10 Ideas for Incorporating Fun and Play into Your Child’s Daily Activities

Having fun with your kids can be an easy task and can make simple tasks much more fun for all.  I have many opportunities where I try to find ways to sneak in educational or healthy opportunities in our day to day lives.  My kids have taught me a need to find unique ways to teach and allow them to teach me at the same time.  They are always inspiring me and I try to inspire them.  TwitterMoms provided a new opportunity via The Hub on 10 ideas for incorporating fun and play into your child's daily activities. 

1. Preparing breakfast is a fast and easy way to change up the boring most important starting meal of the day.  Granted, it's not easy to do on school days but on the weekends, we can jazz it up with this cool pancake pen I have.  We create shapes out of the mix and have fun eating our creations.  They get to cook, they eat and everyone is happy.
2. Grocery shopping can be a chore when kids aren't happy. Just yesterday, we shopped and made a game out of it.  Each one held on to the sides of the cart.  If I picked up something from one side, the corresponding child was able to take it and place it in the cart.  They were learning how to cooperate, take turns and learn right from left.
3. Picking up toys is never fun but with a handy little catchy song, it makes it a little more tolerable.   "Clean Up" can trigger fun if song right.  Sometimes the race to clean the quickest gets slipped in there and then I'm the winner.  Whether it's a competition to clean first or helping one another, it can be a fun time.
4. Bath time is a fun time in our house and it's easy to incorporate fun activities there.  We have the writing soaps to keep them busy.  They can write on themselves and guess the picture so while they are having fun, they are also cleaning themselves.
5. We occasionally take walks and when we walk, we try to spot the animals we see along the way.  They make it a game to see who can spot the most animals and the bonus is they learn to count.  They take great pleasure in seeing how many they can spot and who spots the most.
6. Car rides can be boring pending on the mood and how long the distance is.  We make it fun by singing songs like the alphabet or other catchy tunes.  Having them change the tones of their voices also makes for interesting, giggly fun by all.
7. Family fun night is an easy one but it ties into how well they did over the week.  If they had a good time at school, behaved well during the week and so forth, they get rewarded with a family fun night of a movie and dinner we fix together.  Knowing they get rewarded gives them something to look forward to such as doing their homework, cleaning up and getting along.
8. When they get dressed in the morning, they get to help pick out their clothes.  They especially love picking out their own clothes because they are so picky.  To make it more fun, they get to decide the night before what they want to wear and they make it a game by choosing something they saw during the day that inspired them.  For instance, if they watched Snow White, they can find something that reminds them of a princess.  They use their imagination to figure out what to wear.
9. Brushing teeth is a chore in my house with reminding them every day to complete the dreaded task.  We have the kiddie toothpaste, the kiddie toothbrushes and then they can brush along side of a song that gets them inspired to brush for a long time.  Their teeth are clean, they are fired up ready to go and I'm happy.
10. Physical activity is another important task and with kids today, it's hard to get them motivated.  Luckily, they like our wii system so while they are playing, they don't realize they are getting a work out. It works for me too as I break a sweat and burn some calories.  This is definitely something that provokes fun!

No matter what tasks you have to do with your kids, it's easy to incorporate a little fun to offer some change and willingness to participate.  What fun ways do you have?  Please share!

About the Hub:

The Hub, a NEW TV channel for kids and families where great things Come TOGETHER!

The Hub will have shows that seamlessly blends play with curiosity. Featuring original animation, live-action series, game shows and specials, The Hub will entertain, enlighten, empower and educate kids and families.

The Hub's schedule is designed to address the viewing needs of the entire family. MORNINGS on The Hub are all about the HubBub block, developed to spark preschooler imaginations and make learning fun. AFTERNOONS and early evenings are Kid's Prime, attracting kids 6 to 12 with clever stories, multidimensional characters and unexpected heroes. PRIME-TIME programming will showcase original and acquired series as well as movies selected for the whole family to enjoy.

More info: www.hubworld.com

Disclosure:  I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and The Hub blogging program, making me eligible to get a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here