Start Something with your Little
105 Activity Ideas1. 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. |
