Saturday, October 26, 2013

10 ideas for family time with toddlers

Salam and hi mommies! Weekends are surely the happiest for mommies for they get to spend the days with hubster and kids. Kan? kan? kan? Most of the time, tukang buat plan nye for weekend activities haruslah mommies. Kan? kan? kan? Whenever tanya daddies 'so minggu ni kita nak ke mana?' and surely mereka akan reply 'ikut mommy la. daddy ok je. nak gi mana cakap je, daddy bawak'. Pernah tak? Kannnn...Memang dah ditakdirkan kita ni jadik planner since wedding lagi. Right? Tapi kahwin tu plan untuk sekali tu je event nye. Family activities ni kita plan tiap-tiap minggu and sometimes tiap-tiap hari (for housewifey). Sampai satu tahap dah kering idea. Pernah tak?

So, hopefully article boleh membantu sikit. Taken from HERE.

toddler and mom at plant nursery
  1. Go for a Walk - I will admit, this is our default. Hubby and I love to walk, so when we’re sitting around bored at home, it just makes sense for us to go on a family walk. It’s a fun way to exercise together, it wears the toddler our and we get in some good conversation along the way as well. Definitely a favorite activity! 
  2. Bake Cookies - There’s nothing like sweets to make a boring day better! You could make the dough and then get every one involved decorating sugar cookies or make a simpler recipe like oatmeal raisin/chocolate chip and let the kids take turns adding ingredients and mixing. It will be a messy day, but a fun memory ! 
  3. The Playground - Not necessarily the most innovative of locations, but going as a family can make it exciting! Bring a kite to fly together or bring beach toys & dig in the dirt. It doesn’t have to be an extravagant or expensive outing for the kid to have an amazing time playing with mommy & daddy. 
  4. Zoo Day - Consider investing in a membership to the local zoo or children’s museums. Most offer a yearly family membership that more than pays for itself after a visit or two. Using a membership also eliminates the stress of trying to get your “money’s worth” out of each zoo trip. We have been able to go to our zoo for just 2 hours or so and enjoy walking around as a family, without feeling like we wasted a lot of $ on tickets because we didn’t stay the whole day. 
  5. Pjs, Popcorn & a Movie - Another tried & true idea. Movie nights are always a fun tradition and there are a lot of new kids movies that aren’t much of a sacrifice for parents to watch. Lately we’ve enjoyed the Lorax, Brave and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Each movie is hilarious (both for kids and adults) as well as brightly colored to hold the attention of little ones. 
  6. Start a Family Garden - It doesn’t have to be large an elaborate (though it could be!). You could do something small like keeping a few potted plants to keep on the porch. We have 3 pots on the balcony of our apartment, but our son loves watering them every day and watching them grow. A simple activity, but one that can be done together & it teaches responsibility too! 
  7. Family Craft - Thanks to Pinterest there are so many family craft ideas out there right now, branch out and try something new like this great family handprint craft or this Simple Bird Feeder Tutorial or do some finger print art! Have fun getting creative (and scouring pinterest) together and creating some art to display in your home. 
  8. Go on a Scavenger Hunt - Split up into teams and search for special objects on a list. You could make your own list to share or challenge each other by making lists for the opposite “team”. Meat up at the end to compare “treasures”. 
  9. Go for Ice Cream - Many places offer 99 cent ice cream cones (burger king, wendys & sonic all have them), take advantage of the deal and make it a family outing. This one is sure to be a favorite for the kiddos! 
  10. Host a Sing-a-Long - There’s no denying that children love to sing. Take 30 minutes or so to sing silly songs together like “the wheels on the bus” or “head & shoulders”. Be ready to giggle together as you create your own melodies or words. You may not be the best singer, but to your kids, you are awesome.