{"id":1347,"date":"2020-04-09T17:51:26","date_gmt":"2020-04-09T17:51:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.monroefamilydentistry.com\/?p=1347"},"modified":"2023-02-21T23:01:18","modified_gmt":"2023-02-21T23:01:18","slug":"10-things-your-family-can-do-together-at-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/monroefamilydentistry.com\/blog\/local-interests\/10-things-your-family-can-do-together-at-home\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Things Your Family Can Do Together at Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

Make staying home a fun time for your family with these entertaining activities.<\/h1>\n

With most kids home from school right now, parents are tasked with keeping their families entertained and busy. To help you make the most of this time, we’ve compiled 10 activities that will bring your family closer together with the power of play.<\/p>\n

1. Keep your family members\u2019 brains stimulated with easy but exciting science experiments.<\/h2>\n

Science experiments are a fantastic way to get everyone involved in an activity that’s as fun as it is educational. You can find science experiment kits online and have them shipped to your home, but there are plenty of experiments to do using basic household supplies.<\/p>\n

Some of our favorites include this glittery twist on the classic volcano<\/a> and these fun rocket balloon cars<\/a>. You can find hundreds of different science experiments with a quick Google search.<\/p>\n

2. Grab your skin-safe paints (or make your own!) and let your kids’ creativity fly with face painting.<\/h2>\n

Painting is a great way to express creativity, and you can kick family art time up a notch with face painting. You can find face paint online, but you can also make your own skin-safe paint<\/a> with common ingredients you might already have in your pantry.<\/p>\n

If you need a little help getting started, check out YouTube for easy face painting tutorials<\/a>.<\/p>\n

3. Move your living room furniture and spread out your gingham throw for a cozy indoor picnic.<\/h2>\n

If you don’t have a yard or the weather is crummy, you can still host a family picnic indoors.<\/p>\n

Start off by putting together your family’s favorite picnic foods (here are some really fun sandwich ideas<\/a>). Next, move the living room furniture to make space and lay out your family’s favorite picnic blanket and a few throw pillows. Finish it off by playing some nature music in the background before settling down for a tasty meal together.<\/p>\n

4. A paper airplane race is a great way to ignite a little friendly family competition.<\/h2>\n

A little friendly competition is a great way to motivate your family to get involved and off their phones or away from the TV screen. Paper airplane races are a fantastic way to engage every member of the family, especially if you add in some sort of prize for the winner.<\/p>\n

Check out these paper plane folding techniques<\/a>. If you have young kids in your family who can’t quite keep up with their older siblings’ planes, you might add in a \u201cmost beautiful paper airplane\u201d contest and let them focus on decorating instead.<\/p>\n

5. Take blanket forts to the next level by camping out in the living room for the night.<\/h2>\n

Blanket forts are fun for all ages, especially if you turn your family’s blanket fort into a cozy indoor tent. If you plan on letting your kids sleep in their fort overnight, it’s a great idea to use an air mattress as a base for added comfort.<\/p>\n

Turning a blanket fort into an indoor camping experience can be done by playing some outdoor music (sound clips of the woods or crickets) and eating camp food favorites. Hot dogs, hamburgers, s\u2019mores, and hot cocoa all help set the mood.<\/p>\n

6. Put a fun twist on the classic scavenger hunt with an indoor safari with toys or printables.<\/h2>\n

Scavenger or treasure hunts are a surefire way to keep kids busy. A fun twist on this idea is to set up an indoor safari. You can use stuffed animals, inexpensive plastic wildlife toys, or print out pictures of different animals. Hide them around the house and supply each kid with a list to check off as they find the animals.<\/p>\n

For an educational twist, you can also include facts about each animal you’ve hidden around your home.<\/p>\n

7. Revive family movie night by letting everyone make their own pizzas for dinner.<\/h2>\n

Nothing pairs as well with family movie night quite like pizza. But instead of ordering delivery, why not bake your own pies? Not only does it let your kids get creative with their toppings, but it also solves the question of what pizza to order.<\/p>\n

You can purchase or make pizza dough<\/a> and set up a toppings bar on your kitchen counter with different cheeses, pepperoni, sausage, pineapple, and whatever else your family loves. If you have a small family, you can use this same idea on one pizza by topping your own slices of the pie.<\/p>\n

8. Get chores done with fun by turning household tasks into a game.<\/h2>\n

Having your family together at home tends to lead to more messes. Between dishes, laundry, and general cleaning, there’s plenty to do, but it can be tricky to get your family motivated to clean. You can encourage your family to get their chores done (and even extra tasks) by turning it into a game.<\/p>\n

You can find some great ideas for chore games here<\/a>. One of our favorites is to assign dollar amounts to tasks like this mom did<\/a>. As your kids complete tasks and get paid with Monopoly money, they can \u201cbuy\u201d snacks, small prizes, or screen time.<\/p>\n

9. Help your family stay healthy and active by doing a fun family workout every day.<\/h2>\n

Exercise is more important than ever right now. Not only will staying active boost your family’s immune system, but it also helps burn off extra energy from being home. A great way to bond and make sure everyone is getting exercise is to do a family workout every day.<\/p>\n

You can find family-friendly workout routines online, including free kid workout routines from popular programs like Beachbody<\/a>.<\/p>\n

10. Make brushing and flossing a family affair by holding a morning or bedtime brushing dance-off.<\/h2>\n

With everyone home at the moment, now is a fantastic time to make sure everyone’s oral care habits are on point. You can make sure everyone is brushing regularly and make it fun for those youngest family members by taking turns playing music while brushing.<\/p>\n

Play a two-minute selection of their favorite song and show off those dance moves. We recommend supervising to make sure they are brushing thoroughly while dancing.<\/p>\n

Monroe Family Dentistry will be back to providing your family’s dental care soon.<\/h2>\n

The team at Monroe Family Dentistry is on a short break, but we are available for urgent dental appointments. If you or a family member is experiencing a dental emergency, such as facial swelling or a severe toothache, give our office a call to schedule an appointment<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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