| Kids Just Wanna Have Fun |
During the recent “schools out session”, I was reminded how much the kids crave
entertainment. No matter what time of year the “Kids Just Wanna Have Fun.” And who
could blame them? I don’t think there are many of us who haven’t longed for the
carefree, playful days of our youth. I have four of these carefree fun hungry kids.
Keeping them entertained on a tight budget is always a challenge.
I have discovered over the years that more money doesn’t necessarily mean more
fun. In fact, some of the simplest, age old activities, seem to feed their fun hungry
souls the best. Remember, in the “old days” that is the “very old days”. Family
gatherings provided a great source of entertainment. It's hard to believe that in today’
s fast paced, high tech, world that children still enjoy this kind of interaction.
I have found that for some reason, maybe because it validates their own behaviors,
kids love to hear stories of when we were young. No, not the kind that remind them of
how good they have it today. I’m talking about our childhood antics, the times when we
misbehaved, did something wrong, and the consequences.
Most of us have funny moments in our life that just stick with us. Sometimes they
weren’t so funny at the time at least from our prospective, then. My kids love to hear
stories of my childhood antics, when I broke the rules, how I felt about it, and what
punishment I had to endure because of it. They especially like the punishment part.
Some sort of satisfaction knowing that I had to endure the cruelties of punishment
also!
Of course it doesn’t sound amusing to talk about times when you got in trouble. But,
those memories are funny to us now that we look back at our childhood. Sure we can
laugh now……… We’re a lot smarter and see the innocence of our ways.
This is a great way to also remind ourselves that we were once kids also. And not so
different than our own kids. With much the same innocence, gullibility, and scheming
potential. Ahhhh… a great tool for reminding us that at least some of the behaviors we
frown on in our kids is just the normal age old process of growing up! A very
reassuring thought when you’re ready to pull your hair out.
In some ways this ritual of reminiscing shows our children that we love them
unconditionally. That we understand. Why, because we’ve been there, done that. And
we acted in many ways , and felt in many ways , the same way they do today. Its true
that some things never change. I have a shorter list of tales to tell being one of three
siblings. My husband on the other hand is one of eleven children, and he can keep
them in belly busting laughter for hours, leaving them begging for more. Telling not
only his own antics but those of his brothers and sisters.
So, if you ever find everyone sitting around looking bored to the gills, start up a casual
conversation and work in some of your funny moments in life. You’ll have them
begging for more and more tales. “Tell some more, tell some more!” And the best part
….. It’s Free Entertainment!
There no disputing the fact that an “ Informed Consumer = More Savings! “ There! I
said it again. Boy did that feel good. Well now that I got that off my chest let me share
some ideas on this FUN thing.
Roller skating- went once a week when I was a kid. Loved it! Guess what? My kids
love it too! And it’s cheap if you do your research. Our local rink has a family night.
Get this , $1 to get in $1 for skates if you need to rent.
If you make this a regular outing, invest in the skates. That’s one of those birthday or
Christmas gifts that will pay you back in the long run. My husband and I don’t skate,
those days are gone. Although I highly recommend it for a great workout. That means
four kids can get in for $4. Three hours of fun for $4. You can’t beat it!
I could get us in for even less . . .only $2. We have a local grocery store that prints
coupons on back of the receipts, one of the most frequent coupons I get ….the local
roller skating rink “buy one entrance fee, get one free” .
I prefer not to use these for family night since my oldest daughter likes to go to the
rink on “teen night” The rink socks it to them at $6 an entry. They know where the
money is! This is a social event that many teens in the area just can’t miss! This way
she can get in free if she goes with a paying friend. Sometimes, just to be fair, we
share the savings with her friends and each of them only has to pay $3. This way she
does'nt feel like she’s taking advantage of anyone.
Bowling: this can be a great low cost avenue for FUN if you don’t get carried away.
Usually you have to pay by the game, per person. So set your limits and have fun.
Most lanes have bumper guards now that prevent the little ones from excessive
“gutter ball blues” It helps put the fun back in it for the very young children. A great
feature. Even for the fumbling adult. Who am I kidding, I love those bumper guards!
Most alleys have a discount night. So, try to plan your activities so you can enjoy the
benefits of the discounts.
Just a Note: Both of the above businesses usually offer birthday party rates as well. If
you’re not into planning your own party at home (by far the most economical way)
then consider checking out the party packages.
Cookouts and Picnics: Cookouts don’t have to be for special occasions. We have
several wonderful parks in our area that sport wonderful playgrounds and scenic
walking or biking trails. So take the boredom out of lunch one Saturday or Sunday
afternoon and throw together a cookout or picnic at your local park. My kids just need
to get out of the house sometimes. They don’t really care where they go, as long as
they go somewhere!
Parks are a great resource for free fun! The internet is a great resource for finding
new, different, and exciting parks in your area. Just do a simple search and you will
probably be amazed at the numerous parks within driving distance from your home.
So keep it interesting and travel a little bit to get to exciting new places!
An extra bonus... You will be making great memories for your kids!:)
Museums and Historical Landmarks: Don’t think you have any near you? Bet Ya’ do!
Why even in the far out sticks of nowhere you might be surprised to find a museum
within a reasonable distance. I am blessed to live in a highly cultural area between
Washington DC and Baltimore. So museums, tourists attractions, and historic
landmarks (yes many of them Free) are abundant.
But, no matter where you live, do a little research (yes, again) and I’ll bet you’ll find
some interesting attraction or museum convenient to your home. If in a rare case you
don’t, then plan to visit an area on a weekend trip where you can enjoy these types of
historic attractions.
Family Game Night:- I know that many times after a hard days work we just want to sit,
relax, and well, basically, do nothing! But, once you get in a habit of designating one
night “Family Game Night” I guarantee you’ll look forward to it.
This is a great way interact with your kids. It’s fun, educational, and provides an
opportunity for conversation (Now that’s something those teens don’t offer up much).
Choose games that everyone enjoys and is capable of doing. Games that suit the
family’s entire age span are always more fun. And, there are many out there.
If you have a large family with some large age differences, you can opt to have two
game nights so you can include games suited for the younger children that the older
ones might get bored with. Of course, always provide the option for older ones to be
included. Sometimes, believe it or not, they just enjoy the quality time with parents and
siblings. :)
Well, I'm hoping these ideas will keep you busy for now! And remember, it doesn't
have to cost a lot to be a lot of FUN!
About the Author: Cheryl Johnson is a mother of four helping herself and others
become, and remain, debt free. Publisher of the personal finance site Simple Debt
Free Living at http://www.simpledebtfreeliving.com where you can find a free
household budget plan and a variety of money saving tips to maximize savings
Source: www.isnare.com
entertainment. No matter what time of year the “Kids Just Wanna Have Fun.” And who
could blame them? I don’t think there are many of us who haven’t longed for the
carefree, playful days of our youth. I have four of these carefree fun hungry kids.
Keeping them entertained on a tight budget is always a challenge.
I have discovered over the years that more money doesn’t necessarily mean more
fun. In fact, some of the simplest, age old activities, seem to feed their fun hungry
souls the best. Remember, in the “old days” that is the “very old days”. Family
gatherings provided a great source of entertainment. It's hard to believe that in today’
s fast paced, high tech, world that children still enjoy this kind of interaction.
I have found that for some reason, maybe because it validates their own behaviors,
kids love to hear stories of when we were young. No, not the kind that remind them of
how good they have it today. I’m talking about our childhood antics, the times when we
misbehaved, did something wrong, and the consequences.
Most of us have funny moments in our life that just stick with us. Sometimes they
weren’t so funny at the time at least from our prospective, then. My kids love to hear
stories of my childhood antics, when I broke the rules, how I felt about it, and what
punishment I had to endure because of it. They especially like the punishment part.
Some sort of satisfaction knowing that I had to endure the cruelties of punishment
also!
Of course it doesn’t sound amusing to talk about times when you got in trouble. But,
those memories are funny to us now that we look back at our childhood. Sure we can
laugh now……… We’re a lot smarter and see the innocence of our ways.
This is a great way to also remind ourselves that we were once kids also. And not so
different than our own kids. With much the same innocence, gullibility, and scheming
potential. Ahhhh… a great tool for reminding us that at least some of the behaviors we
frown on in our kids is just the normal age old process of growing up! A very
reassuring thought when you’re ready to pull your hair out.
In some ways this ritual of reminiscing shows our children that we love them
unconditionally. That we understand. Why, because we’ve been there, done that. And
we acted in many ways , and felt in many ways , the same way they do today. Its true
that some things never change. I have a shorter list of tales to tell being one of three
siblings. My husband on the other hand is one of eleven children, and he can keep
them in belly busting laughter for hours, leaving them begging for more. Telling not
only his own antics but those of his brothers and sisters.
So, if you ever find everyone sitting around looking bored to the gills, start up a casual
conversation and work in some of your funny moments in life. You’ll have them
begging for more and more tales. “Tell some more, tell some more!” And the best part
….. It’s Free Entertainment!
There no disputing the fact that an “ Informed Consumer = More Savings! “ There! I
said it again. Boy did that feel good. Well now that I got that off my chest let me share
some ideas on this FUN thing.
Roller skating- went once a week when I was a kid. Loved it! Guess what? My kids
love it too! And it’s cheap if you do your research. Our local rink has a family night.
Get this , $1 to get in $1 for skates if you need to rent.
If you make this a regular outing, invest in the skates. That’s one of those birthday or
Christmas gifts that will pay you back in the long run. My husband and I don’t skate,
those days are gone. Although I highly recommend it for a great workout. That means
four kids can get in for $4. Three hours of fun for $4. You can’t beat it!
I could get us in for even less . . .only $2. We have a local grocery store that prints
coupons on back of the receipts, one of the most frequent coupons I get ….the local
roller skating rink “buy one entrance fee, get one free” .
I prefer not to use these for family night since my oldest daughter likes to go to the
rink on “teen night” The rink socks it to them at $6 an entry. They know where the
money is! This is a social event that many teens in the area just can’t miss! This way
she can get in free if she goes with a paying friend. Sometimes, just to be fair, we
share the savings with her friends and each of them only has to pay $3. This way she
does'nt feel like she’s taking advantage of anyone.
Bowling: this can be a great low cost avenue for FUN if you don’t get carried away.
Usually you have to pay by the game, per person. So set your limits and have fun.
Most lanes have bumper guards now that prevent the little ones from excessive
“gutter ball blues” It helps put the fun back in it for the very young children. A great
feature. Even for the fumbling adult. Who am I kidding, I love those bumper guards!
Most alleys have a discount night. So, try to plan your activities so you can enjoy the
benefits of the discounts.
Just a Note: Both of the above businesses usually offer birthday party rates as well. If
you’re not into planning your own party at home (by far the most economical way)
then consider checking out the party packages.
Cookouts and Picnics: Cookouts don’t have to be for special occasions. We have
several wonderful parks in our area that sport wonderful playgrounds and scenic
walking or biking trails. So take the boredom out of lunch one Saturday or Sunday
afternoon and throw together a cookout or picnic at your local park. My kids just need
to get out of the house sometimes. They don’t really care where they go, as long as
they go somewhere!
Parks are a great resource for free fun! The internet is a great resource for finding
new, different, and exciting parks in your area. Just do a simple search and you will
probably be amazed at the numerous parks within driving distance from your home.
So keep it interesting and travel a little bit to get to exciting new places!
An extra bonus... You will be making great memories for your kids!:)
Museums and Historical Landmarks: Don’t think you have any near you? Bet Ya’ do!
Why even in the far out sticks of nowhere you might be surprised to find a museum
within a reasonable distance. I am blessed to live in a highly cultural area between
Washington DC and Baltimore. So museums, tourists attractions, and historic
landmarks (yes many of them Free) are abundant.
But, no matter where you live, do a little research (yes, again) and I’ll bet you’ll find
some interesting attraction or museum convenient to your home. If in a rare case you
don’t, then plan to visit an area on a weekend trip where you can enjoy these types of
historic attractions.
Family Game Night:- I know that many times after a hard days work we just want to sit,
relax, and well, basically, do nothing! But, once you get in a habit of designating one
night “Family Game Night” I guarantee you’ll look forward to it.
This is a great way interact with your kids. It’s fun, educational, and provides an
opportunity for conversation (Now that’s something those teens don’t offer up much).
Choose games that everyone enjoys and is capable of doing. Games that suit the
family’s entire age span are always more fun. And, there are many out there.
If you have a large family with some large age differences, you can opt to have two
game nights so you can include games suited for the younger children that the older
ones might get bored with. Of course, always provide the option for older ones to be
included. Sometimes, believe it or not, they just enjoy the quality time with parents and
siblings. :)
Well, I'm hoping these ideas will keep you busy for now! And remember, it doesn't
have to cost a lot to be a lot of FUN!
About the Author: Cheryl Johnson is a mother of four helping herself and others
become, and remain, debt free. Publisher of the personal finance site Simple Debt
Free Living at http://www.simpledebtfreeliving.com where you can find a free
household budget plan and a variety of money saving tips to maximize savings
Source: www.isnare.com
Do you have tips and advice on reading and teaching your child to read?
We will publish them with your information and web address. Please send
the article to:
We will publish them with your information and web address. Please send
the article to:
© Fun Personalized Books. All Rights
Reserved.
Reserved.