How to Have a “Festival of Fun” With Your Kids
Learn how to have a “Festival of Fun” with your kids and discover 100 ideas to do at home.
How to Have a “Festival of Fun” With Your Kids
Well, creativity at home has never been more necessary. Want to do something special together on the weekend and make memories instead of watching another show on Netflix? (If I get one more email asking me if I “still want to watch…” Yes, Netflix. Yes I do).
Growing up my dad would do what he called a “Festival of Games.” He would hide a game in 4 or 5 different rooms and then create clues to find them. Once we would find the first one we would sit in that room and play the game. Then we would get another clue to find the next game.
When Zach started coaching football 7 years ago I had a LOT of time just me and the kiddos and some days I was desperate for a distraction that did not include screens or another minute of Dora the Explorer. So I started two things – one, a dance party with hip hop music while dinner was in the oven to keep me awake and on my feet, and two, a “Festival of Fun” to keep the kids entertained and engaged with each other.
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More about our dance parties another time, for now let’s talk about 100 fun ideas to do at home with your kids and how to create a “Festival of Fun.”
How to Have a “Festival of Fun” With Your Kids
First come up with 4-5 ideas to do together. Be sure to check out the list of 100 fun ideas to do with your kids at the end of the post! Write these ideas on a piece of paper and then label them with sticky notes or write them on numbered note cards.
Then number them!
Have your kids open the ideas either at random or based off of your numbers.
You could also create 5 ideas, write them onto folded note cards and have your kids pick them at random!
Lots of ways to take this concept and run with it.
A couple weekends ago when Zach was gone I documented our Festival of Fun to show you what we did!
How to Have a “Festival of Fun” With Your Kids
#1. Make cookie drop brownies.
My cookie drop brownie recipe is a great one to make with kids. Check it out here!
His sisters were making him laugh about something.
So good.
How to Have a “Festival of Fun” With Your Kids
#2. Do two puzzles together.
We love the big Melissa and Dough floor puzzles. Links at the end of post!
How to Have a “Festival of Fun” With Your Kids
#3. Read three books under Mommy’s bed sheets with a flashlight.
This got hot fast with our fleece sheets. We quickly bailed the “under the sheet” plan.
This one bailed first.
How to Have a “Festival of Fun” With Your Kids
#4. Play with Caleb’s trains.
Who can find Lily?
How to Have a “Festival of Fun” With Your Kids
#5. Take our cookie drop brownies to the park and play.
Yummy!!!
How to Have a “Festival of Fun” With Your Kids
#6. Have a dinner movie at Aunt Aubrey’s house!!
We ended with a homemade dinner by Aunt Aubrey.
Got in jammies and finished the night with a movie!
Such a fun day! You can make your “Festival of Fun” as long or short as you want. As simple or complex as you desire. But the point is, your kids will love something intentional and you may be surprised how much fun you have as well!
For more inspiration scroll through a list of 100 fun ideas to do at home!!
Read books under your bed sheets with a flashlight
Bake cake pops
Hide a puzzle in each bedroom and complete once found
Play at a nearby park
Ride bikes
Create an indoor scavenger hunt
Build a fire with sticks collected from your yard
Make your own eye spy book
Bake brownies
Hide a book in 5 rooms and read once found
Create an outdoor scavenger hunt
Dress up and have a tea party
Make homemade gummy bears
Make homemade ice pops
Make a fort with chairs and blankets
Hide 4 games and play them once found
Write a story
Read a story and act out the characters
Color
Create your own word search
Roller blade
Paint
Create your own crossword puzzle
Play kickball
Have a picnic
Get up early and watch the sunrise with a picnic breakfast
Have a pillow fight
Play hide and go seek
- Plant and decorate a flower kit
Learn magic tricks
Play I Spy in a bucket
Finger paint
Create your own library
Go for a hike
- Create a menu then make it
Make a zoo with stuffed animals
Play jumbo jenga
Write your own play
Do a murder mystery
Sing karaoke
Make homemade play dough
Make homemade ice pops
Use fabric markers and draw on old t-shirts
Make homemade pizzas
Draw with sidewalk chalk
Build with Knex
Play in a sprinkler
Write letters and mail them
Turn old jeans into shorts and decorate
Do science experiments
Put on a magic show
Have a shaving cream battle
Make a scrapbook
Fly a kite
Play Jumbo Checkers
Have a family cookout
Go snorkeling in your bathtub
Collect old toys and books for charity
Create an obstacle course
Play basketball
Have a dance party
Camp outside
Have a water balloon fight
Go for a jog
Read books on a blanket outside with a snack
Press leaves or flowers in a book
Play trivia
Have a candlelight dinner
Create your own spa day
Blow bubbles
Draw with fabric markers on old socks and make a puppet show
Take a bubble bath
Build with Legos
Create a huge train track
Knock down army men with rubber bands
Build with Magna Tiles
Climb a tree
Make an outdoor fort
Play dress up
Decorate a cake
Decorate sugar cookies
Tell jokes
Make a gingerbread house
Make a blanket with old shirts
Have a paper airplane contest
Learn to juggle
Have a squirt gun battle
Make new candles out of old ones
Play Bingo
Build a playhouse out of cardboard boxes
Play charades
Make snowflakes with paper and scissors
Make your own soap
Paint a mural on your bathtub wall
Set up an Easter egg hunt
Make greeting cards
Make your own puzzle
Cook an ethnic meal
Write your own book
Paint a picture frame
What fun things do you do at home with your kids??
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