Whew! Can you believe May is right around the corner? May is one of my favourite months. It’s that time where the reality of spring (and summer being right around the corner) really hits.
That being said, around here May usually takes the form of blue skies and sunshine for multiple days in a row and then boom! Rain, rain, rain. So, once again, I’ve provided a few indoor as well as outdoor 15 Minutes of Family Fun activities.
And remember – Family fun doesn’t have to take much time. Other related lessons? Fun doesn’t have to be complicated. It doesn’t have to be expensive. It just has to be fun.
15 Minutes of Family Fun in May
~ Grab a big jug of bubble liquid and go crazy blowing bubbles in the backyard. I’ve never met anyone of any age who didn’t love blowing bubbles.
~ Speaking of bubbles, do your kids know how to blow a bubble with their gum? Okay, okay, so it’s not appropriate in certain settings but come on! Do you remember the thoroughly satisfying feeling you got from blowing the PERFECT bubble? It was childhood magic. Give everyone some bubble gum and after teaching the kids how, see who can blow the biggest bubble!
~ Play checkers. Make it even more fun with an over-sized game. You can make one easily by creating a grid on a carpet sample with some electrical tape. Spray paint the lids from canning jars to use as the game pieces (or to speed things up, put X’s of red electrical tape on one set of lids and X’s of black tape on the others).
~ Look for some special days to celebrate in May: May 3rd is Hug a Cat Day – Spend some time hugging and playing with your cat. Or head to a local shelter and see if your family can volunteer to hug and give attention to the cats waiting for adoption. May 4th is Star Wars Day – How about a Star Wars movie marathon? Okay, that will take longer than 15 minutes, so for something a little faster, there are some simple Star Wars crafts you can make here. Celebrate Cinco de Mayo on May 5th with a Mexican feast. Want to add a little extra fun to it? Bring home a pinata just for the heck of it!
~ May 13th is Frog Jumping Day. Make Origami jumping frogs and then race them to a finish line.
~ May 14th is National Dance like a Chicken Day. Turn the music up and dance like chickens around the house. How could this help but make everyone giggle?
~ Play hide and seek. Oh gosh. When WAS the last time you played it? Probably ages. Remember how much fun it used to be? Your kids will love playing it with you.
~ Go for a family bike ride. Don’t forget your helmets! Take along a snack or picnic lunch if you have more time.
~ Go to one of the local public gardens in town and check out the flowers now in bloom. After all you know what they say about April showers!
~ Most of the ducks and geese that flew away for the winter are back now. The kids will get a kick out of heading to a local pond or river and feeding them. Please don’t feed them bread, though. It’s just like giving them junk food and can harm them. Some good options include: grapes cut in half, thawed (from frozen) peas or corn, or duck food pellets from a farm supply store.
~ Go pick out some yummy fresh spring produce from your local farm stand or farmer’s market. To extend the activity, you could then bring it home and prepare it together as a family. The outdoor farmers’ market at Covent Garden Market here in London is open for the season now.
~ Play hopscotch.
~ Winter is hard on your vehicles. Have some fun washing the cars with your family. Oh and if a water fight happens to break out, well then all the more fun!
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