects as they can in your back yard.
Older kids can then be encouraged to do research and find as many interesting facts as they can about their new discoveries.
Photo by Ameli http://flic.kr/p/d1pgYG
Do you have a small patch of ground you can allot to your child?
If so, let them learn how to till the soil, plant seeds and care for a small garden.
It doesn’t have to be fancy. Maybe just some flowers or a simple vegetable or two.
Let them decide what to grow, help them get started and let them go to work.
Your children will enjoy seeing the fruitage of their labors.
Photo by jj walsh http://flic.kr/p/9AUyqU
They’re more than just a game!
Many kids love to learn to play the game dominoes. That’s one idea you can encourage.
However, most kids have even more fun setting them up in lines, tipping the first one, and watching them all fall.
Show them how to be creative and make lines that go around or over obstacles, or even down the stairs.
YouTube has some great video examples of fun lines you can make. Maybe watch a couple together to get the creative thinking going.
Photo by Oscar http://flic.kr/p/4txmgD
Let them re-think their space
We all appreciate change sometimes, including our kids.
Why not let them think up how to give their bedroom a new look.
It doesn’t have to mean new wallpaper, paint or moving walls. Simply let them re-arrange the layout.
Just moving the bed to the other side of the room can be exciting for a child.
The important thing is to let them use their creativity to come up with the ideas.
Of course, be sure to help them move anything large or delicate.
Photo by Wendy Copely http://flic.kr/p/6dkjoH
Tunes of fun!
Kids love music and they love to see themselves in pictures.
Put the two together and you are sure to have a hit.
Set them up with a digital video camera and some good music. Then let them create their own lip-synced musical performances.
You might end up with some pretty humorous home videos.
Photo by Kristina Patenio http://flic.kr/p/75MWF
Fun for a hot day!
Water balloon games can be fun and refreshing for kids when the temperatures soar.
Rather than just have kids toss them at each other, encourage them to create games.
One idea is to pair up and toss the balloon back and forth without breaking it.
Start close, and after each successful toss, have both children back up a few steps and toss again.
Eventually, one of the catches will result in a burst…and a refreshing splash.
Encourage your kids to make up other games as well.
Be sure to keep these away from little ones who may try and put the deflated and broken balloons in their mouth.
Photo by Rick Hobson http://flic.kr/p/aPk2KV
Get creative with nature
Start your child off with some non-toxic paint, an old brush and some cool-shaped rocks.
Now have them put their imaginations to work.
Painted rocks make great paperweights, door stops and flower bed decorations.
This one rocks!
Photo by orchid8 http://flic.kr/p/7iKdXb
Kids love to smell things (think scratch-n-sniff)
Here’s a fun challenge you can give your kids, or they can give to each other.
The child closes their eyes (or gets blindfolded) and the other person puts something under their nose to smell.
The child has to guess what the item is purely from the smell.
Sometimes the items in the fridge or the pantry can provide plenty of test samples.
Be sure nothing toxic is smelled though (ie: household cleaners, etc)
Happy sniffing!
Photo by Kelly Piet http://flic.kr/p/bw3N8Y
Better than Angry Birds!
A bird feeder and a backyard can make for some interesting fun!
Equip your child with a digital camera and set them up with a good viewing spot.
Have them photograph as many different types of birds as they can.
That in itself can be a fun project. But take it a step further and challenge them to identify the birds.
A book on local birds from your library or a printed chart off of the internet is likely all they need.
Photo by Marcus T Ward http://flic.kr/p/c9saM7
Create a little space explorer
Print your child a sky map (many can be found online) and find them a safe place to explore the night sky.
Challenge them to find as many observable stars and constellations as possible.
Encourage them to make up their own “constellations” and draw them on paper.
They can then challenge you to find them.
Photo by Steve Eng http://flic.kr/p/a8GRHB
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