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I have forgotten how to have fun with my kids....


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I need ideas. My life is about chores, teaching, breaking up arguments, kissing owies, and stressing out over life in general. I would love to spend time with my kids having FUN! I just don't know how anymore. I can't stand anything messy. I just see more work for me. Games are difficult. With the wide range of ages here, it usually just ends up with the kids arguing. Again, more work for me. Did I mention that my oldest has HFA? This means that everything needs to be "just so" or I deal with a meltdown. I am hanging on to my last shred of patience for this. I used to spend all day playing with my kiddos and thoroughly enjoying it, but as more children were added and more life stress occurring, I am just faking it. Next week is our week off and I want to have fun. Help me remember how!!! What can we do???

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Popcorn and movie night? :lurk5: Our kids love that and it's very mess-free, low-key "together time." There is definitely something nice about snuggling together under a blanket, eating popcorn and watching the movie with the lights off. Maybe that way you could relax and :chillpill: and just enjoy the togetherness. You might have to vacuum up the popcorn later but that's fairly minimal, right?

 

I'll let you know if I think of anything else.

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Read aloud time.

One poem, one picture book that is really good, and one ongoing novel at a high level of complication that everyone really needs to concentrate on.

 

Accompanied by Kapla block building, coloring, cuddling, handwork (embroidery, knitting, etc.), or taking notes.

 

Read and then talk.

 

Or check out Tuesday Teatime at the Bravewriter site.

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Go on a picnic. Have a dance party. Plan a special meal. Have a puppet show. Play dress up. Take a walk. Play a game. Play play dough or color. Listen to a book on CD. Have a movie theater at home. Have a backward meal. Go on a scavenger hunt. Play tag. Look at photo albums/family videos/slides.

 

The activities don't have to last hours or take tons of advance planning. Keep it short and sweet. Just be totally with your children for the time each activity takes. They'll notice and so will you.

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My kids enjoy baking or preparing a meal together. Even in the younger years there are very easy recipes for dessert that can make the little ones feel like they contributed. Or they can just help out with baking a special treat. Sometimes I divide up the work, but we are still in the kitchen together, Oh and Dd always loves being able to set the table and make up a special centerpiece.

 

We also love hiking, but I'm not sure if your 3 year old would be up for that!

 

This time of year we like to pick out and plant some seeds indoors for spring.

 

We have also enjoyed embarking on drawing or painting projects just for fun and not for school. We work in the same room and talk about our projects. Even mom likes to participate. Doing some blind contour drawings can make it fun too as you look at how funny the drawings look.

 

Visits to the thrift shop for books and coming home to read with tea or cocoa is always a hit. Again, we are in the same room and sharing favorite parts of our books.

 

Strange, but my kids think its fun to reorganize, clean out and then deep clean and possibly rearrange a room of the house. We just did this with our basement.

 

Board games - when we finally get to them, we have fun.

 

Visiting favorite local places is another favorite activity. They have a favorite county park, used book store, garden center, wildlife refuge, bakery...and the list goes on.

 

They also really appreciate going to the library for an extended time and being able to eat lunch there (our library has a cafe and they allow you to bring in your own food too).

 

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I love movie nights. Love them. I just want to snuggle and hang out, but getting them to agree on what to watch is difficult. My HFA ds struggles with anxiety so anything with the slightest bit of suspense has him upset. We are still suffering the consequences of a Harry Potter marathon over Christmas. :glare: I will take any movie suggestions please? They also love documentaries.

 

The family pictures/videos is an awesome idea. Thanks. I had forgotten how much everyone likes to do that.

 

I just got a new audio book. I wonder how that would go......

 

Thanks everyone I am still :bigear:

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We have a weekly movie night. Getting them to agree on a movie was nearly impossible - so we started a rotation. Mom and Dad have veto power though (to make sure the biggers don't pick something to scary for the littles). Whoever picks the movie also gets to pick what's for dinner that night.

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Doing those geometry shaped puzzle thingys together (sorry, late for me) or coloring while listening to soothing music. Listening to books on cd together curled up on the couch.

 

Rotate taking one kid to the grocery store w/you or running errands.

 

Remember just your consistent presence in their lives is a remarkable gift.

 

Laura

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Oh gosh, such great ideas! I love puzzles. I should get one out on the dining room table. I have great memories of doing puzzles with my mom.

 

Ok, secretly I have wanted Just Dance, but thought my boys wouldn't be into it. They might just surprise me though. (Or have a good laugh at my expense, that's good too!)

 

Thanks!

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Sorry, no help here. I haven't had time for "fun" in years. Of course, I'm not a very "fun" person anyway. If it's not educational or productive, I'm not interested. I did used to do some fun educational stuff when my kids were little, though.

 

By the time my youngest is in 1st grade, she'll be my only student, so I'm holding out some hope for "fun" with her :tongue_smilie:.

 

:grouphug:

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If you have room in your house, one of the most fun things we do is a game called "Get Mommy!". We have a small inflatable beach ball, and the kids take turns trying to throw it at me and hit me with it. I, in turn, try to peg each of them with it when I catch it. The beach ball doesn't cause much damage, even if it hits something. :001_smile: This is also a good outdoor game if you have good weather. Another version of this is "Dish Towel Range". One person is It and they sit on the sofa. The other players run back and forth in a pre-determined range. The It person has 3 dish towels, which they bunch up and throw at the runners. The first person to get hit 3 times is the new It.

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We like "tea time". Recently we started a Mad Hatter tea where we dress up crazy and read funny poetry and drink tea. I also try to play legos or blocks, but I've never been much of a "play" person, even as a kid. I think my kids realize dh is the one to play with nowadays. We do go on a lot of walks, hike, garden, do art projects, and cook together. I am also a game nerd and we LOVE playing any sort of board or card game. :001_smile:

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Go outside and play - catch, basketball, soccer, tennis, tag, anything. Relay races or obstacle courses are easy, cheap and fun. Make homemade frozen treats to eat afterwards (or cocoa if it's cold out.)

 

Take a walk and just chat. To get started, have a scavenger hunt type list - who can spot: a blue bird, nest, a dandelion, etc.

 

Read alouds are always a hit here.

 

Scrabble, card games and beyblades are big hits here.

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I take each of my kids out on a date at least once a month.

 

DS1 and I have a standing date at the library on Monday nights... we go to play checkers, do puzzles, read together... he loves the one on one. I'm hoping to continue this, even if it has to stretch out to every 2 or 3 weeks because I need to make time for his siblings as well. I think its really important to get one-on-one time with each of your kids... We also have lots of playground trips during the week, movie nights... game nights, etc.

 

Someone suggested that when the kids are having a bad day to have a mask or wig available... leave the room for a few minutes and come back dressed up to diffuse the situation "in character"

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my older kids, now 25 and 28, still talk about the day i sent them outside to make a snow fort. (picture ottawa, minus 15 C). while they were doing that, i made chocolate chip cookies and hot chocolate. when they finished the fort, and called me to come see it, i handed them a blanket and told them to put it inside the fort. then we had a winter picnic in the fort, and it was SO fun. (and there was no mess inside to clean up afterwards except my own baking mess : ).

 

when i'm finding the well dry, i start with a special breakfast for them, maybe in bed. or i pick a theme of the day, and go with that.... (purple, or giraffes or ????). or i say to them "next week we have a week off. i want us all to have fun together. there are some things we will still need to do, like practicing the violin. but mostly, we can do some fun things. let's come up with a list of things we'd like to do. we won't be able to do all of them, but i'll try to make sure we do at least one thing from each person's list.

 

and sure, you can put on things you'd really love to do but that aren't likely to happen, like oh, (and someone inevitably chimes in with "a trip to disneyland, australia". then i suggest that if they really want the things they choose to happen, they also need to include little things and medium things.....

 

i make my own list, too. then we all come back together and share lists. they usually get enthusiastic about one another's ideas.

 

early in the week i try to get in one from each of their lists, so they realize i really meant it.

 

most years we end up mini-golfing, going to movies, the zoo, a pottery painting place, having pizza for breakfast, painting toenails .......

 

have fun!

ann

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I love movie nights. Love them. I just want to snuggle and hang out, but getting them to agree on what to watch is difficult. My HFA ds struggles with anxiety so anything with the slightest bit of suspense has him upset. We are still suffering the consequences of a Harry Potter marathon over Christmas. :glare: I will take any movie suggestions please? They also love documentaries.

 

The family pictures/videos is an awesome idea. Thanks. I had forgotten how much everyone likes to do that.

 

I just got a new audio book. I wonder how that would go......

 

Thanks everyone I am still :bigear:

 

here, they love the old musicals, and david attenborough dvds..... things like the flying nun, hogan's heroes, the cosby show, etc, where the suspense is funny and perhaps more manageable?

 

this is a great thread!

ann

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My kids.love to bake cookies with me. If I feel we need some time, I get out the mixer. Chocolate chip are not that messy....cutouts however are a HUGE mess, but wau more fun.

 

Play with playdough. It cleans up pretty easy.

 

Bubbles outside. Let the olders blow the bubbles for the littles to chase.

Edited by chepyl
stupid autocorrect!
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