I was absolutely thrilled when my sister-in-law, Duchess Nicole got me the book Four Seasons of Fun: Practically Free Things for Families To Do Together for Christmas. Does she know me well or what? If you have a gift to give soon for a family you love, I’d highly recommend it. It has TONS of free (or close to free) activity ideas, divided along seasonal lines. You can find it in Hallmark stores. It must be VERY new because I couldn’t find a link online anywhere.
Families are constantly deceived into thinking that it costs a lot to entertain and have fun together. It’s simply not true. Your kids might remember “big experiences” like the movies, Incredible Pizza, Chuck E. Cheese, amusement parks and more. But as Zig Ziglar has been quoted, “Kids go where there is excitement. They stay where there is love.” So save those “big experiences” for a treat and realize that you don’t have to spend money on your kids every. single. weekend. There’s plenty you can do for free or close to it and the memories are just as valuable (if not more!).
As the snow keeps many of house bound anyway (anyone climbing the walls like me on most days?), think about what you already have and enjoy a memory together. One of my favorite activities from the book is constructing an Indoor Playground/Obstacle Course with things you already have. Here are a few of the suggestions from page 22:
- Drape a sheet over a dining room table to create a tunnel to crawl through.
- Make a “hot lava” zone in a large open area. Tape down pieces of paper to serve as safe zones; hop from paper to paper to avoid the lava and get across the room. If a foot gets “burned,” it’s back to the beginning.
- Place a hula hoop (or large loop of string) onto the floor and jump into or out of the circle a set number of times.
- Walk a hallway with a book or other object balanced on top of the head.
- Tape a piece of string to the floor in a straight line or a zig zag pattern the length of the hall; walk this “balance beam.”
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