Fun Family Activities

 
 
 

American Flag Beaded Pin

 

 

Required:

  •  

    Red beads, white beads, and blue beads

  •  

    1″ Safety Pins (10 total per craft)

  •  

    Needle Nose Pliers

Each pin will take 9 safety pins and you can use either all gold or silver. Make four of the pins with 5 blue beads on first then add one white then red then white then red then the last bead will be white. Close each finished pin and slightly crimp the head of the pin to prevent the pin from opening.

Make the next four safety pins starting with a red bead then white alternating until you have ten beads the last one should be white. Close each one of those pins and crimp. The last part will take an adult to help you because the 8 safety pins will have to go on the backside on the 9th pin. In order to do this you will have to take the needle nose pliers and slightly pull apart the bottom end of the 9th safety pin – only far enough to slide each of the beaded pins around the loop to the other side. The beaded pins will hang from the bottom loop of the pin. You will start with the red and white beaded pins first. One at a time slide to the other side of the pin. Make sure that the beads face out instead of the inside of the pin. If you slide the beaded pins facing out they should end up facing out. Then slide the remaining blue with red and white pins on and then crimp the holding pin back into place. You can now proudly wear your United States of America Pin. May God Bless America!!

 
 
 

Backwards Day

 

 

Required:

  •  

    Sense of humor

  •  

    A fun meal

  •  

    Desire to have fun

Choose a day that the kids can wear their clothes backward. Most likely a day that you’ll all be staying home or near home. Be creative but not too tacky as to how to look. At dinner, you should serve a backward dinner to top off the day. Start out with dessert first, and then the main course, then the salad and veggies last if you have any room left. See if you can plan out any other ideas for the day.

 
 
 

Box Fort

 

 

Required:

  •  

    Large Boxes

  •  

    Tape

  •  

    Marker

  •  

    Scissors

Find some large boxes to play in. You can either use those leftover large present boxes or acquire a few large boxes from a nearby store. Have the kids figure out how they want their fort to look with passageways to the other boxes. What type of windows? Windows that open up, open down, or open out. Have someone that is knowledgeable with scissors cut out openings, use caution when doing so. Use duct tape or shipping tape to keep the boxes together. Kids can decorate their fort with markers and other ways. Discuss with kids different types of forts that were built in America, Canada, and other countries. Have them do some research on the Internet as to these types of forts. For younger children have them think about different types of habitats that animals use for protection. Whenever your children try a new activity or game, this is your greatest opportunity to tie it into a learning experience. Games can always be a learning process for kids and adults; you’ll learn many things in the process. – R. Scheel, Fun-Attic Inc.

 
 
 

Comic Strip Creator

 

 

Required:

  •  

    Newspaper

  •  

    Magazines

  •  

    Scissors

  •  

    Plain Paper

  •  

    Pencil

  •  

    Glue

Have kids go through magazines and newspapers looking for interesting things to cut out. Instruct them to have a theme or story in mind for this project. Once they have cut and laid out their piece in the order of their story, have them glue them on plain paper in a line or several lines. Make sure they leave room for the caption and storyline. If they have a great story that goes on and on, encourage them to use several pieces of paper. After they have glued pieces in order, have them work on writing the story out based on the pictures above. This exercise will help some children learn to frame their thoughts.

 
 
 

Dough Art

 

 

Required:

  •  

    Frozen or homemade bread dough

  •  

    Food coloring

  •  

    Paint Brushes

Defrost bread dough in a large greased bowl with a towel over it to prevent from drying out; this takes up to 2-4 hours so plan this activity out ahead of time. Once the dough has risen, punch down and separate into large chunks for each child. Provide a lightly floured work area for them and aprons if they tend to be messy. Have them make something out of the dough like animals, plants, cartoon characters, or objects that interest them. Place the shaped artwork on a greased cookie sheet and have them paint with desired food coloring mixed with a little bit of water. Let the finished artwork rise for about 1-2 hours and then bake for about 20-30 minutes at about 350 degrees. For the holiday season, even the parents can do unique bread designs like a braided loaf or braided wreath. You’ll be surprised how creative you really can be if you would only try.

 
 
 

Eat Under the Table

A young and beautiful mother in a blue shirt and apron is preparing a fresh vegetable salad at home in the kitchen, along with her little cute daughters with light hair

Image via Freepik

 

Required:

  •  

    Clean Floor

  •  

    Willing to be different

  •  

    Desire to have fun

  •  

    Fun, easy meal

Once in awhile when mom’s in a good mood and looking for something fun to do with the kids, I’ll plan a unique meal. The meal will usually take place the same day that I’ve mopped the kitchen floor. A good fun meal could be a taco salad or something that your family would enjoy. We’ll pull away all the chairs and sit cross-legged as we enjoy a special time together. Warning, the kids will totally enjoy this and they will bug you until you do it again.

 

Safe Toys for the Whole Family – Even Grandpa Can Play!

 
 
 

Fall Leaf Collection Book

 

 

Required:

  •  

    String

  •  

    Leaves

  •  

    Hole Punch

  •  

    Construction Paper

  •  

    Wax Paper

  •  

    Aluminum Foil

  •  

    Iron

  •  

    Clear Contact paper

Send out the troops on a fall leaf hunt. Have them collect different colors and shapes. Each bookmaker will sort through the collected leaves looking for the best and most unique. You can also make one big book that all can share.

There are two ways to put together a fall leaf collection book.

One way is to purchase clear contact paper and cut it into uniform pieces. Peel back part of the protective paper and place one or more leaves on one half of the paper. Once the leaves are placed peel back the rest on the protective paper and fold over the other half.

Another way is to use wax paper and an iron. If you use this method take several precautions not to damage your iron or other items that might come in contact with melted wax. When using an iron make sure that it never comes in direct contact with the wax paper or you will spread out the melted wax on your iron. (It will come off but you don’t want it on any of your good clothes.) Lay a large enough piece of aluminum foil on your ironing board or ironing surface. Cut out uniform pieces of wax paper and place a leaf or two on one half and fold the other half on top of the leaf. Place another piece of foil to separate the wax paper from the iron. Iron the page together with a medium heated iron. Be careful not to get burned on the aluminum foil. Peel back the foil to check your work; making sure the waxed paper has fused together. Instead of aluminum foil, you can use scrap pieces of cotton material or paper towels.

Once you have all your leaves sealed by some method you can take strips of colorful construction paper to frame each leaf page. This will also provide an area to label each type of leaf. Punch a hole through one corner of each completed piece and tie with a piece of string to form a leaf book.

 
 
 

Icing Skills

Photo by Alex Holyoake on Unsplash

 

Required:

  •  

    Cake Decorating Bags

  •  

    Decorating tips

  •  

    Powdered sugar

  •  

    Shortening

  •  

    Toothpicks

  •  

    Wax Paper

  •  

    Marshmallows

  •  

    food coloring

  •  

    9″ cake pan

Purchase cake decorating bags and cake decorating tips. The decorating tips that you might want would be the star tip, leaf tip, petal/flower tip, and writing tip. You can make your own bags with wax paper formed into a cone but the reusable plastic decorating bags are your best bet. Mix one box of confectionary sugar with one cup of shortening, separate into two-three containers, and add desired food coloring. This recipe is for practicing your cake decorating talents over and over again it but must be refrigerated.

Take 9 inch round cake pans and turn upside down on wax paper. Get the kids to decorate these pans over and over. To make a rose, push a toothpick halfway through the flat side of a miniature marshmallow to use as a handle. Use your petal tip and while slowly spinning the marshmallow, add frosting to the top edge of the marshmallow with the tip angled sideways. The first petal should look like a mountain peak or roof with the top of the marshmallow closed off. Then for your next petals add an upside-down half moon shapes on both sides of the marshmallow. Turn the marshmallow ¼ turn and add 2 more of the same petals. You can also do this with large a marshmallow and once you master the idea this can be done without marshmallows but they are helpful for beginners. To learn how to make Baby Bootie’s go to our Baby Shower Ideas page for instructions.

Created by R. Scheel, Fun-Attic, Inc.

 
 
 

Marble Art

 

 

Required:

  •  

    Small Containers

  •  

    Tempura paint

  •  

    Paper plates

  •  

    Spoons

  •  

    Extra paper

  •  

    Marbles

Place a precut paper onto your paper plate. Pour tempera paints into small containers and place marbles into the various colors. Spoon out marbles one or several at a time onto the paper plate and while using wrist action allow the marble to roll around leaving a very colorful design. You might want aprons on the participants or you can do this project outside to prevent making too much of a mess.

 
 
 

Nature Stamp Art

 

 

Required:

  •  

    Poster Paints

  •  

    Apples

  •  

    Leaves

  •  

    Twigs

  •  

    Paper

  •  

    Plates

Cut an apple in half so that you have a top and a bottom half and you will find something special, a star. Find different shapes, sizes, and types of leaves that will make unique patterns on paper but make sure you don’t touch plants that could cause you harm. Pour different colors of poster paint into small plates and dip the items one at a time into the paint, then press onto paper. You can add different types of glitter and this artwork can be also used for special napkin designs, table decorations, or homemade wrapping paper for a holiday or special occasion.

 

Have Fun! ?

 

Now here are some colorful ideas to liven up play time.
If you have a fun game that is entertaining and healthy for kids of ANY age, you can send it to us for consideration and addition to our Games and Activities Guide.

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Featured Photo by Agung Pandit Wiguna from Pexels

Later Edit

After some thought and considerations, we have come up with several other activities that you and your family can try out for some fun.

Play a Card Game

There are lots of card games for you to choose from, many of which you can find on our website. From all-time classics like UNO to Go Fish, the options are seemingly limitless. And if you’re creative enough, you could also invent your own personalized version of a game with custom rules.

Optionally, you can combine card and dice games to up the ante and give an even newer perspective on classic spin-off titles. It’s up to you to choose a game that everyone in the family can enjoy as a fun activity.

Go to the Beach

We know that sometimes your kids might not be in the mood for in-house activities or for board games. So why not do something a little out of the ordinary? Yes, go to the beach.

Kids love the seaside and the hot sun will make them even happier than staying inside and playing video games. You can also take this opportunity to teach them how to swim. This skill will most likely come in handy on numerous occasions throughout their lives.

Go For a Bike Ride

Riding a bike is one of the most rudimental and basic ways for your kids to have fun and stay in shape at the same time. Consider teaching them how to ride one at a young age so that they can get the hang of it early in life.

It’s also a great way for you to bond with your children and make some awesome memories. Once they’re good enough, take them through a bike ride on a bike trail or somewhere in nature where the road is good enough to handle the two-wheeled vehicles.

Teach Kids How to Garden

At first, it might sound like a menial task. However, gardening is a useful skill and it can quite fun with the right mindset. Get creative and play some games to help your kids memorize all the gardening techniques.