You’re exhausted from a long day at work, and the kids want to play. You really want to spend time with them, but you’re low on energy.
Consider the following suggestions on laid-back activities to do with your children.
Art Class
Creating a home “art studio” can be as simple as coloring or drawing with crayons. Use store-bought coloring books or print coloring sheets from a kid-themed website. Print multiples, and there’s no argument over who gets to color which picture!
For a more sophisticated art session, try origami, painting, crafts or scrapbooking.
Light Exercise
If you’ve been stuck at a desk all day, decompress with some light exercise. Take the kids for a walk around the block or a short bike ride.
Or try a family yoga session. YouTube has loads of “yoga for kids” options for your tablet or Smart TV. Plan ahead to make sure the program you pick is age and ability appropriate and to save boring search time when the mood strikes.
Story Time
Reading is a great way for parents and children to relax together. If you can’t focus on another word, consider downloading an audio storybook that you can listen to together. Your local library also might have virtual story sessions and other resources online.
You Just Need to Lie Down
Some clever internet parents have devised games that let them rest while their kids have fun.
Parents across the internet, including one mom interviewed for Reader’s Digest, suggest playing doctor. You rest on the couch or bed while the kids examine you with a toy doctor’s kit, fluff your pillows and “bandage” your bruises.
Parent blogger The Many Little Joys shared her inspired Sleeping Dragon Game. Mom or dad lies down next to their “treasure” – in her case, a toy treasure box or stuffed animal. The kids sneak up on the dragon and try to steal the treasure. “If you hear him or her,” she says, “open your eyes, growl and send the brave knight running back to the other side of the room to try again.”
Everything’s a Competition
Do your kids challenge each other over everything? Go with the flow!
Judge a dance contest. Just listening to your favorite tune could give you an energy boost!
Another Reader’s Digest mom kept her kids busy with a scavenger hunt. Start with a list and a paper bag to collect the items. Then send the kids off through the house to see what they can find.
Hunt for bugs in the backyard. Challenge your kids to see who can find the most bugs, the smallest, the largest or most colorful, the one with the most legs. If bugs don’t freak you out, take a little time to study them up close.
Have kids with limitless energy compete in timed races around the backyard. Heighten the challenge by setting additional “obstacles.” For instance: “Run around the swing set and then do a somersault.”
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