13 Funtastical Things to Do With Your Kids Today

1. Get them up early and take them to a favorite place for breakfast – doesn’t have to be fancy, just a good start to a new day.

2. Attach a bouquet of balloons outside their door to greet them in the morning. Attach a note with a “Good Morning” message and a verse for the day (maybe a verse they’re learning for Awana this week.)

3. Pray with them before they leave for school – but don’t make the prayer be an incognito lecture (you know what I mean –  “Help Johnny remember not to talk during class and help Jenna remember to bring  home her science book and help them both to eat what I packed in their lunches.”) Instead thank the Lord for giving you such fantastic kids. Yes, there’s a place for praying with a child about his problems, but it’s not in front of his siblings.

4. Trade off lunch-making duties. Does Mom usually pack school lunches? Have Dad do it and include a Dad-type treat – like sharing some potato chips from his Monday-night football stash. Does Dad usually do it? Have Mom make the lunch with a Mom-type treat.

5. Visit Dad/Mom at work. Are your kids homeschooled? Can you take them to visit Dad (or Mom) at work so you can eat lunch together? Sure, it might take some effort but think how fun it will be for the kids.

6. Spend at least a half hour doing something with your child that he is always asking you to do: read a book, build a Lego tower, shoot hoops. Give him/her your undivided attention. No phones of any kind tucked in your pocket.

7. Spend at least a half hour going over this week’s verses for Awana. Explain what they mean. Learn them together. Your child/teen is already done with the book? Ask what verses he learned that mean a lot to him and why.

8. Write an encouraging note (and add a riddle) and tuck it into your child’s textbook or lunch.

9. Help them encourage someone else. Buy a bouquet of flowers at the grocery store. Go to your nearest nursing home and have your children/teens tell the receptionist to give them to someone who doesn’t get a lot of attention.

10. Ask your child/teen to share a “favorite” with you. (Hopefully you already know what this might be.) You could listen to a song he likes, watch him play a video game or watch a TV show.

11. Allow your children to overhear you talk about them to a grandparent or close friend. (This isn’t an opportunity to brag about your kids to other parents, but an appropriate compliment to someone whom you know well.) Comment that your son or daughter is handling extra responsibility, initiating a service project, showing kindness to a new kid at school.

12. Do a spontaneous service project. Go through a drive-thru line with them and pay for the person behind you. (Better yet, have them each contribute a dollar for the car behind.)

13. Stop. Look them in the eye. Say, “I am thankful that the Lord has give me the privilege of being your parent.”  (This is important at any age, but can be especially important for you to say to your teen.)