
Posted by MichaelMaggs
The world offers so many appealing distractions for kids and adults that family time has become more precious than ever. If you are looking for something fun to do with the whole family, try one of these fun activities.
1. Express Yourself with Art Gather all the family’s colored pencils, paints, crayons, and several pads of paper, then spill everything into the middle of the kitchen, grab the nearest artsy instrument, and let your imagination guide your hands. Chat with your family as you draw, sketch, or paint; keep an eye on what everyone else is making (especially the kids) and compare art as you work.
2. Play with and Collect Marbles Inexpensive and multi-colored, marbles offer a fun outlet for avid collectors and game players alike. Pile into the family car and go marble hunting at garage sales and toy stores. You might find bottles of hundreds or even thousands of marbles for cheap, depending on where you shop. Next, jump online to research the rules for playing marbles, or sort the marbles with your family and organize them however you see fit. This tip need not only apply to marbles. Think of a shared interest within your family, and then go on a shopping expedition to gather a few new items to add to the collection.
3. Solve Puzzles No matter your family’s individual interests and personalities, there are jigsaw puzzles waiting to be solved. Fifty pieces, one hundred pieces, one thousand, ten thousand . . . Find a puzzle that suits everybody, set the box to one side as a model to study as you build, then hunt out the corner pieces and get building. When you are finished, ask the family if they foresee wanting to put the puzzle together again in the future. If they do not, glue the completed puzzle to a piece of cardboard, have all your family members sign it, then have it framed and hang it proudly in your family room.
4. Play Indoor Games Even if the sun is shining, there are plenty of fun, free indoor games to play. Depending on the age range of your children, they might leap at the chance to play hide-and-seek, have a scavenger hunt, or play a board game. If you do not have many board games, head to your local toy store or peruse garage sales and look for family favorites, such as Monopoly, Mouse Trap, Sorry!, and Connect Four. In a pinch, even simple games such as Tic-Tac-Toe or Hangman will do.
by Jeffrey W. Lupient