Providing children with memorable experiences helps them to develop various skills, like compassion, responsibility, and problem-solving skills. However, there are so many worthwhile things to do with kids, it’s hard to know which ones to choose. If you’re looking for activities to do with your kids before they grow up, the following five activities are a good place to start. These activities allow your kids to experience many facets of life, helping them to be more well-rounded and better adjusted in the long run.
Theater/ Musicals/ Opera
A trip to a live theatrical production, a musical, or an opera does more than just broaden a child’s cultural and artistic horizons. It teaches a child how to be a good audience member. In a live production, kids learn how to remain quiet in their seats. They also learn to engage with art forms that are not TV, movies, or video games, which allows them to develop problem-solving and social skills.
Family Vacation
Taking family vacations together builds memories that last a lifetime. These trips help broaden a child’s understanding of the world, and if the trip is to another country, it exposes a child to a new language, culture, and geography. This kind of experience teaches a child the ways that people are different around the world. More importantly, travel also teaches them how much alike people around the world are, too.
Camping/ Hunting/ Fishing One-on-One
There’s something to be said for taking a child on a one-on-one camping, hunting, or fishing excursion. Not only does this type of activity give a child and one of his/ her parents the chance to connect in a more personal way, it also encourages a child to learn how to navigate the great outdoors. While many of these trips can last for several days, not all parent/ child adventurers are ready to explore the wilderness for several days or a week, at least not at first. Places like a blackbuck antelope hunting ranch typically provide guides for experienced and beginning hunters. This allows a parent/ child team to get the experience of being outside and bond over the shared experience.
Volunteering
Volunteering together teaches children what responsibility means. It also helps children develop a sense of compassion and kindness. Parents who volunteer with their kids reap the rewards of helping others as well as provide a good example for their children to follow. They show their kids that they, too, want to make the world a better place and are willing to act on it. Children learn best by example, and being beside them as they volunteer can make the experience easier for first-timers and more rewarding for the whole family.
Budgeting
Learning how to take care of money counts as one of the most important skills you can teach your kids. Many children grow up having never practiced managing their own finances in any way and aren’t mentally prepared to treat their resources well later on. A great way to make sure your children get the proper experience is to help them save up for something they want. Show them how to work hard for their allowance, budget out spending, and estimate a timeline for how long it will take them to save up. Doing so gives them valuable insight to how they will be managing money later as adults.
Although it can seem like your child’s childhood will last a lifetime, the reality is that these years really only last a finite amount of time. As such, you want the experiences you give your kids to be meaningful. While there are many worthwhile activities to do with your kids, the five activities on this list provide your kids with a well-rounded look at life and the responsibilities they’ll face in the future.
