Adoption and Family,  family

Ten Ways to Carve Out Family Play Time in the Fall and a Contest too!

 

The race cars in the new Kindertoys are a big hit here
Well my last #KinderMom post was all about my summer bucket list and I am happy to report that, with the exception of manicures and pedicures, my kids and I managed to cross off most of the items on our To-Do bucket list. Labour Day weekend was a whirlwind. But play doesn’t stop just because it is September and we are back to school routines, homework, Original Kids, martial arts, swimming and riding lessons. Whew! Did I really just say all of that? I am tired just typing it. My kids are seven and ten now and whereas when they were little I could scoop them into my arms and dance around the living room, now it takes some creative thought. For instance, the eldest girl is very much a tween and headed rapdily towards that teenage landmark from whence there is no return. Yikes! So I have my work cut out for me because some days play just isn’t as cool as it used to be. And she’d really rather be hanging with friends or playing with her new netbook. So how do we still manage to do playful stuff? Well, I have a few tips:

1. Chase everyone outside after dinner. When the sun starts setting earlier and the dark days of November are chasing at my heels I often use it to our advantage. We run after dinner in the backyard, or we play Dark Tag or Dark Hide ‘N Seek which is kickbutt awesome. When the sun goes down it’s great time for Family Play Time. It is very hard to find kids trying to hide behind shrubs in the dark.The whole family does this together and we love it. Ainsley asks to play dark tag in the summer, it’s so fun. The only issue with that is – in the summer you would have to stay awake until 10 p.m. to play in the dark and that is simply never going to happen at my house.

2. Games night. We don’t have a set night because we play board games and card games a lot here. My youngest loves Skip-Bo and other card games. We rarely escape a day of not playing cards. That sometimes means every day is a good day for Family Play time.

3. Climbers and swings. We have an excellent swing/climber set in the backyard and we use it a lot. I love to chase the kids on it and the slide goes extra fast in the winter when snow and ice cake onto it. Snowpants + slides +snowpiles at the bottom = rocket like propulsion down that thing. (One year I literally flew off the swing and conked my shoulders on the fence about ten feet away.) Good times!

4. Rake leaves together, clean the garden up together and make it fun. Buy the kids their own rakes and let them help. Pile those leaves high and who cares if they get in the bag? As long as the kids are having fun and helping and being active.

5. Walk or bike to the nearest park or schoolyard. Take a basketball or a baseball.

6. Get out the Crayola products and draw together on the patio or driveway or sidewalk.

7. Backyard Science: Take a coke bottle that is full. Add Mentos. Put it in the middle of the yard and run!

8. Scavenger Hunt: I do this a lot with little ones especially learning to read. Hand them a list. 1. Maple Leaf 2. Boat 3. Number 13. 4. The letter X. and so on and then we walk around our neighbourhood and cross items off.

9. Hike: I didn’t used to be a fan of hiking, but now I like to disguise exercise as play and make it fun. Call it an adventure or exploring and pack a snack, a notepad, a camera and some binoculars. Head over to Fanshawe Conservation Area or one of your city’s great hiking trails or bike trails. See what you can see and have fun.

10. Last But Not Least: KinderToys. Kindersurprises are even more fun with some of the new big toys. The inflatables are fun to bat around like volleyballs. The cars are great for racing. Honestly I gave my kids some one September morning (late – we don’t eat chocolate for breakfast or anything) and they raced outside with them immediately. I didn’t even have to say let’s go out. To me, that was a perfect example of how KinderToys work and how KinderCanada is fabulous. Kinder makes Family Play Time simple.

So tell me how does your family incorporate play into the daily business of living and work?

KinderCanada has a great contest on right now over on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/KinderCanada Head over and enter for a chance to win a $200 basket filled with chocolate and some surprises too! Click on the contest tab and enter for a chance to win. Maybe you will find your own fun ideas for Family Play Time.

I am a #KinderMom and as a result I receive special perks for being affiliated with this product. The opinions on this blog are all my own.

Mom of two beautiful active girls, traveller, fitness junkie, social media consultant, and keeper of the sanity.

3 Comments

  • Skees

    Hiking’s fun and there are so many great places to do it here in London. Miss R. likes to incorporate it with a scavenger hunt and see how many different things she can find (usually types of leaves). The sad part is a lot of trees are being cut down in our “woods” because of the emerald ash bore beetle. Maybe your girls and Miss R could go for a hike together sometime this fall. Miss R and I go through the woods on the way home from school at least once a week and she is always on the lookout for critters.