Fab Ideas For A Fun Family Evening

The stresses and strains of parenting on a day-to-day basis is a rewarding chore – but a chore nonetheless. The beautiful creature you created is a gift to you as a well as an annoying pain in the backside! Whether it’s their behavior or their well-being, you can never switch off. After a long, hard stint of watching over them – whether they’re six or sixteen! – being freed from the struggle of guardianship sometimes feels like a huge weight removed.

But it doesn’t always have to be that way, you know! You may have forgotten amidst all of the chaos, but good old fun can be had with the whole family, and it’s always nice to cherish times together that can be almost exclusively joyful and anxiety-free! Here are a few suggestions that can boost your evenings together.

Movie Night

A movie night is a common pastime among families and friends. But that doesn’t stop it being a fantastic evening and a great idea for everyone. You could make a plan one night to surprise the kids and take them to the movie theatre. Nowadays a lot of streaming services make movie nights a lot easier. As long as you have a TV and an internet connection you’re pretty much good to go. Careful, though, you may want to test the speed of the connection – you don’t want it to get to the crux of the story and start buffering! It happens!

Games!

From silly activities like charades to video games. Getting a laugh and a smile on faces is a feeling like no other and stimulating the brain while enjoying yourself is one of the best ways!  

Cooking

Cooking is a beautiful hobby to take part in – especially one with the whole family. We all like food don’t we? Getting to enjoy a meal while learning how to make it is rewarding not only for the stomach but for the brain too!  

Arts And Crafts

Similar to cooking, it’s fun and simple to do. You can open someone’s creative side, and with kids at a young age taking things in like sponges, it can be super beneficial for them as they may grow up with an artistic side or a problem-solving side!

Build A Fort!

You have to be a real grumpy goose to not get on board with the idea of a fort in the living room! Similarly to before, it’s creative as well as a good laugh. Just make sure you plan for it all and are ready to clean up and get everything back in order!

Puzzles

Puzzles are another great way to get the whole family involved. If they’re super young, the kids can have a whale of a time working out what goes where in a small, cheap jigsaw. But they can also help out with big family projects that take a lot more time. Some take weeks and months so the whole family can spend some evenings getting these little projects completed – having fun and developing the brain in the process!  

This post is a collaborative effort by St. Louis Dad.

How To Keep Your Kids Entertained While Doing A Million Other Things At Once

Being a parent means your life is pretty much full of multitasking. There will rarely be a moment where you only have one thing to do at once. Mostly, you have a million things going on at the same time, and you’re like one of those street performers trying to keep the plates spinning at the same time.

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Normally, entertaining your kids is a constant on your list of things to do. But, how can you do this when you simply have more pressing matters to tend to? The solution is to look for ways in which your kids can stay entertained without you needing to constantly watch over and supervise them. In this piece, I’ve listed a few of my favorite ideas to do this.

Put Netflix On The TV

Normally, I’m not an advocate of sticking your child in front of a screen and letting it entertain them for you. However, there comes a time where you simply don’t have the time to provide personal entertainment. In times like these, Netflix is your best friend. It’s like your virtual nanny, it will help keep your kids entertained for a good hour or so while you do what you need to do. Don’t let them watch it for too long, I personally think this is a great option when you’re making dinner for 30-45 minutes.

Get Them A Playhouse

A playhouse is a really fun toy that your children can pretty much play with by themselves. They’ll lose themselves in their imagination as they play with this toy house, pretending it’s their own. Normally, these are reserved for outdoor fun. However, the best kids’ playhouse can be used indoors as well as out. So, even when it’s rainy, your children can still play with it while you work, cook, clean, or just do whatever you need to do in peace.

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Buy A Jigsaw Puzzle

Puzzles are a great way to keep children occupied without the need for constant supervision. A jigsaw puzzle can be placed on a table, and your child is free to try and solve it as they please. This is one of the best ways of occupying a child for well over an hour. They get caught up in trying to put all the pieces together and completely zone out from the world. If you work from home and have a lot to do, then this is a great idea for you.

Let Them Use Your Tablet

Again, I said it earlier, I don’t suggest you always stick a screen in front of your children!! But, your tablet is a great entertainment device for your kids. They can watch videos, play games, but also learn at the same time. My advice is to download educational games and apps that they can pass the time on while you’re busy. They stay entertained, they learn, and you get a little bit of peace and quiet.

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Being a good dad is all about managing your time well! If you can keep your kids entertained while also doing loads of other tasks, then you’re doing a pretty great job!

This post is a collaborative effort by St. Louis Dad.