Fun For The Whole Family

Those families with small children will probably focus more on the toy aspect of the toy game hobby night. Take the time to get down on the floor and play with your child. Cuddle those dollies and push those trucks around and pretend right along with the kids.

If your back can take it, let them take turns riding you like a horse while you crawl around and neigh. Every kid loves that!

You could make sock puppets from old socks, buttons and string and put together a show like "Punch and Judy" or "Sooty". This is a good way to teach children about general subjects and lessons in life in a fun and exciting way.

We all loved getting messy as children whether in puddles of mud, by rolling down hills or by covering our hands in paint and getting creative. Children really enjoy painting and drawing and what better time to start, this way they will have a head start before they start school. You need to remember to put down a lot of newspaper or a sheet of some kind as this hobby always seems to get everyone a bit carried away. What you will need...

Paint for a start, there are many on the market and some different techniques which you can use at home. Corn syrup, jello, and instant vanilla pudding are some options which can be very kind and safe for your child, you can add food colouring to liven things up a bit.

I must say though I prefer the paint I used as a child, whether it's a fond memory of my creative streak with finger painting (I still have some of the masterpieces in the loft), or maybe it's because it's better? I do feel though that if you want the best result from a texture, color and overall picture quality point of view then I would use the shop bought. I realise that some could be bad if eaten but when I was young there were not a lot of kids who ate paint and if they did they only tried it once... Nowadays, there are many products on the market which are safe for children and wash off little fingers and fabrics with just warm soapy water.

Secondly you will need paper, preferably large and quite cheap as you will need a lot! As your child improves in their technique you can spend a bit more and get some nicer paper, this way you can display their pictures on the fridge or on their bedroom wall.

Modelling dough is also a great activity for toy game hobby night. Collect some small cookie cutters and old jar lids (for pans) and create fancy cookies and desserts - inedible and calorie-free, of course! The kids can turn a large box on it's side for a counter and place the goodies on display to sell. Of course, you'll pretend to buy, eat, and enjoy

Some fun games for family night include card games like Uno, board games like Candy Land or Life, and dominoes. When choosing games to play there are several things to consider.

Is Scrabble, for instance, fun for everyone, or does all the spelling and thinking feel like work to some of the players? Does the game take forever to play, so that some players' attention spans play out? Does the game encourage merciless competition, like Monopoly, leaving losers feeling left out?

It's important for kids to learn how to lose and still have fun. Don't "throw" the game, intentionally letting them win all the time, but don't mercilessly beat them every time either.

Make it fun.

If losing is a problem for some of the kids, check out some of the new cooperative games where everyone is on the same team.

Hobbies are also great to share as a family. Maybe your family would be interested in pursuing musical skills together. Some families make great singing groups because their voices match well. If children learn to play an instrument they are more likely to continue playing, think of the possibilities.

If that's not for you maybe you'd all enjoy learning to dance there are many styles to chose from you should be able to find something which suits you. Others enjoy playing badminton or other active games and sports.

*-The important thing is to have fun together.-*

FAMILY OF FOUR © Privilege2010
Bernadeta by rolands.lakis
Toys by WWWang
DSC_1097.NEF by pixelthing
painting her fingers by mollypop
"squishy" by mollypop
Dipping her fingers in the paint. by mollypop
Sand Castle by MorroBayChuck
Sand box by superhua
IXS_7246 by acme
Card game by fwooper
'Thurn and Taxis' (a board game) by viZZZual.com
353/365 Oh-oh, dominos... by Mykl Roventine
No, really, don't hold back... by James Jordan