Do you find that your outings with your child or children are getting a little monotonous? Are you constantly going to the playground, museum and library? It can be a challenge to find kid-friendly activities and once you find ones that work, it’s can be hard to branch out. After all, you already know where every restroom and drinking fountain is and your kids feel comfortable too. Outings and activities, however, are a great way to inspire creativity and expose your children to the thought-provoking and complicated world around them. Here are some ideas to help expand your outing repertoire:
Colleges and universities are great places for kids. The next time you want to have a picnic, why not head to the nearest college campus? There’s a great energy on campus–with all the students bustling to and fro on bicycles, roller blades and on foot. Chances are, your child might be exposed to more diversity than she might on an ordinary day on a college campus too. There are also great open spaces, public art, wonderful old buildings, pathways, bridges, gardens, and all sorts of interesting and different things to explore. You may even be able to sneak into a vast, empty classroom and/or visit the campus library for a change of pace. When my kids were young, our nearby university was where we’d go to gather leaves in the fall since there were so many different kinds of trees not found in our neighborhood.
Another idea for great outings is to visit places where people work. There are some jobs where your kids can see what’s being done–without getting in the way. Watching a construction site can be exciting. If there are buildings going up in your area, it can be fun for a child to visit on a daily or weekly basis and take note of the progress being made. Also, if there is a candy shop or store in your town where you can see the candy being made–this can be great fun and capture the imagination and attention of kids and adults.
If you normally travel by car to run your errands, why not take a ride on public transportation? On many buses, young kids ride free (under five or so) and riding high up on a big, bustling bus can be an exciting outing. Your child will see the town in a completely new way and the two of you can share and talk while someone else does the driving.
Other great outings and activities to do with kids include volunteering at a community garden or helping harvest food for a food pantry, visiting an animal shelter and looking at all the different animals, and visiting a large, old cemetery. While it may sound a little morbid–an old, pioneer cemetery with its magnificent gravestones, old trees and landscaping can be a great place to wander and pick out names and gather stories in a place where kids can roam in a contained place and mom or dad won’t have to worry about anything getting broken.
By thinking outside the ordinary and really getting into the spirit of exploring your city or neighborhood, you can break out of the outing rut and expand your child’s horizons.
Also check out: Entertaining Your Kids