- Purpose – What is the purpose of this activity? Some activities can be for educational purposes, therapeutic reasons, and/or just for fun. All of the activities we will post will focus on fun, but will almost always have a mixture of other lessons as well.
- People – Who are you doing this activity with? It is always important to think about age and developmental capabilities when planning an activity. If the activity is beyond one’s ability it can become frustrating and more work than fun for ALL of those involved. Many times in our households we have to pick an activity knowing we have a range of ages that will be included. When this happens we get creative. For example team “bigs” with smalls or have the “bigs” do the more complicated portions. There are also many times when you might think the “bigs” are “too big” but in all honesty, they enjoy the little things. This to me is a score! I always tell my children to never lose joy in the simple things.
- Price – One simple question ask yourself, how much are you willing to spend? There are so many activities that you can do with what you have in your surroundings; yard, house, or kitchen cabinet.
- Plan – What day will work for this activity? Sunny, warm, wintery or does it not matter?
- Prepare – It is super important to prepare ahead of time. Children get antsy waiting and parents get frustrated (because it all was perfect in our head). I always try and have everything I need out before starting an activity otherwise chaos is sure to ensue.
As always make sure to PLAY! Enjoy the imperfections of every moment! Nothing is perfect and no activity is either!