Whatever age your kids are at, it can be really hard to know how to spend time with them that allows you to bond and allows them to develop their interests. So here, we’ve provided a few suggestions of great activities you can enjoy with your kids, whatever age they’re at.
- Fun sports
If you’re an active family or if you’re interested in boosting the time your kids spend active, then a great hobby to enjoy with your kids is to find a sport that you enjoy. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box; it doesn’t have to be football or tennis. You may also enjoy playing badminton or squash, or even something more adventurous like climbing or mountain biking. Whatever works for you and your family, spending time on an active hobby is not only an excellent opportunity to bond but also keeps everybody happy and healthy.
- Crafts
Not everyone is into crafts, but especially with younger kids spending some time making Christmas cards or easter bunnies out of cardboards can be a really exciting way to spend an afternoon. Though it might take a little bit of clearing up so it maybe shouldn’t be an everyday activity, this is a great way to spend some bonding time with the kids whilst also helping them to develop their creative minds and fine motor skills – as well as teaching them about clearing up after themselves!
- Movie nights
While some people are more interested in the behind the scenes aspects of films than others, and everyone has different tastes, few can say that they dislike films as a whole and a movie night can be a great activity to include the whole family (though we do recommend parents picking the movie ahead of time or running a strict taking turns system). This can be an especially good suggestion if you are going through a rough period with your kids where they aren’t really keen to open up or spend too much quality time – as it means you get to spend time together but interaction is kept to a minimum if needs be.
- Cooking
As well as teaching a valuable life skill which will come in handy when they are at university or otherwise living independently, cooking with your kids is a great way to spend some quality time together whilst also achieving a practical daily goal. While the difficulty of the recipes and techniques used obviously has to be adjusted for age and skill level, this is a fun activity for children of all ages which can make some great memories as well as some delicious meals.
- Lectures
Though this suggestion obviously won’t be to everybody’s taste, if you and any of your kids have a special interest then it can be a great idea to attend public lectures at local organisations or universities. For example, many philosophers often give talks as part of their book tours, or architecture or fashion speaking events are easy to locate online. Attending these kind of events together is not only an opportunity to spend time together but additionally a great chance to learn more about a topic you are both interested in.
Carving out quality time with the family isn’t always easy, but hopefully a couple of the suggestions for interesting activities on this list will help you to create some lasting memories with your kids.