What's the most fun thing you do with your DCs?

[WhyFrank]

I couple of threads recently (this and this) have convinced me that I need to have more fun with DS. Am inclined to be a bit introspective, bookish and serious, poor him.

I'm not sure if it's been done before, but could we have a thread for collecting ideas for fun, happy things to do together? I don't mean big expensive treats or anything, more cheap/free things for ordinary days.

Our new favourite game (DS is 5):
"Balloon volleyball" in the living room. We hang a piece of string net between two chairs and hit the balloon to each other across it. Discovered today that a long balloon makes a really good bat. Sometimes we put on what DS calls "lively music", and if you dance a bit while you're playing it makes quite a good workout.

Please add your favourite fun things!

[FiveGoMadInDorset]

We are lucky and live very close to the sea so we go down there.

[Mousey84]

Every day stuff - making up adventures when we go walking (man hole covers are snake pits, cars are lions, etc) Mystery tours- If you want to drive somewhere, let them choose left/right etc. I dont drive so sometimes we just get on a bus and see where we end up. Building forts out of blankets, chairs and rope and sleeping in them overnight.

My best memories as a kid were
rolling down a hill wrapped in a blanket
building forts
weird coloured food (green pancakes etc)
having dinner for breakfast and vice versa.
dessert before main course.
playing board games (usually under the dining table)
making up bed time stories / reading together

[sharbie]

we tell each other really stupid stories and jokes and laugh until we cry

[WhyFrank]

A couple of threads, duh.

[IMoveTheStars]

no idea, but marking my place here so i can come back and nick the ideas marvel at the MN knowledge

[webchick]

Taking them through the car wash
baking then licking the bowl & waiting for oven to ping
going down hills fast on bikes
watching Mamma Mia
finding nursery rhymes on YouTube of kids singing & joining in (ds is 3.5)

[strandedatsea]

Playing hide and seek. I'm not sure about the dd's but I find it very funny because dd2 (2) doesn't quite get it and always hides in the same place or exactly where her sister has just hidden, then giggles very loudly and finally (after approximately three seconds of hiding) wanders out and says "here I am!".

[lavenderbongo]

Rolling down hills.
Singing in the car to songs on the radio.
Having "you stink" games (basically calling each other stinky and faking being offended - honestly its more fun than it sounds!)
Playing on the Wii.
Dancing around to You-Tube videos.
Playing with Nerf guns in the lounge.
Hunting for bugs.
Avoiding the trolls that live under the bridges.
Imagining what the gnomes that live in the trees are watching on telly (most of them watch Fireman Sam apparently!)

[Jamieandhismagictorch]

We have a game where you decide on a funny word - like "ploppy pants" - then ask the contestant questions, which they have to answer using that word. Aim of the game is for the contestant not to laugh. Winner is person who answers most questions without laughing.

eg : "Who is your favourite teacher?"

"Ploppy pants"

Always has us entertained in the car (Hint: anything with poo or pants in is pretty guaranteed to work)

The campervan

[WhyFrank]

Thanks for the inspiration, everyone.

Jamie, I'd forgotten about that game. We used to call it "mouldy crust" and it was one of the best games ever! I think I tried it once with DS but he was a bit young. Reckon it would work now though. Especially if we used your version!

[Nemofish]

Swimming (despite the horror stories that you may have heard on other threads!) - dd(4) adores it and has come on leaps and bound since I started taking her. Has much more confidence now, loves getting around in the pool - without insisting that I carry her everywhere.

Baking - buns, biscuits, jelly making, whatever - and then we can eat what we make

Trampoline - persuaded dh to buy a mahoosive trampoline off ebay, took me weeks of bidding to get one at a good price, but we have had 2 summers of fun on it and still going strong. We play all sorts of games on it, well worth the money. And good for me to exercise on too.

Painting, modelling clay, sticking glittery bits on paper, making paper / card hats, birthday cards. We have a big overflowing messy craft cupboard and I can usually find something to entertain dd for two seconds a bit.

Going to library, stroking pet hamster, throwing a ball for the dog, using dh as a climbing frame (dd does this, not me... well okay sometimes, but he is very tall...)

Dd is an only child so I try to having something we can do, even if it is here wandering around the garden with her watering can while I mnet do work.

Of course the best fun thing for dd is when dsd(13) comes over for the weekend! We could hire her out maybe, she is lovely and great with young children (blessed emoticon)

[purepurple]

DD is 13 so her idea of fun is no longer the same as mine.
But this afternoon we are going to have a bowling tournament on the wii and then we are going to watch her Up DVD with sweets, pop and crisps.
But, she has to help me with the housework first.

[AnAngelWithin]

my mother never played anything with me when i was growing up. DH to this day tells me I don't know how to play with the kids. I suppose really, he is right I do the sensible things, cooking with them, going for walks, going to the park, play board games, wii etc with them. DH does the 'silly/energetic' play. We take them out on days out together. I can't stand playdoh, paint etc, but MIL always does it at her house. FIL often comes and takes them all out plays football/biking with them as well so I hope they aren't missing out with mummy being so boring

[AnAngelWithin]

me and dd1 sometimes go 'girly shopping' though....

[purepurple]

anangelwithin, my mum never played with me either and my dad only spoke to me when he was telling me off.
But, I love children, love playing with children. Good job, really, as I am a nursery nurse and spend all day doing it.
I love playdough, it is very relaxing. Shaving foam is great fun too, as is gloop (cornflour and water)
Shredded paper makes lots of mess but is great fun 'it's snowing!'
There are adults who don't know how to play. Surprisingly, there are also children who don't know how to play also.

[AnAngelWithin]

i worry that its rubbing off on some of my dcs. ds1 (nearly 11) never does anything! i have to limit computer time otherwise he would sit there til his eyeballs fell out! He will go play football, but thats about it really. He doesn't appear to have any imagination. The other 3 are ok though. (i hope!)

[FiveGoMadInDorset]

Today I am taking DD to meet her cousins, so we can play Robin Hood in the woods.

[BertieBotts]

What do you do to have fun with your friends, AnAngel? Maybe you could adapt something from that to be child friendly? The girly day shopping sounds great

DS is 18 months so much of our fun is physical at the moment.
I let him ride around on my back like a horse
I chase him and tickle him and/or swing him through the air when I catch him
We pass things to each other using our mouths (sounds weird, he finds it hysterical)
I try and catch him out by kissing his neck or blowing raspberries on his tummy
I lie on the floor and let him jump around on me
I get a big blanket/sheet/duvet and wave it around while he runs around or rolls around underneath it
We play "peepo"
He has just discovered "squirters" in the bath and he squirts me and I pretend to scream
Just generally getting excited over silly things and making silly noises e.g. when he is playing with stacking rings toy going "Whoosh!" as the rings fall down the tower.
Dancing to music - a recent favourite was The Elements Song!
Songs like "This is the way the farmer rides" where you bounce them up and down on your knee.

[BertieBotts]

And wanting to stay on the computer all day sounds like perfectly typical 11 year old behaviour - don't worry!

[AnAngelWithin]

I don't have any friends that I socialise with Bertie. I keep myself to myself since i was assaulted. I am mean and limit computer time for them all anyway !

[Bonsoir]

We have lots of playdates/parties/meals/picnics with other families and with our relatives - fun for all! And DD and I love doing girly stuff together, like going to the hairdresser or for a cake or lunch or make-up shopping. And we make things - yesterday we made and decorated a birthday cake for my mother.

[Rumbled]

I let DS take the cushions off the sofa and build a big crash mat/heap for launching on to.

LEGO - getting it all out and both laying on the floor with a hot chocolate and building.

Water bombs - fill a load with water and give DS (and friends) and bucketful to chuck around the garden. They have to pick the bits up afterwards though "to save the hedgehogs".

Licking out the cake mix bowl.

Building wooden train tracks which go through several rooms.

Going for a bike ride and stashing some chocolate in the backpack to eat when we get to our destination.

Just occasionally we've gone to the supermarket and bought some of our favourite food (chocolate, onion rings, garlic bread) and eaten it on the sofa under the duvet with a movie on.

The cinema!

DS is an only and I am on my own, and I do feel a big responsibility to keep him entertained/be his playmate, which I frequently fail at because it feels as though there's always so much other boring stuff which has to be done (work, housework, paperwork).

Good thread. Has reminded me to have some more fun with DS.

[baskingseals]

the most fun i have with the dc has to be dancing.

toddler dancing is superb.

bathtimes can be fun too - especially if you get them to wash your hair.

and there's always the tickle tortures.

[AndieWalsh]

We go swimming every weekend. Not 'swimming lessons' swimming, but 'arsing about with floats in the shallow end' swimming. It really brings the kid in me out.

We also dance a lot.

Bowling is also good fun (I always hated the idea and had to be dragged there by DH and DS, but once there I quickly got deeply competitive into the spirit of things ).

My two also love 'nature walks' in the local park (we re Londoners). I give them each a paper bag and they fill it with leaves, twigs, daisies etc, then we make a big collage when we get home.

Jumping on the bed - I spend half my life telling them not to do it, so this is reserved for special occasions only

[Granny23]

Sorry if there are duplicates here. I tried to post this in the middle of the night but the site had gone down!

On sunny days turning our shadows into animals

Making shadow pictures on the wall - Indeed anything involving torches

Blowing bubbles and catching them

Collecting sticks in the wood and then using them to light the fire

A strip of plastic down a slope in the garden with water from hose running down

Making snowmen, snow dogs, snow dinasours

Scottish country dancing. If you don't know the dances just make up some simple ones. Adult picks up child for the 'birling' bits. This is also a great workout.

Making popcorn - magic, almost instant result

Listen to the Mocking Bird - where you hide something, either in a room or in the garden, and the other person tries to find it, while you sing louder and louder the closer they get. Kids love this either as finder or hider/singer.

Current favourite here is peek-a-boo, or Where's the baby? DGD2 (1) wil play this for hours and DGS (3) has discovered that she will happily play it with him - keeps the pair of them giggling away for ages (instead of fighting over toys).