Happy Monday!
I’m off with the kids for a play date out of town, so I’d best be quick today. I’m swiping some of these from an old post in 2009!
Here’s a few ways to add a little magic to the days this week….
1. Ask the kids to help make a spring wreath for the front door from found materials. The base can be an old wreath, a wire coat hanger bent into a circle, bound branches or even a cardboard O cut from a pizza box. They can wrap, glue, wire or otherwise attach whatever they like– strips of rags, ribbons, bits of nature, toys, artificial flowers, ornaments, you name it. If it is too fragile to hang outside, display it somewhere inside. Stress that it doesn’t matter how it looks! The fun is in creating it (though I’m sure it will look fabulous because it’s made by them!).
You don’t have to help if they don’t need it, but be present. It’s often our contributions (in terms of commoditities like laughter and company) that make the difference between a magical memory and “just a craft.”
2. Get out paint pens or permanent markers and let them decorate an old pair of shoes.
3. Start a “mom and me” (or dad or grandma and me!) scrapbook. Find or make a blank book (you can use printer paper in a binder or folder, hole punch some paper and a cardstock cover and tie it with ribbon or make a more elaborate book with instructions like these). Do some pages every week together about the two of you. For instance, write notes to each other (be sure to date them!) or find a picture of yourself at your child’s age and make side by side pages comparing yourselves. At age 8, what were each of your favorite books, hobbies, colors, friends, wishes?
4. Tell the kids that for dessert today, they’re not allowed to use their hands! Have a camera handy.
5. Set a big goal to do something together that your child loves. One day my girls and I decided to see if we could read 30 picture books. You could also challenge yourselves to finish a puzzle with a whole lot of pieces, hike to the top of a really high hill or even make 20 pictures to cheer up loved ones.
6. Find a park you’ve never been to and go play together.
7. Find something junky in the house and let your child alter it. One of the advantages of having old, unloveable furniture or belongings is that you have nothing to lose with this sort of project! 🙂 Let her use paint pens on the old wooden chair in the basement or permanent markers on the inside of a beat up dresser (make sure they don’t come off on clothes though!). I once took a gold paint pen to a really boring computer monitor and covered it with swirls and polka dots. You can even designate an old T-shirt for altering.
8. Plan a zany garden with the kids. Plant a scratch and sniff garden, grow something to wear… I love these ten unique gardening ideas for kids from Code Name Mama!
9. Put the kids in charge of “dressing” the table for dinner. When I was in college, I was a banquet server and we had an entire room of props to use for this sort of thing, from lanterns to leis to mirror rounds to bandanas. Ask the kids to get as fancy as they like (tablecloth, beautiful centerpiece, folded napkins, candles…) or as original as they like (frisbees for chargers under plates, wacky centerpiece, chopsticks for eating and soup bowls for drinks…). If you have multiple kids, you might want to alternate days and even assign themes sometimes (beach, Japanese, hoedown, space…).
10. Go puddle stomping!
Have a magical week!
Number FOUR is one of our favorites!! I don’t know what it is about making a mess— so refreshing in this world of order! :):) I would LOVE to do number SEVEN… but my kiddos already have that one covered. Seems as though everything in our house is covered in PAINT and COLOR. 🙂 Your magic makers are MARVELOUS!
What an awesome list! I particularly like the one about dessert with no hands – my dessert-crazy kid would LOVE that.
Thank you, thank you for posting this! I love to think in terms of “magical” moments. I’m so glad Code Name: Mama posted your link!
I love number 3. Sometimes I am intimidated by the whole scrapbook idea. In my mind it doesn’t have to be a book. I went to an online teacher supply store and picked out fun paper, craft scissors for the kids, stickers and we decorate posters every so often or a collage we hang on our bulletin board.
I just found your blog and I have to say it is one of THE most inspiring blogs ever. Great ideas, great inspiration. I’m so glad I stumbled onto it.