1. Garden - Plant flowers, fruit trees, herbs, or vegetables. Your child will learn science, responsibility and have fun!
2. Snip-it - Give your child some old toy catalogs or magazines and safe scissors. Watch them cut all day.
3. Diggin' It - Send your child outside with a bucket and small shovel. Shoveling snow, sand, dirt or rocks -- it's all good fun.
4. Sing - Turn up the radio and sing! Teach your child the music of the 70s, 80s, or 90s.
5. Play Catch - Throw different items (balloons, tennis balls) to your child. Roll balls to young children.
6. Sidewalk Chalk - Lay on the sidewalk and take turns outlining each other. Decorate your flat selves.
7. Cardboard Boxes - Make towers, play houses, airplanes, trains, forts and more!
8. Bubbles - Go outside and Blow Bubbles. Take turns chasing and popping them.
9. Masks - Make Masks from Paper bags, paper plates, foam, or anything on hand.
10. Cards - Teach your child all the classic games -- UNO, Crazy 8, Go Fish, Old Maid, Memory Match.
11. Scavenger Hunt - Give your child a list of clues and send him out to find them. Clues can be simple (find a rock) or very advanced (find a piece of granite).
12. Throw Rocks - Go to a pond, creek, or lake and throw rocks. Try to skip them or aim for different targets.
13. Bath Time - Bring kitchen utensils into the bath tub. Bubbles and water can become a gourmet dinner.
14. Office - Give your child Junk Mail, stickers, a calculator and pen. They will play office for hours.
15. Photography - Let your child use a disposable camera or a digital camera and witness their creativity. They may surprise you!
16. Picnic - Make some sandwiches and eat them outside.
17. Cooking - Find age-appropriate recipes and let your child help in the kitchen.
18. Tag - How many versions of tag do you remember from your childhood? Teach the oldies to your children (freeze tag, TV tag, etc.)
19. Write a Story - Younger children can write wiggle-worm sentences (much scribbling and pictures). Encourage older children to write chapter books -- your child could write the next Harry Potter or Magic Tree house.
20. Charades - Toddlers can act out or guess their favorite animals. Older children will enjoy acting out movie titles.
21. Flashlight - Turn off the lights & make shadow puppets. Or get two flashlights and chase the light beams.
22. Wildlife - Feed the ducks, squirrels, birds, turtles or fish near you.
23. Abundance - Every day, have your children tell you what they are thankful for.
24. Dress Up - Let your children dress in your clothes.
25. Treats - Make cookies and decorate them.
26. Dance - Turn up the music and Dance!
27. Play Games - Teach your child all your favorite board games.
28. Journal - Get a notebook or diary and encourage your child to express their feelings with pictures and words.
29. Tea Party - Grab the stuffed animals and treat them to a delicious cup of imaginary tea.
30. Keep in Touch - Write a letter to Grandparents, Aunts or Uncles. Teach the importance of family.
31. I Spy - Come up with age-appropriate clues and let you child guess what you are thinking.
Be sure to print out this list and keep it handy for the next time your children say "MOMMMMMM -- we're bored!"
Nicole Dean is wacky Mom behind ShowMomTheMoney.com http://www.ShowMomTheMoney.com -- a fun and exciting site for Moms and http://www.ShowKidsTheFun.com - because spending time with our kids is priceless!
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