I sometimes find myself looking back on my day and realizing that I was so busy that day and I didn’t really spend quality time with my son. I mean real, one on one, fun, making memories kind of time. QUALITY time. I decided to make a point to do at least ONE thing each day that was quality. Here are 10 ways that I love building memories with my boy:
1. Jump in puddles! Don’t let that rain keep you inside – head out and find some big puddles to jump in….or sit in! So many giggles to be had from something so simple.
2. Camp in your living room! Set up your little tent, or better yet, build a blanket tent and camp out for the night. Grab some snacks and spend the evening telling stories before snuggling in together.
3. Dance! Turn on their favourite songs, crank it up and let loose with a dance party in the kitchen!
4. Have a picnic! You don’t have to pack things up and move out to a park – just gather your lunch or snacks up with a blanket and head out to the front yard, driveway, deck…or even in the family room. Children find it so fun to be able to eat somewhere other then the table that they will be excited no matter where you picnic.
5. Get Messy! If the weather is nice move it outside to the backyard (an easy to clean floor inside if you don’t have good weather) and let your little ones strip down to diaper or ‘unders’ (or just play clothes if you’d prefer but it’s more fun sans clothes) and lay out a large sheet of paper and plop some paint on it. Sit back and watch the fun as you let them body paint! Don’t hold back, get in there and get painted with them (after you snap a few pics of course!)
6. Play pretend! Get dressed up and play pretend with your child or grab some puppets and put on a puppet show. Let them direct the play and watch their imaginations come alive.
7. Bake/Cook with them! They love to get hands on in the kitchen, even from a young age. It’s messy, it’s gooey, it’s tasty and it’s memories. I began cooking with my little guy at about 13 months old and it’s his favourite thing to do with me now.
8. Climb trees! Find some small trees and just climb! Not only is climbing trees with your child fun, it will also be teaching them body control and allows them to understand and trust their body’s limits.
9. Go exploring! Find a walking trail near your house or simply walk your neighbourhood and listen to your child. The things they notice and ask about on a nature walk may surprise you. Have fun collecting ‘mementos’ (sticks, leaves, pretty rocks, etc) and then take them home and make a collage that can be framed and hung in their bedroom.
10. Read! Make time everyday to sit down and read to your little one. You’re not only helping their mind grow and fostering a love of books but making wonderful memories for them.
There you have it. 10 simple ways to make memories that are not only simple but also inexpensive…most being free. Having money to take your children to fancy places aren’t the only ways that you can make lasting, fun memories. They’ll remember the small, quality things so don’t be scared of a little mess or looking a little silly now and then 😉
Love this, I do these with my kids especially the cooking with them
Great ideas for wonderful memories! We like to do “pizza party picnic” nights in our family room. It started a few years back when we got a new dining room set. I spent the day putting it all together, including the china cabinet, and it was a mess still at dinner time, plus I hadn’t cooked. So I announced we would have a Pizza Party Picnic downstairs in front of the TV. It was purely a desperate mom’s attempt to make the best of an unprepared situation, but it ended up being such a novelty for our little guy. He requests one of these probably once a month now 🙂
that is awesome and my son would love it
cooking with kids is the best
Great post Jo-Anne, we all lose track at times to why we are really here. I think we can all make a more consolidated effort in doing something meaningful each day with our children to create the memories they need.
thanks for this great post !
Love it! I too feel that sometimes I haven’t spent enough quality time with my son and think that your plan is the perfect way to fix the problem 🙂 Starting with a homemade tent for a living room camp out!