Practical Ideas For Spending Time With Your Children

I’ve often said that “your children regard your presence as a sign of caring and connectedness.” Sometimes we get distracted and so preoccupied with the urgent that we miss the most important. And right up there at the top of the list is spending quality time with our kids and grandkids.

Take a moment with your child and together create your own list of activities for you would like to do for the next month. Whenever possible, allow your child to offer up the ideas, because children and even teens often support what they help create.

If you need some ideas here is a list of 63 ideas created by kids age 6 to 18. Go for it!

  1. Make daily phone calls
  2. Plan weekly dates
  3. Establish special traditions
  4. Attend their games and plays
  5. Drive them to school
  6. Put together puzzles
  7. Watch a special TV program and eat popcorn
  8. Write them notes
  9. Take them on a business trip
  10. Take photography lessons together
  11. Play tennis
  12. Skip rocks and have a contest
  13. Write a letter to God
  14. Walk the dog
  15. Read a good book together
  16. Go out for breakfast or doughnuts
  17. Take pictures
  18. Go to the park
  19. Visit the library and ask the librarian a bizarre question
  20. Develop a new laugh together
  21. Visit the zoo
  22. Visit a museum
  23. Ride bikes
  24. Learn a hobby
  25. Wash a car
  26. Rollerblade
  27. Climb a tree
  28. Climb a mountain
  29. Eat creatively one whole day for $1.29
  30. Picnic
  31. Shop for cars
  32. Go to the airport and watch people
  33. Visit the beach or lake
  34. Ice-skate
  35. Shop
  36. Play backgammon
  37. Go horseback riding
  38. Play pinball
  39. Hit golf balls or play miniature golf
  40. Bowl
  41. Play water sports
  42. Fly a kite
  43. Go on a hike
  44. Plant a garden together
  45. Play board games or card games
  46. Fish
  47. Sail
  48. Play tennis
  49. Play croquet
  50. Go river rafting or tubing
  51. Play badminton
  52. Build a tree house
  53. Go to a casual dinner but dress up
  54. Make homemade ice cream
  55. Bake cookies
  56. Attend a play
  57. Go to the movies
  58. Go to a sports event
  59. Visit a swap meet or a garage sale
  60. Feed ducks
  61. Go to the circus
  62. Go to the county fair
  63. Volunteer at a soup kitchen

Author

  • Jim Burns

    Jim Burns is the President of HomeWord and the Executive Director of the HomeWord Center for Youth and Family at Azusa Pacific University. Jim speaks to thousands of people around the world each year. He has close to 2 million resources in print in 30 languages. He primarily writes and speaks on the values of HomeWord which are: Strong Marriages, Confident Parents, Empowered Kids, and Healthy Leaders. Some of his most popular books are: Confident Parenting, The Purity Code, Creating an Intimate Marriage and Closer. Jim and his wife, Cathy live Southern California and have three grown daughters, Christy, Rebecca and Heidi.

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