Finding Free Entertainment for Your Kids
Free Entertainment at Home
There are many things you can do with your kids at home if it is cold outside. You can play board games or draw or write stories and poems together. Another idea is to play card games. Of course, TV and computer games count as free entertainment but you may want to think of other ways for your children to get entertained. Weather permitting, you can garden together and show your kids how to plant, soil, and water plants in your garden. You can even make a movie using your cell phone or camera. Think of a story line and characters together. If you love to cook, you can make cookies or cakes together. Ask your child to help you out. Finger painting is also fun, especially if you have small children. Of course, this is not free entertainment as you have to buy paints, but you can make homemade paints as well. The best part is that they are harmless and edible! You will need liquid food colorings of your choice, 4 cups of boiling water, 1 cup of cold water, and 2 cups of corn starch or corn flour. First mix the corn starch with cold water and then add hot water. Mix well and divide into several containers. Then add colorings. Another idea is to take white T-shirts and hand-paint them. As you can see, there are plenty of things to do at home and save money. And if you have plenty of free time, you can make a family book with photos and information about your family (and why not include your pets as well?)
Other Types of Free Entertainment
Children love parks and open spaces where they can play, jump, and run. You can go to the park or another public place together and play games or make up stories. Flying kites is also fun. You can even make kites together. There are different types of kites to choose from – roller, delta, sode, rokkaku, barn door, diamond, sled, and other kites. They come in different sizes and types – small, medium, large, 1-skewer, 2-skewer, and others. You can go hiking if you have a tent. Bring healthy barbeque food for your picnic or hiking trip. You can make shish-kabobs, guacamole, or grilled sweet potatoes. There are many healthy foods for your barbeque. For example, you can make grilled vegetables such as squash, eggplant, and bell peppers. Let your kids help. Bring cole slaw, pickled foods and whole-wheat burger buns. And of course, you can make healthy mocktails for your kids.
There are other ways to keep your kids entertained – you can write letters to friends or family or go visit them. Children love magic tricks so why not teach them some tricks? Tricks such as the clipped card, rubber pencil, magnetic pencil, and vanishing bead are easy to learn. Some tricks are easy to perform even by small children. If you have too many things you no longer use, ask your children to sort them together and donate to a local charity. This is a great way to teach your kids to show empathy for others.
Role games are very important for children. You can play school, house, or anything else you can think of. Making up trivia questions is also a fun way to spend time together. And of course, you can sing songs together, recite poems, or tell ghost stories. Make tea or hot cocoa and let the fun begin.