As parents, it’s tough to come up with ways to keep our kids happy and engaged at home, especially for a full week! I know I’ve heard “I’m bored!” more times than I can count. But with some creative planning, we can put together seven days packed with fun mix-and-match activities – no boredom allowed!
Let’s start the week getting messy with arts and crafts. We could make paper bag puppets, melted crayon art, decorate frames for their artwork – really anything to spark creativity. I like using Crayola products, but we can raid the recycling bin too for materials to repurpose.
Keeping Kids Busy and Having Fun for One Whole Week
When Tuesday rolls around, we’ll get the wiggles out with some active outdoor games. How about we pack a lunch and head to the park for some tag, sidewalk chalk contests, or potato sack races? I’ll make sure to toss in the frisbees, balls, bubbles, and kites so we really wear these kids out! Brands like Gazillion Bubbles have amazing bubble sets.
For indoor fun, Wednesday can be full of board games and card games – family game night! I’ll dig out classics like Monopoly and Candyland or fun new options like Yeti Spaghetti which always makes us laugh. And we’ll fuel all that gaming with yummy snacks, of course!
Thursday is all about cooking together. The kids can help bake cookies and even design their own mini pizzas. No oven required for treats like chocolate strawberries or dirt pudding topped with gummy worms! And I found cute kitchen helpers tools like blunt knives and mixers just their size.
Although there doesn’t seem to be much hope of a Friends reunion episode any time soon, the creator of Friends recently opened up about what the characters would be up to these days, and revealed whether he thought Ross and Rachel’s relationship would last the test of time.
Let’s veg out on Friday with back-to-back family movie marathons! We’ll make a cozy pillow fort and let each kid pick their favorite films to watch. Maybe we can even act out scenes or make film-inspired snacks for intermission breaks!
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Field trip time on Saturday! The zoo, children’s museum, aquarium – so many educational spots to explore. Wherever we go, I’ll let the kids guide the experience, asking what interests them most. And journaling afterwards is a great way to reflect on what they learned.
The key is offering a blend of crafts, games, outdoor time, cooking, field trips and movie fun so no one gets bored. Don’t forget to ask them each evening what their favorite part of the day was and use this feedback to shape the rest of the week’s plans.
Tony Robbins
To wrap up our adventure-filled week, Sunday calls for a pajama party day at home playing classic sleepover games like making friendship bracelets. We can even set up a spa station with DIY foot scrubs and pedicures! Most importantly, we’ll capture lots of pictures and videos so we can remember all the fun!
So with crafts, outdoor activities, games, cooking, movies and field trips in the mix, I think one week will fly by with non-stop engagement and fun family bonding! Let me know which ideas you think your kids will enjoy the most!
Characters
The more a child positively interacts with toys and other kids, the greater their self-confidence, emotional growth, dexterity and problem solving abilities can flourish. Toys truly influence development!
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Everything you Need to Know
importance of keeping kids engaged with toys and activities:
– Playing with toys builds vital life skills – things like hand-eye coordination, dexterity, problem solving, cause & effect, creativity, and imagination. Brands like Lego, Play-Doh, and Magna-Tiles are great for skill building.
– Interactive toys promote healthy childhood development in areas like cognitive growth, emotional regulation, motor skills, spatial reasoning, and social interaction. Great options include pretend play sets, musical instruments, and building toys.
– Educational toys nurture development by teaching things like counting, colors, alphabet, and animal names. Fun learning toys include flashcards, puzzles, sorting & stacking toys, and interactive learning tools from VTech and LeapFrog.
– Active toys like balls, jump ropes, bubbles, flying disks keep kids engaged in movement and exercise which supports growth, coordination and healthy habits. We love outdoor brands like Gazillion Bubbles, SwimWays, and Aerobie.
– Arts & crafts toys stimulate creativity through open-ended play and artistic expression. Great finds include crayons, colored pencils, markers, paint sets, play dough kits and wearable art jewelry. Top brands are Crayola, Cra-Z-Art, and Alex Toys.
– Engaging a child’s interests with toys makes play much more rewarding and impactful. Identify their passions and gift toys to fuel their fascinations like dinos, space, cooking, building, or STEM topics.
