When my girls were little and were still taking gymnastics, we had a routine.  We’d go out to the gym on Saturday mornings for their lessons, then we’d have an activity that day.  We live in a small town, so driving out to the city was always a big deal, even if we did it every week…and besides, so many of the activities in our area are centered around the city. 

But we didn’t have a lot of money, so the things we did were almost always free or very cheap.  And we called these days, as per the above headline, Saturday Fun Days.  So I thought that we could have our own Saturday Fun Day here on KiddieYaps, where we talk about free and cheap things to do with our kids.

Don’t expect earth-shattering revelations here; these are all things most of us have access to and can enjoy.  Most of the time, attitude is more important than money with these activities.  So, to start small, and to show you what I mean, I’m going to start with a very basic one:

Go To The Park

Yes, I know what you’re thinking.  “Duh,” right?  Not necessarily.  This is one of those things where attitude and creativity make all the difference.  Here are some things you can do to make going to the park a truly fun day.

• Play.  Yes, that means you, parents.  If you’re anything like me, you don’t go to the park to play, you go to read your book or talk on the phone while they play.  That is not allowed on Fun Day.  You must slide down slides, seesaw, and push them on the swings a hundred times.  You must laugh and build sand castles and watch with all your attention every time one of them says, “Watch me!”  It might wear you out, but your kids will cherish the time and attention.
• Pack a picnic.  If you have a few dollars, you can go through a drive-thru, but otherwise PB&J and juice boxes do just fine.  It’s not the quality of the food that matters; it’s the experience of eating it outdoors.
• Collect things for a scrapbook.  Go in the fall and collect the prettiest leaves you can find.  Go in the spring and collect the fallen blossoms from trees.  Let the kids pick out the things they think are the coolest.  Take them home and press them in a scrapbook, writing the date and notes about all the things you did together that day.
• Take pictures.  And I mean, dozens of them.  Let the kids take some, too.  Take pictures of each of you alone and all of you together, swinging, laughing, climbing, sliding.  Make sure that the date is recorded so that you know when your Fun Day at the park was.

All of these things are fun, and free!  But for no money at all, your family will have the kinds of experiences and memories you will always cherish.

When I was a child, rainy days could really dampen playtime for my friends and I because we aren’t allowed to go outside. Playing indoors is boring. But since kids today enjoy a lot of gadgets at home, they probably won’t notice anything different.

However, it’s not a good idea to let children be playing with video games all the time. Sometimes you have to also initiate other activities. On rainy days, it can be challenging but here are some ideas to make playing indoors fun, and without the use of any portable technology.

1. Baking

Parents don’t usually allow kids to be in the kitchen because they may hurt themselves. But with an adult’s help, you can spend the day baking cookie doughs or going for the more ambitious like baking pasta or fish meals. Kids enjoy measuring and doing something with their hands, such as kneading. And I’m sure they will love it more if they see the fruits of their labor — and realize that it tastes really good.

2. Arts and Crafts

Don’t do the usual coloring, cutting and pasting as children do these a lot in school and may now feel like a chore, instead of a fun thing to do. Be creative. This is playtime, so have fun with your ideas. I’m thinking shaving creams mixed with tubed watercolors can be fun. They don’t have to create masterpieces. The idea is to have something that will keep them busy and entertained.

3. Have A Game Of Cards

This one always works with my kids and their game of choice is Go Fish! We make it interesting by placing bets. And we use pebbles for our bets. The more pebbles earned at the end of the game, and the winner gets a prize from Mom or Dad.

Heidi Klum is set and looking forward to hosting a show called Seriously Funny Kids on the Lifetime network. Klum will be hosting and starring in the new unscripted (‘reality’) program early next year.

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