One of the themes which surrounds the month of February is often that about celebrating love and friendship. Though we usually think more in terms of romantic love during this time, it also provides a great opportunity to demonstrate the love and affection among parents, children and family. Gifts are always fun and wonderful but often children just want to spend some un-interrupted quality time with their parents.
Consider the parent and child date ideas to explore with your children during this month of celebrating love below or on Latina Magazine: http://latina.com/lifestyle/family/mami-talks-parent-child-date-ideas
One of the themes which surrounds the month of February is often that about celebrating love and friendship. Though we usually think more in terms of romantic love during this time, it also provides a great opportunity to demonstrate the love and affection among parents, children and family. Gifts are always fun and wonderful but often children just want to spend some un-interrupted quality time with their parents.
Consider the following parent and child date ideas to explore with your children during this month of celebrating love.
WHEN YOU ARE LIMITED ON TIME
Take Your Children on Your Errands You might think that going to the grocery shopping or picking up the dry cleaning with your child may not be a great way to spend an afternoon, but it can definitely be fun. Use the time between errands to sing songs, make silly games, share a snack together or talk about the day. Plan ahead so after the errands run, you can dine with your child at a participating kids eat free restaurant.Play Old School Games Remember things like Red Light/Green Light, Simon Says, Duck-Duck-Goose, Musical Chairs, or Freeze Tag? Engage your children to play because these quick games are lots of fun and can easily be done while still scratching things off of your daily to-do list.
Eat Lunch with Your Child at School When you take your next lunch break, why not pack up your lunch eat with your child at school? Young children often enjoy having a “special visitor” eat with them during their lunch hour. You can pack a favorite lunch for you and your child and have a mini-catchup session with each other during the middle of the day. If you have older kids, think about taking them out to their favorite ice cream or snack shop before after-school activities begin.
AT HOME
Create a Family Date Night Every situation is different, so each family should create their own unique quality family time. First, set a “Family Time” schedule. For example, every second Friday of the month can be family game night. Your family could order pizza for dinner and play board games. Second, don’t miss your appointment with your family. Set a digital reminder on your cell phone so you won’t miss the date. Showing up and participating on family night shows children that they are equally or more important than a business meeting.Watch a Movie Marathon If your kids love movies, pick out some classic movies to watch for a day. Create a sundae bar with lots of ice cream flavors and toppings. Make some popcorn and have soda on hand. Choose a theme like cowboy westerns, comedies or aliens.
Make and Eat a Meal Together Proven research shows that families, who eat together regularly, have happier, healthier children who perform better at school. When at the grocery store, ask children to help select foods that the family will be making at the kitchen. At home, encourage children to be involved in the cooking process or set the dinner table. Do something out of the ordinary like making bread or pizza dough or a sweet treat from scratch that everyone can help making.
Organize a Video Olympics Wii offers lots of sports like bowling, tennis, baseball and boxing. Keep them short so everyone has a turn. You can even set up tournaments and play for prizes to make it more competitive. You can play in teams and get t-shirts in team colors to make it feel more official. Setting up a food bar with smoothies, sports drinks, protein bars and fresh fruits and veggies will give it an authentic touch.
Craft Together There are so many fun crafts to do at home together from an exploding a volcano to making cakes in a jar. With simple objects that can be found in your home, you and your children can create easy and creative homemade gifts to share on V-Day (or anytime during the year).
OUTDOORS
Head to the Park Find a list of all the parks in your city and make a plan to visit as many as you can during the break. As part of the fun, pack a picnic. This way, your kids can still run around outside and you’ll all be ready for a nap afterwards. Check out the playgrounds or the trails, and then when home, place stickers on a map of your city identifying each parks and playgrounds you have visited.Learn a New Sport Try yoga for the first time together, or take a dance class. If someone in the family is an expert at a particular sport have them teach the others how to play it. Take a morning, pack a picnic and go to the park to fly kites. It’s an activity both parents and kids enjoy. Take in the fresh air and get some exercise while playing with the kids.
Do a Favorite Activity Take the family bowling. Make it a fun time with matching “bowling shirts” and eat at the bowling alley. Head out to the movies and check out the latest family friendly film. Petting Zoos and Pick Your Own Farms are a great family outing that provides access to animals, fruits and vegetables.
Visit a Museum They usually run walking tours and will often have activities for kids. Check out the children’s museums, which are interactive fun for the whole family. Plus, no one has to worry about not touching the exhibits. Zoos and Aquariums offer special hours, discounts and children activities throughout the year.
Go Shopping Take your child to their favorite store and give them a budget of how much they can spend. Go to a local or national retail bookstore and pick out a book you can enjoy together. Take them to a Build-A-Bear Workshop so they can create a stuffed animal friend to help remember the special day of time together.
No matter what you do, remember the most important thing is to just to spend time with your children. Any time spent together can become a memorable moment while enjoying each other’s company.
Joscelyn, Owner of Mami of Multiples & Mami Innovative Media
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