Activity Ideas

1. Surprise your Little by celebrating his/her half birthday
2. Make a thin layer of Jello and cut out letters, numbers, figures, etc.
3. Together, write a family newspaper for friends & relatives
4. Take a walk with a memento bag and collect interesting leaves, rocks, etc.
5. With Parent/Guardian permission, go to the bank & open up a savings account for your Little
6. Design & make greeting cards
7. Make a bug cage & collect bugs
8. Eat lunch with your Little at his/her school
9. Look up new words in the dictionary
10. Go shopping at a second-hand store for dress-up clothes
11. Make a collage of your Little's life with pictures from magazines
12. Plan a vacation/day trip together, imaginary or real
13. Learn a simple magic trick together
14. Show him/her your picture from your high school yearbook
15. Paint an original T-shirt for a special occasion
16. Find all living things visible in one square foot of grass
17. Trace your Little's outline on butcher paper and decorate the drawing
18. Learn how to count to ten in a foreign language
19. Take your Little to a volleyball or basketball game at a local high school
20. Write a letter to your Little on the anniversary of your match
21. Make homemade potpourri with dried flower petals
22. Help your Little make a list of all the people who love him/her
23. Wash the car together
24. Paint a special message on a wooden cutting board for his/her mother
25. Make a calendar of the big events of his/her year
26. Make snow angels
27. Feed the birds
28. Help him/her write a letter to the author of a book they like
29. Buy him/her stickers or a rubber stamp with their name on it
30. Start a coin or stamp collection
31. Get a book of animal tracks and explore a local pond or trail
32. Go on a camera scavenger hunt together. Make a list of things you want pictures of before the hunt. Let your Little take the pictures
33. Tape record messages to send to grandparents or other loved ones who don't live nearby.
34. Do a newspaper scavenger hunt. Give him/her a list of 10-20 items to find in the newspaper
35. Read biographies of people who did great things and point out the similarities between them & your Little
36. Finger paint with chocolate, lemon or strawberry pudding
37. Make maracas by covering light bulbs or balloons. When they dry break the glass/balloon and paint them
38. Help your Little write a letter to his/her congressional leader about something that is important to him/her
39. Check out a tree identification book at the library & discover which ones are in the neighborhood
40. See how many words you can make using the letters from a longer word
41. Role play meeting new people so that s/he will have more confidence in unfamiliar situations
42. Invite someone who has lived in a foreign country over for dinner to talk about life in that country
43. Find the meaning of your names from a book of names
44. Build a "log cabin" with popsicle sticks and glue
45. Use a magnifying glass to examine bugs & other small things
46. Make a tent or fort using blankets and pillows
47. Squeeze fresh orange juice
48. Tape record him/her reading their favorite story
49. Go to the airport for lunch and watch the planes take off and land
50. Show your Little pictures or movies from when you were a child
51. Roast pumpkin seeds in the oven
52. Take him/her with you when you vote & explain how voting works
53. Volunteer at a soup kitchen
54. Get some wood, hammer and nails & let your Little be creative
55. Tel him/her stories about when you were their age
56. Visit his/her class to talk to students about your profession
57. Teach him/her to throw a football
58. Open the hood of a car & point out various parts of the engine
59. Speak highly of the men & women in your life. Help you Little value their character & skill
60. Read books about famous inventors
61. Enjoy fresh pineapple & coconut together
62. Bake homemade cookies
63. Build & paint a birdhouse
64. Order sea monkeys or a chia pet & watch them grow
65. Skip rocks on water
66. Copy each other's hand on a photocopy machine
67. Buy a yo-yo and learn how to do tricks on it
68. Help him/her make a video
69. Set up a roadside lemonade stand or another similar business
70. Teach your Little courteous phone skills
71. Using play money, teach your Little about spending & saving
72. Make a list of everything you want to do or accomplish in your life
73. Get a chemistry set & perform experiments
74. Write a letter to the President & ask him for a photo. Your Little will receive a picture and a packet of information
75. Have notepads imprinted with you Little's name
76. Build a house of cards
77. Visit a music store and learn about different types of instruments
78. Visit a college
79. Make pancakes from scratch
80. Learn to identify three constellations
81. Learn how to do CPR
82. Teach you Little how to wash & fold clothes
83. Paint an old piece of furniture
84. Learn 10 new words in a foreign language
85. Do something together for an elderly friend
86. Go ice fishing or ice-skating, then stop for hot chocolate afterwards
87. Go sledding or tubing downhill
88. Make dinner for your Little's mom & surprise her on her birthday
89. Have a Monopoly tournament
90. Surf the internet. Look for websites or companies your Little will recognize
91. Visit a nursing home & read or sing to the residents
92. Hit golf balls at a driving range
93. Work on home improvements together (repairs or decorating)
94. Make foods from around the world and study different cultures
95. Have a carpet picnic on the living room floor and watch a movie
96. Keep a scrapbook of all the things you do together. Include ticket stubs, menus, brochures and other mementos
97. Make s'mores
98. Learn how to dance
99. Take turns styling each other's hair
100. Make homemade pizza
101. Tell each other stories
102. Attend a local pancake breakfast
103. Plant a tree
104. Take your Little to a museum. When you first enter the building, stop at the gift shop and ask your Little to choose a postcard or drawing of a painting or a sculpture that he or she particularly likes. After that, go on a “treasure hunt” throughout the museum, searching for the favorites. Ask the child why she or he picked that one and what she or he liked about it. You can discuss the time period of the painting and talk about the customs of the times, including “olden day” events, clothing styles, etc.
105. Go to the library and ask your Little to choose a book that he or she wants to read, preferably a book that has multiple copies on the shelf. Both borrow the same book and agree to read the first chapter (or more) before your next outing. At the next outing, talk about the book, finding out what your Little liked or didn’t like, characters that interested him or her, etc. Share your opinions as well with your Little.

"Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth"

- Mohammed Ali