Hello, DIYers!
We know that you are creative and that you want to foster that creativity in your own family, right? Well, then, this is the blog for you! We’ve put together a list of fabulous ideas for ways that you and your family can spend quality time together while having fun, building skills, and getting seriously creative! It doesn’t cost anything to enjoy having fun together as a family, and these are especially fun for the winter, when you may not want to be going outside all of the time.
Keep each other intellectually and creatively stimulated with some of these fun challenges you can do together as a family!
Life Skill Practice:
One thing that my family likes to incorporate into family gatherings and even sometimes in our optional chore chart are ways that the kids are able to practice important life skills while still being creative and having fun. When these items are ‘optional’ on the chore chart, they are given a chance to earn money for the task. Some of these tasks include ‘teach us something’, ‘invent something’, or ‘sous chef’. If they perform these tasks, they can earn $1-$5, depending on how much effort they put into it. Not only is it fun to do these things together, they also get important practice when it comes to public speaking, cooking, or working creatively to make new things!
Invent Something
This is one of our favorite games! Do you ever find something around the house that you hate to throw away because you know it could be used for something at some point? We have made it a habit to put those things in a box together and when it begins to get too full, we will offer the box to the children with the idea that they can choose anything in that box that sparks an idea that they can create something using one or more of those objects. Every now and again, we may give a more direct prompt, like they should invent something that solves some kind of problem (which is how we got the fart filter…). Other times, we might assign them a problem that they have to find a way to solve with the items, such as creating a trap for a gingerbread man or create a new cleaning tool.
This is also an INCREDIBLY fun game to play when extended family visits! You can gave the kids pick family members they would like to have on their team to help them! Finally, the kids present their invention and demonstrate it for all to see!
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Teach Us Something
Throughout our lives, we are tasked with transferring our knowledge to other people, no matter what- right? Well, this is a wonderful opportunity to have kids start practicing the way that they might like to speak and present their knowledge to others! With this task, each family member may put together a presentation that will last at least 10-15 minutes where they will have the entire family’s undivided attention while they talk about anything that they want! They might choose to teach you about Minecraft, Warrior Cats, the history of LEGOs, or something else! Anything that is important to them and can offer new insight to the family about the things that they care about. You can offer that they make a power point presentation, poster, handouts, or even quiz the family after they’ve completed their presentation!
This will help your children feel more comfortable when presenting information, and speaking publicly, and it will also help to form a stronger bond, knowing that their family cared enough to listen to them talk about something that is important to them!
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Sous Chef
In our home, being a sous chef for one meal a week is an expected chore. This helps to teach basic cooking skills. Of course, we allow them to choose any meal that they would like. After that, they may choose to do another sous chef opportunity where they will receive a dollar for their services. It didn’t take long before the kids were coming up with their own ideas for cooking, asking to make certain recipes, and getting invested in learning how to make other, more complicated dishes! This has been a fun way to get them involved in cooking young so that they will have all of the skills they need to cook once they are on their own. It also allows them some control and creativity over the meals we are making now, teaches them how to follow instruction, and to read a recipe!
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Child-Led Problem Solving
Problems come up all the time, don’t they? No matter how hard we prepare for them! The next time a problem arises, one that isn’t an immediate emergency, why not ask your kids for advice on how to handle it?! No matter whether your child is 5 or 16, getting them engaged with an everyday problem will help them learn to problem solve creatively and might even get you out of your own perspective for a little while and teach you that there is more than one way to solve a problem… perhaps one that is even better than you might have thought of yourself!
Additionally, knowing that you trust them to take the lead on a problem and aren’t afraid to ask them for advice will help them to feel more confident in their abilities, even if their solutions take a couple of tries! They will learn resilience, patience, and their brains will be activated and strengthened for creative problem-solving!
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Learn a Language Together
The earlier you get your children (and yourself) interested in language learning, the better! You can make it especially fun to learn language by taking on the challenge together as a family! Think about it- you can label items based on vocabulary, speak to each other while being on relatively the same level, and even practice while you are out and about together! This way, everyone is re-inspired to learn each day and on a similar page!
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Found Spanish Academy
Reading Summary
Family reading time is classic! But you can take it to the next level by asking each member of the family to practice summarizing what they’ve read in that sitting! This will help them learn to read more closely, pick out important plot points, and have them practice summarizing information and re-telling it in a way that will make sense. Not only that, but it helps the rest of the family be informed and engaged with what one another are interested in and reading!
You might go as far as to ask other questions about the book that they’re reading or ask about their predictions/thoughts/and feelings! Reading is always more interesting when you have someone to talk about it with. Not to mention, you will be teaching your children to ask more questions and think harder about their texts when challenging them to discuss it!
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Drawing Challenges:
Drawing competitions are an amazing way to spend time together as a family and see how create you can all get! Sit around together and establish what the challenge or challenges will be and everyone can enjoy some peaceful time together while creating art! These are also fantastic challenges that you can do with family members who are long-distance. You can either enjoy time together on Zoom while drawing or simply share the art you came up with together on a video call later!
Draw or Paint the Family Pet
Your family pet is a beloved member of the household! Have each family member draw them to the best of their abilities and see what kind of interesting pet portraits you come up with!
Found My Record-Journal
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Go on a Nature Walk and Draw What You Find
Head out into the great outdoors together and enjoy the fresh air! Make sure everyone has a baggie where they can place objects they think are particularly intriguing! This might be flowers, leaves, pinecones, acorns, mushrooms, etc. When you get home, empty your bags and study them together. You can talk about the colors, shapes, and sizes, and compare them with what other people decided to bring home as well. After that, you can enjoy drawing your own interpretations of any of the collected nature items that you’d like! You never know… there might be a nature artist in the family who has yet to discover their talent!
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Found All About Drawings
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Draw or Paint an Animal Mixed with a Fruit
Get your creative juicing flowing with an art challenge that will have everyone in your family creating a new and exciting critter! You can do this with virtually any food group! Check out these examples!
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Make a Comic Book Together
If you have a child or children who are interested in comic books, why not work on one together? You can come up with characters, a plot, and the scenery and then work on it together! This is a fun activity to do with children 7+, especially! Plus, this is an amazing way to bond!
Found Huggies
Writing Challenges:
Another fun way to spark creativity within your family is to have writing or story competitions! You can give each other matching prompts or write a story together! Either way, you’re sure to practice important writing and creative skills with these activities. Plus, you get to spend important, quality time together, make memories, and it doesn’t cots a dime! What isn’t to love about that?!
Caption Contest:
Do you have some hilarious family photos? Whether new or old, it can be so fun to have caption contests! The funniest caption wins!
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Prompt: Write a Story About the Family Pet Having a Secret Super Power
This is SUCH a fun prompt that allows for endless creativity for all involved! It’s equally fun for younger kids, teens, and adults, so everyone can get in on this one! Have fun sharing your creative stories with one another and learning more about the secret life your family members think your pet might have! If your younger kids might not be fully able to write just yet, you can suggest that they draw a picture and then tell the story out loud! You might consider timing this activity or just saying that you’ll expect it to be done by a certain time later… like starting the challenge at breakfast and sharing them after dinner!
Found Hartville Pet Insurance
Write a Book Together
This idea is based on something I am currently doing with one of my very picky kiddos! He wants to have the perfect horror story- something based on all of the elements that he likes together but written by someone else, so there are still twists and turns that can surprise him. So what we’ve done is that he has given me all of the details that are important to add to the story for him. He’s picked the creepy house, where everything is located, all of the characters, and the majority of their traits and names. He’s even picked the main plot and some of the details of the hauntings. It’s my job to write it and add in all of the other details, including the origin story and the major twists and turns along the way. At the end of it all, we will have a co-authored story that is perfectly crafted to his interests. Plus, it’s a fun writing challenge for the other person!
Found Reading Rockets
Story Relay
Work on a story together in a big group! Start with something like, “Once upon a time…” or “In a galaxy far far away…” and then pass the story around, giving each person the opportunity to add up to 10 new words before passing it on to the next person. Do this until you all feel you have created a story with a beginning, middle, and end! After that, you can read it out loud to see what you’ve come up with together! It’s like a game of improv, except with writing!
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Performance Art Challenges:
Performance art is a creative skill all on its own! It often utilizes memorization, creative problem-solving, reacting quickly, tapping into empathy, and so much more! Anyone who says that performance art is a waste of time is seriously missing out on the amazing skills that can be practiced while having fun! We’ve included a couple of activities in this section which range from performance art that can be memorized or improvised!
Perform a Short Play Together
If you have kids who are interested in the theater or acting, you can encourage the family to come together and put on a performance! You might decide to write a script, alter an existing one, or use an existing script as is! You’ll have a ton of fun finding props and rehearsing lines together! You might be able to convince extended family or neighbors to watch a live performance or you can record it and show the world. Alternatively, you might just want to enjoy playing pretend together in front of the family pets and calling it a day! Either way, it will surely lead to lots of laughs!
Found Top Hollywood Acting Coach
Improv with Kids
Improv is SO MUCH fun- especially with kids! Being around people, you are comfortable with makes it that much easier to let your guard down and be silly! Someone starts off with a concept and acts it out. Then other members will add to the plot by improvising off the top of their heads. It’s so much fun! Plus, this will help to build active listening skills, help children consider cause and effect, and help them to learn from their mistakes!
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Come Up with Choreography Together
TikTok trends have been great for bringing families together to learn choreography and make adorable videos of themselves dancing. You can join in the fun with or without TikTok! You might choose to learn choreography your little performer has written, study choreography and dance with your teen, or even just have a dance party where you can each show off your moves! No matter what you choose, dancing together is a fun way to get moving and enjoy each other’s company!
Found Mindful Return
Musical Challenges:
Is there anyone who doesn’t love music? Maybe not everyone in the household is interested in the same type or genre, but for the sake of these exercises, why not consider how you could blend styles or find a new appreciation for music that is different from your own general style?! These are exercises in creativity, disciplined learning, and trying new things… give them a try!
Write a Song Together
Does anyone in your family play an instrument? This could be a great challenge for your family if so! If you have someone who sings, plays guitar, or something else, why not work on a song that you can write altogether? If someone has a particular idea for a song, record it as the basis for everyone to work on. Each family member that participates can add a new layer to the song with their own instrument or vocalizations until you’ve made something totally created by your family!
Found Muscogee Moms
Open Minded Listening
Have each family member play a song that means something important to them. Each listener is encouraged to listen to the music with an open mind and to also listen to the person who played it give an impassioned speech as to why the song is important or meaningful to them. In doing so, you will all be exposed to a deeper level of understanding towards the interest of your other family members, but you might find a new appreciation for the music itself! After listening to the song and hearing why it is important to your loved one (in whichever order you’d like), each listener should say 1 or 2 things that they see as valuable about the music that was played and why someone might enjoy it.
This encourages your family to keep an open mind, learn more about each other, and perhaps it will even give you new music to put on your playlist!
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Learn an Instrument(s) Together
If you want to help generate interest in a musical instrument with one or more of your children, it can be a great idea to get yourself involved in some way too! For instance, you might already know how to play the same instrument and you can give your child lessons or help with supplementary learning! If you don’t already play an instrument, perhaps you could start! Learning to read music together can be a fun way to keep each of you focused, challenged, and interested. You don’t even have to play the same instrument to help and guide your little one in the discipline of learning something new!
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