Everyone has to grow up, get a job, pay taxes, and be a responsible adult. But once you have a child, you get to be a child again too. My son will soon be at that age where we can go to the park, or take day trips and hikes, and get into all sorts of trouble. I can’t wait! Here’s a list of fun stuff that I’m looking forward to and that any parent can use if they find themselves in a rut.

1. Take the dog to the park – Run around and play ball with the dog. It’s an easy way for both of them to burn off energy
2. Play catch and home run derby – Playing catch and whiffle ball home run derby is good one on one bonding time and can be decent exercise
3. Build and launch model rockets – This is a great multi-stage project. Building and painting the rocket and then taking it to a safe place to launch can be done over a few days.
4. Go fishing at the pond – Even if you don’t catch anything, it’s a good learning and bonding experience.
5. Camp in the backyard – Grab the tent and sleeping bags and camp out in the backyard. Add a way to make smores and tell some scary stories and you’re set.
6. Make electronic gadgets – A science supply store should have kits for things that flash, make noise or other cool things. It will teach some good skills and hopefully keep them from taking apart the toaster.
7. Create a fort in the living room – Take apart the couch, bring in some chairs, cover with sheets and blankets and you have a timeless classic.
8. Have a scavenger hunt - Hide treasure in the yard, make a map and leave clues. This can be fun and help develop analytical skills
9. Create mazes and puzzles – Use imagination and draw mazes or cut apart a picture to make a puzzle. Or just buy a puzzle. Either way, it’s good fun.
10. Make paper airplanes – Show off your paper airplane making skills and have contests and wars. A good idea is to fold in the tip so nobody gets an eye poked out.
11. Play with Legos – Every grownup is dying to play with Legos again. Let your kid be your excuse. Large kits can be expensive, but you can find people on Craigslist selling bucket loads for cheap.
12. Have staring contests – This is as free as it gets! Have an old fashioned staring contest, try to keep a straight face, or try not to laugh.
13. Take creative photos with props – Using backdrops, props and your imagination, you can come up with some great space or underwater scenes.
14. Mute the TV & do the voices – Kind of like MST3000. Make up funny voices and ad lib the heck out of whatever western or futuristic movie that’s on TV.
15. Make codes and ciphers – You know, use numbers for letters, or symbols, provide a key and try to figure out the coded message.
16. Look for constellations – If you don’t know your stars, you both can learn. Trying to find constellations or stars with telescopes is fun and educational.
17. Go panning for gold – You can go and get lessons or just buy a pan and head to the river and have fun trying something new. Maybe you’ll strike gold too!
18. Use a metal detector – Get a decent metal detector and head to the beach. Take turns digging up lost treasure… or bottle caps.
19. Go to the zoo – You can just go and have fun, or keep a list of what you see and go back until you’ve seen all the animals since some are likely to be sleeping.
20. Go to museums – There are various museums around here, not just for art. So you can learn about science, art, airplanes, trains, etc.
21. Plant a garden – Not only can this be fun, but you can teach about gardening, plants, and responsibility.
22. Random acts of kindness – Surprise a neighbor and leave nice notes or flowers, bake goodies, offer to rake or mow a lawn, make holiday gifts, etc. The world needs more kindness.
23. Make a time capsule – Take a metal box, line with plastic, add newspaper clippings, baseball cards, stamps, pictures, CD, etc. Bury and dig up in five or ten years.
24. Build a bird feeder – Whether you buy a kit or build it from scratch, it can teach good skills and responsibility to keep it filled for the birds.
25. Search for shapes in nature – Take a hike or go on a walk down by the river and see if circles, squares, triangles, etc. can be found in nature.
26. Take turns reading a book – Great quality time and helps develop reading and comprehension. It’s also a great alternative to watching TV, or can be part of the bed time routine.
27. Write a story – Alternate sentences or every so many words while you write and develop a story using your imagination.
28. Paint a room – Painting a room, or any home improvement, can be a great learning experience. Cover the floors and let your child paint the lower parts of the walls while you paint the higher parts.
29. Science experiments – Create a volcano with baking soda, put celery in food coloring, etc. The possibilities are endless and priceless.
30. Write to an idol – Have your child write a letter to their favorite athlete, actor, musician, or hero, include something (i.e. baseball card) and ask for an autograph.