Bored much? Tapped out of ideas for family fun?
Well, THIS episode will solve that problem! Check out 101 things your family can do together. Some are aspirational and will take focused attention (#72) while others are easy to accomplish any day of the week (#28, 33, or 83).
Here's the list for easy reference.
| 1 | Have a Photo scavenger hunt - (Example here) |
| 2 | Moms - Let your daughter do your hair or makeup |
| 3 | Play hide and seek |
| 4 | Memorize the lyrics to a song that you can all sing together |
| 5 | Have a pet and let the kids name it. |
| 6 | Shoot baskets in crazy ways |
| 7 | Use every single Lego in the house to build something |
| 8 | Rearrange the furniture for movie night |
| 9 | Let the kids cook dinner (and tell them you love it!) |
| 10 | Make friends with the neighbors and bake them treats! |
| 11 | Plan secret missions and execute them together (donut drops, balloons) |
| 12 | Go fruit pickin' together (strawberries, blueberries, apples) then make dessert! |
| 13 | Have coloring book nights |
| 14 | Conduct entire conversations using nothing but GIFs for an entire day (bonus for a week) |
| 15 | Have "team day" where everyone dresses head-to-toe in the team colors |
| 16 | Let the kids show you how to get somewhere... (airport, school, grocery store) |
| 17 | Deconstruct an electronic device and figure out how it works. |
| 18 | Sleep outside |
| 19 | Cook over a fire (s'mores count, but try hotdogs too!) |
| 20 | Explore your hometown and let different family members pick the places to go. |
| 21 | Let the kids pump the gas (or wash the car windows) |
| 22 | Make sure everyone knows how to sew buttons on their shirts! |
| 23 | Keep a list/jar/book of blessings |
| 24 | Let your kids plan an entire day when you travel |
| 25 | Draw pictures on each others hands |
| 26 | Use nicknames as often as possible |
| 27 | Go to a midnight showing of a favorite movie franchise |
| 28 | Have a burping contest |
| 29 | Find a way to help some friends anonymously (rake a yard, wash their car...) |
| 30 | Illustrate a book IN the book ... make your own illustrations |
| 31 | Edit a family video together |
| 32 | Dog sit (or HORSE sit for bonus points) |
| 33 | Dance party! (duh...) |
| 34 | Create a chalk/white board for inspirational/encouraging sayings (here's ours) |
| 35 | Speak with an accent for an entire meal |
| 36 | Bring cookies to your local fire or police station |
| 37 | Let your kid run your workouts! |
| 38 | Pray at meals where the kids lead |
| 39 | Create family collections (bugs, tickets, spoons, etc.) |
| 40 | Geocache!!! (This is a GPS scavenger hunt - link here) |
| 41 | Ride a train or subway for no purpose except to ride! |
| 42 | Watch Singing in the Rain -- then SING in the rain ASAP! |
| 43 | Listen to a podcast together and talk about it. |
| 44 | Have a running joke. |
| 45 | Find a public place where you can spray paint together (legally!) - go crazy |
| 46 | Do the target challenge -- to find the MOST interesting thing for under $3 - |
| 47 | Stay for movie credits and look for a specific, random name. We look for "Carl.” |
| 48 | Make your own bread, pizza, and ice cream at least once. |
| 49 | Watch Elf once a year and quote every favorite line together every single time. |
| 50 | Plant something from seed and watch it grow. Bonus points for a mystery seed! |
| 51 | Save a baby tooth and show your older kids how it dissolves in soda. |
| 52 | Build at least one piece of furniture for your home. |
| 53 | Put lights up outside. |
| 54 | Hike a local trail. |
| 55 | Serve a meal in the form of a face. |
| 56 | Host a guest from a foreign country. |
| 57 | Start a water balloon fight on the last day of school. |
| 58 | Save the wishbone from that roasted chicken, dry it, and then make a wish! |
| 59 | Have a TV show you watch together as a family. |
| 60 | Buy a canvas and paint something - hang it in the house. |
| 61 | Serve dinner by candlelight monthly. |
| 62 | Once a year work a puzzle together. |
| 63 | Jump into a pool/lake/ocean with your clothes on! |
| 64 | Wear a costume out in public when it's NOT Halloween. |
| 65 | Tell a story a fun about the grandparents at dinner. |
| 66 | Surprise each other with balloons. |
| 67 | Put a note with a favorite treat into each other's lunch. |
| 68 | Celebrate a random holiday (Flag Day, Earth Day - for us Guy Fawkes w/ bon fire - MLK jr day with photo scavenger hunt) with customized family traditions |
| 69 | Go doorbell ditching (to friendlies!) |
| 70 | Have a whipped cream fight (preferably with another family!) |
| 71 | Sponsor a child thru compassion international (and write letters!) |
| 72 | Visit all 50 states |
| 73 | Decorate each other's doors to celebrate personal victories! |
| 74 | Each breakfast for dinner on a regular basis |
| 75 | Listen to an audio book on a long drive |
| 76 | Have a secret handshake |
| 77 | Race popsicle sticks down the gutters on a rainy (no lightening) day. |
| 78 | Create family award night during "award season" (Jan - March) - and customize your own awards for things like "best performance in an awkward situation" or "best spill..." |
| 79 | Go to a local high school event - play, sporting event, concert BEFORE your kids are old enough to actually attend said school |
| 80 | Take 10 year old trips |
| 81 | Invite the neighborhood over for a potluck (everyone brings a dish) -- set up on the driveway if necessary! |
| 82 | Read a book out loud together. Take turns reading chapters for older kids or picture books for younger kids |
| 83 | Spend an evening playing the Wikipedia game (link here)- also see EP# 10 |
| 84 | Plan your own 5K and make t-shirts |
| 85 | Have "classic movie nights" with the parents showing kids their favorite flick. |
| 86 | Let the kids introduce the parents to their favorite video game. |
| 87 | Read about a different culture then visit a restaurant that serves that food. |
| 88 | Have a family pedicure night - complete with foot soaking! |
| 89 | Explore a new part of town on a rented bike |
| 90 | Do a regular family service project in your community |
| 91 | Plan a board/card game night |
| 92 | Allow the kids to plan and serve the grown ups with a menu they design - and serve - and be sure to light the candles! |
| 93 | Bake AND decorate sugar cookies WITH sprinkles |
| 94 | Have a non-device day and just see what you can do with boredom! |
| 95 | Wash the car together and end with a water fight!!! |
| 96 | Invite the neighborhood out for a competitive game of kick the can. |
| 97 | Spend a day on the beach building sand castles and then celebrate when the waves crash them in! |
| 98 | Produce a family and/or neighborhood talent show. |
| 99 | Have every person print out a favorite picture from the previous year and make a collage on canvas or wood. |
| 100 | Play "punch bug" - slugging OR tapping each other when you see a VW beetle |
| 101 | BONUS - make a habit of taking family jump shots together - tag w/betweenparents |
Also remember…
We are on Facebook! If you like the page you’ll receive more consistent updates and be able to share episodes with others. Connect with us @BetweenParentsPodcast
Have you left a review on Apple Podcasts (formerly know as iTunes)? This is SUPER helpful in helping others find our show. Along with Apple Podcasts, Overcast, and Stitcher, and TuneIn (the fun way to listen if you are using Amazon’s Alexa), Between Parents is now on SoundCloud! You can chat back with us on Twitter @between_parents or on Instagram @betweenparents
Thanks for listening and sharing this podcast with your friends!
Do you ever feel like your calendar is the boss of you? Do you ever wonder how you became so over-committed? In this week’s podcast Billy & Joy discuss one family’s process and discovery of knowing when to quit.
Links:
Knowing When to Quit – article here
LA really is a doughnut heaven! - check out this article or google for yourself ; )
Talk about this:
What do we want outside family activity to provide? What can't it provide (that WE should be responsible for)?
What are we willing to give (the cost) to get the benefit (the value)?
Will (or DO) our kids know the benefit? Can they verbalize it to us currently?
What will we do if we need to edit our plan?
Also remember…
We are on Facebook! If you like the page you’ll receive more consistent updates and be able to share episodes with others. Connect with us @BetweenParentsPodcast
Have you left a review on Apple Podcasts (formerly know as iTunes)? This is SUPER helpful in helping others find our show. Along with Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Stitcher, and TuneIn (the fun way to listen if you are using Amazon’s Alexa), Between Parents is now on SoundCloud AND Google Play! You can chat back with us on Twitter @between_parents or on Instagram @betweenparents .
Thanks for listening and sharing this podcast with your friends!
When you live in close proximity to someone, particularly a spouse, eventually that person will annoy you. What do you do with this irritation? Is it avoidable? Is there a way to short-circuit the process and not be so easily frustrated? Billy & Joy serve up some ideas in this episode, so have a listen!
Talk about this:
Today's question is REALLY high on the vulnerability scale - Perhaps it's good for an awkward date night (episode #11) - but this question is WORTH the awkwardness...three ground rules:
Ask sincerely
Listen without being defensive
If necessary, close by apologizing
Ready? Here you go… ask your spouse, “When are you most likely to you feel that I am annoyed by you?”
Also remember…
We are on Facebook! If you like the page you’ll receive more consistent updates and be able to share episodes with others. Connect with us @BetweenParentsPodcast
Have you left a review on Apple Podcasts (formerly know as iTunes)? This is SUPER helpful in helping others find our show. Along with Apple Podcasts, Overcast, and Stitcher, and TuneIn (the fun way to listen if you are using Amazon’s Alexa), Between Parents is now on SoundCloud! You can chat back with us on Twitter @between_parents or on Instagram @betweenparents
Thanks for listening and sharing this podcast with your friends!
Imagine a teacher, coach, or neighbor describing your parenting profile, what terms would they use? Are they positive or negative descriptions? In this episode Billy and Joy review ten parenting profiles – five negative and five positive. Think of them as coins with a distinct flip side! However, when if comes to parenting, YOU get to pick what side your coin lands on. What do you choose? Are you…
The Complaining Parent or The Uplifting Parent?
The Panic Parent or The Measured Parent?
The Competitive Parent or The Celebratory Parent?
The Gossip Parent or The Quiet Parent?
The Chaos Parent or the Calm Parent?
Lots of things to talk about here! Take a listen.
Talk about this:
Which type of parent are you most likely to become? Don't just answer for yourself -- ask your spouse/friend what type they think you're most likely to become?
How are those negative responses working for you really? What could be improved should you respond differently?
What are the triggers for your reaction?
How can you build in new, positive responses?
Related-ish note
The German word for taking joy in the trouble of others is Schadenfreude
Also remember…
We are on Facebook! If you like the page you’ll receive more consistent updates and be able to share episodes with others. Connect with us @BetweenParentsPodcast
Have you left a review on Apple Podcasts (formerly know as iTunes)? This is SUPER helpful in helping others find our show. Along with Apple Podcasts, Overcast, and Stitcher, and TuneIn (the fun way to listen if you are using Amazon’s Alexa), Between Parents is now on SoundCloud! You can chat back with us on Twitter @between_parents or on Instagram @betweenparents
Thanks for listening and sharing this podcast with your friends!