Five-year-old Tyler sat at the kitchen table after dinner with a box of crayons and a thick stack of paper. Coloring and filling endless pages with scenes from his imagination was the boy’s favorite hobby. He never ran out of creative ideas. Brian watched his son draw as he finished drying the last of the dinner dishes.
“Daddy? Do you want to color with me?” Tyler asked, lifting his head.
Brian hung the dishtowel on the oven handle and pulled out a chair next to his son. “Sure, buddy. What should we color?”
As they filled pages with vibrant streaks of crayon, Brian felt the heaviness from his workday lift off of his shoulders. Joy replaced the stress of the day. He laughed as he and Tyler began to make up a funny story, illustrating it as they went. Brian loved these special moments when he could create something with his son.
Spending time doing creative activities with your kids is a great way to bond with them, learn about who they are, and have fun together. God Himself created the universe and everything in it. As His children, He has put that creative spark in each of us. However, creativity doesn’t look the same for everyone. Not everyone enjoys doing the same creative things. It would be best to find a creative outlet that you and your child can enjoy and share.
There are many creative activities to do with your kids that can bring laughter and a sweet time of bonding. Here are fifteen creative ideas to get you started.
Drawing and painting can be a fun, creative activity to do with your kids because it is easily transportable and can be done with any combination of materials. For example, you can use paper, canvas, cardboard, rocks, or wood as a place to create your artwork. Pencils, colored pencils, markers, crayons, oil pastels, and paints can help you bring your imagination to life.
You and your kids can create a series of drawings or paintings that go together. Rock painting can also be a fun project. Painting Bible verses or quotes like “Jesus Loves You” on a rock and leaving them along the sidewalk or trail can be a fantastic way to brighten a person’s day when they find the surprise painting on his or her path. Or take some time to create a sidewalk chalk masterpiece near your house. Another fun activity could be to create your own characters and draw a unique comic strip together.
Crafts can be fun, creative activities to do with your kids. There is no end to the creative ideas and the materials you can use to achieve your project. The crafts that you make together can be decorative, functional, or just plain fun. You could create a kintsugi piece from broken dishes, learn the paper-folding technique of origami, or use odds and ends from around the house (such as buttons, clothespins, and toilet paper tubes) to create something new.
Building something together can be a great way to exercise your creative skills. You can make any number of things with sets of Legos, Lincoln Logs, and Tinker Toys. Or you can up the scale and build a blanket fort or cave right in your living room. If you have tools, you can create small pieces of furniture, displays for your creative projects, or assemble bookshelves. Some families enjoy building hot rods and working on cars together. You could even work on building a treehouse or fort in your backyard together.
There are so many things that you and your kids can create with wood. You can start with something as simple as woodburning and then move to build things out of wood. You could create birdhouses, cornhole boards, cutting boards, wooden airplanes, and tables.
Creating with clay can be a fun project to do together. Whether it’s sculpting pots or figurines out of Play-Doh or throwing pottery on a wheel, there is no end to what you can create. Glazing pottery together can bring your creation to life. Some places have pre-made pottery where you and your kids go to glaze and decorate your own.
Getting out and going on a walk or a hike can be so rewarding as you take in the sunshine, fresh air, and get some exercise together. However, you can also make natural art while you are enjoying the outdoors. Using rocks, fallen sticks, leaves, or pinecones, you can create small sculptures and designs. Or you and your kids can build a sandcastle or sand sculpture. Remember to be a good steward of the land and do not do anything that would damage the landscape or habitat.
When you’ve worked up an appetite from all the creative activities you’re doing with your kids, remember to bake or cook something together. From cookies and cakes to breakfasts and dinners, pick a food that you would like to make together and then enjoy eating it together. You can try your hand at cookie and cake decorating or cook a new meal that is outside of your routine. You can even share your tasty creations by taking a plate to a friend or neighbor.
If you think about it, you and your kids have so many stories to tell! Think of all the shared memories, funny stories, and intriguing adventures that grow out of imagination. Pick a story and write it down with your kids. It could also be fun to individually write about the same event and then share your perspectives. You could even create your own fictional story and make a short story or novella. Another idea is to write a theatrical play and then act it out. Once you have your story down on paper, check out some of the ways that you can turn it into a physical book to keep and re-read for years to come.
Doing at-home science experiments can be a fun and creative way to learn and explore the world. If there is an area of science that intrigues you and your child, there is probably an experiment that you can do to learn more about it. From learning about density with hot and cold water to performing an egg drop to learn about gravity and physics, learning together by doing science experiments can be a great way to bond.
Sewing, knitting, and crocheting can be a relaxing, creative activity that you can do with your kids. You can create cross-stitch or needlepoint patterns and hang them on the wall when they’re complete. You can weave scarves and blankets or even sew your own costumes and design accessories for that play you wrote back in idea #8.
Get outside with your kids and grow something together. You can create a flower or vegetable garden. If space is limited, make an herb garden in the kitchen. You can also work on a landscaping project together. Have your kids help you pick out the things you’d like to have in your yard. You can make DIY bird feeders, birdbaths, and planters.
Another creative idea is to research your family tree with your kids. Take the time to find photos of relatives and ancestors, visit significant sites, and learn about who your relatives were. You can physically create a family tree with names on it by sewing, painting, or scrapbooking, or you can write down the stories of what you think their lives might have been like and even act them out.
Photography and video can be a fun way to record memories and special events, but they can be a great way to express yourselves too. Finding photography subjects and even learning how to develop film in a dark room can be a great creative activity to do with your kids. You can film videos or even write a movie script and create your own movie.
You don’t have to play an instrument or be an experienced musician to make music with your kids. Just marching around the house with a makeshift drum, cymbals, or maracas can be fun! Consider taking basic music lessons together if there is an instrument you both want to learn. Write musical pieces and start up your own band. You can even record your work or shoot a homemade music video once your musical composition is ready.
Sitting down together to do a puzzle is a creative activity that will help exercise your mind and improve your visual-spatial reasoning. Listening to an audiobook or just having a conversation as you work on the puzzle can be a fun way to pass the time. As you see the image you are piecing together take shape, you will enjoy the creative time you spend bonding as a parent and child.
These fifteen creative ideas and activities that you can do with your kids are just scratching the surface. There are many more creative ways that you and your kids can spend time and bond together. What ideas can you think of? Make a list and give some of them a try with your kids. You may be surprised to discover a new hobby or passion that you both enjoy.
The post 15 Creative Activities To Do With Kids appeared first on Focus on the Family.
Continue reading...
“Daddy? Do you want to color with me?” Tyler asked, lifting his head.
Brian hung the dishtowel on the oven handle and pulled out a chair next to his son. “Sure, buddy. What should we color?”
As they filled pages with vibrant streaks of crayon, Brian felt the heaviness from his workday lift off of his shoulders. Joy replaced the stress of the day. He laughed as he and Tyler began to make up a funny story, illustrating it as they went. Brian loved these special moments when he could create something with his son.
Spending time doing creative activities with your kids is a great way to bond with them, learn about who they are, and have fun together. God Himself created the universe and everything in it. As His children, He has put that creative spark in each of us. However, creativity doesn’t look the same for everyone. Not everyone enjoys doing the same creative things. It would be best to find a creative outlet that you and your child can enjoy and share.
There are many creative activities to do with your kids that can bring laughter and a sweet time of bonding. Here are fifteen creative ideas to get you started.
15 Creative Activities To Do With Kids
1. Draw and Paint
Drawing and painting can be a fun, creative activity to do with your kids because it is easily transportable and can be done with any combination of materials. For example, you can use paper, canvas, cardboard, rocks, or wood as a place to create your artwork. Pencils, colored pencils, markers, crayons, oil pastels, and paints can help you bring your imagination to life.
You and your kids can create a series of drawings or paintings that go together. Rock painting can also be a fun project. Painting Bible verses or quotes like “Jesus Loves You” on a rock and leaving them along the sidewalk or trail can be a fantastic way to brighten a person’s day when they find the surprise painting on his or her path. Or take some time to create a sidewalk chalk masterpiece near your house. Another fun activity could be to create your own characters and draw a unique comic strip together.
2. Crafts
Crafts can be fun, creative activities to do with your kids. There is no end to the creative ideas and the materials you can use to achieve your project. The crafts that you make together can be decorative, functional, or just plain fun. You could create a kintsugi piece from broken dishes, learn the paper-folding technique of origami, or use odds and ends from around the house (such as buttons, clothespins, and toilet paper tubes) to create something new.
3. Build
Building something together can be a great way to exercise your creative skills. You can make any number of things with sets of Legos, Lincoln Logs, and Tinker Toys. Or you can up the scale and build a blanket fort or cave right in your living room. If you have tools, you can create small pieces of furniture, displays for your creative projects, or assemble bookshelves. Some families enjoy building hot rods and working on cars together. You could even work on building a treehouse or fort in your backyard together.
4. Woodworking
There are so many things that you and your kids can create with wood. You can start with something as simple as woodburning and then move to build things out of wood. You could create birdhouses, cornhole boards, cutting boards, wooden airplanes, and tables.
5. Pottery
Creating with clay can be a fun project to do together. Whether it’s sculpting pots or figurines out of Play-Doh or throwing pottery on a wheel, there is no end to what you can create. Glazing pottery together can bring your creation to life. Some places have pre-made pottery where you and your kids go to glaze and decorate your own.
6. Natural Art
Getting out and going on a walk or a hike can be so rewarding as you take in the sunshine, fresh air, and get some exercise together. However, you can also make natural art while you are enjoying the outdoors. Using rocks, fallen sticks, leaves, or pinecones, you can create small sculptures and designs. Or you and your kids can build a sandcastle or sand sculpture. Remember to be a good steward of the land and do not do anything that would damage the landscape or habitat.
7. Bake or Cook
When you’ve worked up an appetite from all the creative activities you’re doing with your kids, remember to bake or cook something together. From cookies and cakes to breakfasts and dinners, pick a food that you would like to make together and then enjoy eating it together. You can try your hand at cookie and cake decorating or cook a new meal that is outside of your routine. You can even share your tasty creations by taking a plate to a friend or neighbor.
8. Write
If you think about it, you and your kids have so many stories to tell! Think of all the shared memories, funny stories, and intriguing adventures that grow out of imagination. Pick a story and write it down with your kids. It could also be fun to individually write about the same event and then share your perspectives. You could even create your own fictional story and make a short story or novella. Another idea is to write a theatrical play and then act it out. Once you have your story down on paper, check out some of the ways that you can turn it into a physical book to keep and re-read for years to come.
9. Science Experiments
Doing at-home science experiments can be a fun and creative way to learn and explore the world. If there is an area of science that intrigues you and your child, there is probably an experiment that you can do to learn more about it. From learning about density with hot and cold water to performing an egg drop to learn about gravity and physics, learning together by doing science experiments can be a great way to bond.
10. Sewing, Knitting, and Crocheting
Sewing, knitting, and crocheting can be a relaxing, creative activity that you can do with your kids. You can create cross-stitch or needlepoint patterns and hang them on the wall when they’re complete. You can weave scarves and blankets or even sew your own costumes and design accessories for that play you wrote back in idea #8.
11. Grow a Garden
Get outside with your kids and grow something together. You can create a flower or vegetable garden. If space is limited, make an herb garden in the kitchen. You can also work on a landscaping project together. Have your kids help you pick out the things you’d like to have in your yard. You can make DIY bird feeders, birdbaths, and planters.
12. Research Your Family Tree
Another creative idea is to research your family tree with your kids. Take the time to find photos of relatives and ancestors, visit significant sites, and learn about who your relatives were. You can physically create a family tree with names on it by sewing, painting, or scrapbooking, or you can write down the stories of what you think their lives might have been like and even act them out.
13. Photography and Film
Photography and video can be a fun way to record memories and special events, but they can be a great way to express yourselves too. Finding photography subjects and even learning how to develop film in a dark room can be a great creative activity to do with your kids. You can film videos or even write a movie script and create your own movie.
14. Make Music
You don’t have to play an instrument or be an experienced musician to make music with your kids. Just marching around the house with a makeshift drum, cymbals, or maracas can be fun! Consider taking basic music lessons together if there is an instrument you both want to learn. Write musical pieces and start up your own band. You can even record your work or shoot a homemade music video once your musical composition is ready.
15. Puzzles
Sitting down together to do a puzzle is a creative activity that will help exercise your mind and improve your visual-spatial reasoning. Listening to an audiobook or just having a conversation as you work on the puzzle can be a fun way to pass the time. As you see the image you are piecing together take shape, you will enjoy the creative time you spend bonding as a parent and child.
These fifteen creative ideas and activities that you can do with your kids are just scratching the surface. There are many more creative ways that you and your kids can spend time and bond together. What ideas can you think of? Make a list and give some of them a try with your kids. You may be surprised to discover a new hobby or passion that you both enjoy.
The post 15 Creative Activities To Do With Kids appeared first on Focus on the Family.
Continue reading...