5 Fun Fast Activities To Do With Your Kids Today!

You all know that I’m a big advocate of being an intentional mother.  Sometimes I think as moms we worry so much about being intentional with our kids that we miss the opportunities right in front of us to have fun with our kids!  Here are 5 fun and fast (under 20 minutes) that you can do with your kids today that will create memories, fun, and not take all day to do!

1. Play a game.  Whether you have an infant or teenagers, there are many fun games that take less than 20 minutes that you can do together as a family.  Some ideas for infants are playing peekaboo and reciting nursery rhymes such as “This little piggy went to market….”  As the kids get older you can play many card games like Slap Jack, Go Fish, Uno, Old Maid or Rummy.  Board games are also fun to start introducing at this point like Candy Land, Chutes & Ladders, Memory, Lucky Ducks, Trouble, Connect 4, Hungry, Hungry Hippos, Go Fish, or Hi Ho Cherrio!  As the kids get older Bananagrams, Tenzi (my kids love this game!  With 7 of us, I purchased the Party Pack &  77 ways to play Tenzi. I highly recommend this game, the kids love it, it is fun for all 5 of them (the youngest makes her own rules) and I like playing it as well!) , Family Fluxx, Yahtzee Jr., Twister, Jenga, Operation, Blokus, and Phase 10.
2. Let the kids help cook a meal and let go of your perfectionism.  My kids love to help me make meals.  By allowing yourself to let go of the messes, you will be enabling your children!  They are learning life skills of measuring ingredients, being able to cook meals for themselves, and working together in a group taking turns and following directions.  If it is hard to cook with all of them at one time, let each child have a night of the week they get to be your special helper!  My kids love to put on aprons and make cookies, help with casseroles, or anything else I will let them experiment with.  Cooking may not be a blast for you but it is very fun for them!
3. Read out loud to your kids!  Even my 10-year old daughter still likes it when I read to her.  Two years ago, I decided to read out loud to my kids before bedtime.  Depending on their ages, some of them sit quietly and listen, some listen while playing with Legos or holding their favorite stuffed animals.  Usually all of them sit and listen.  When I gather all 5 of them together, we usually read a chapter or two and then we’re done until the next night.  If you have young kids, grab a few of their favorites and cuddle up!  (They really do grow out of your lap before you know it!)  I promise you will never regret reading out loud to your kids, even if you feel awkward at first doing it!  
4. Have a dance party!  I’ll admit this one is easy for me because I love to be goofy with my kids and I love music.  I have had more laughs watching the kids with their “moves” as they call them and it’s good for your health too!  I laugh more than I do regularly when we do dance parties and it get’s the heart rate up which is good exercise!  You may be surprised the moves they know, last year one of the twins informed me that I should try the “sprinkler…”  I’m not sure who has more fun at our dance parties, the kids or myself!
5. Tell them a story about when mom was a kid!  I honestly think that my kids would rather have me tell them a story about myself as a little girl than read any story.  They love to know about my childhood pets, what I was scared of, who were my friends, and anything silly, strange, or funny that happened to me as a kid.  Get creative, not only will they enjoy it but you are giving them a piece of your life that they can share with their own kids someday.  This is also a good way to relate with your tweens who are going through some difficult stuff right now and might help them relate to their own circumstances.

What do you do with your kids that is fast and fun?