Suggested Family Activities
Fun and Creative Ideas for Your Family to Do at Home. New posts weekly.
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Suggested Family Activities
Fun and Creative Ideas for Your Family to Do at Home
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Suggested Family Activity 🧽 Spring Cleaning
The approaching arrival of spring also means it is time for Spring Cleaning! Make it into a fun family activity by turning it into a game. Set timers to see who can clean an area the fastest or create a chart that lists all the areas in your house that need cleaning. Create a prize or family activity that will reward everyone when all the cleaning is finished, such as a Pizza Night, a special dessert, or Family Movie Night. -
Suggested Family Activity ✂ National Children’s Craft Day
Today is National Children’s Craft Day, a day set aside each year to encourage crafting with children. Crafting as an activity is a great way for children to explore their creativity and imagination. It also encourages them to learn something new and to explore what inspires them. You can purchase pre-made kits at most dollar stores or you can challenge your children to take everyday household items to use for their crafting projects. Popular items include toilet paper and paper towel rolls, cardboard recycled from packing boxes, dried beans and pasta, empty water bottles … whatever they can find! -
Suggested Family Activity 🪁 Fly a Kite!
The windy days of March are a great time to fly a kite! To decide if it is windy enough, ask your family some questions: Do you feel anything blowing on you face? Are your clothes moving around? What about any tress or bushes – what are they doing? Are they still or are they moving around? If you do not have a kite at home, you can make your own. The PBS website at https://www.pbs.org/parents/crafts-and-experiments/take-flight-with-a-diy-kite has simple directions for how to make a kite using just string, sticks, and paper. The PBS contributor used newspaper for their kite, but you could use other large pieces of paper instead such as tissue paper, drawing paper or brown packing paper. Don’t forget to have fun decorating your kite by coloring designs on the paper, painting on the newsprint, and tying ribbons or streamers on the ends. -
Suggested Family Activity • Learn with Easter Eggs
Plastic Easter eggs make great learning tools for young children. In addition to using them to identify colors, if your young ones are just learning the letters of the alphabet, print an upper-case letter on one piece of an egg and a lower-case on the other piece. Mix all the pieces up and then help children find the matching pairs. Another fun idea is to put a letter on one piece of an egg and a sticker with a picture of something that starts with that letter on the other piece, such as “B” for bunny. Yet another fun learning idea is to write several letters on one piece of an egg, such as “b”, “c” and “m”. On the other piece of the egg, write other letter sound combinations such as “at”, “an”, etc. Then rotate the pieces of the egg to show children how to make words, such as “bat”, “cat”, “man”, etc., using the letter and sound combinations. -
Suggested Family Activity • Dinosaur Tag
Play a game of dinosaur tag today. Whoever is ‘it’ has must scrunch up their arms insides their shirt to make their arms short like a T-rex and try to tag the others. And bonus points for making T-rex noises as you run around! The variations on this game are endless. Whoever is ‘it’ could pretend to be an elephant and try to catch others with one arm swinging like an elephant’s trunk or ‘it’ could act like a crocodile or an alligator and use their arms to make chopping motions to catch the others. -
Suggested Family Activity 🌨 Snow Globe Craft
Make your own snow globes today by grabbing an empty jar, such as a baby food jar, a mason jar or even an empty peanut butter jar. Fill it with anything sparkly you have - tiny beads, small plastic spangles, or glitter are all great ideas to use. Add water to the jar, tighten the lid securely, and have fun shaking the jar to watch all the glitzy stuff swirl around. You can also glue small toys to the underside of the lid to make a creative scene. If you happen to have some glycerin or clear liquid glue at home, you can add a small bit to the water to slow the movement of the glittery things through the water. -
Suggested Family Activity 🧚♀️ National Fairy Tale Day
Today is National Tell a Fairy Tale Day so celebrate by sharing fairy tales with your family. Tell a familiar story, such as one about Snow White and the Seven Dwarves or Rumpelstiltskin or make up one of your own. Family members can also pick their favorite fairy tale and retell it as if they were the main character. What would they do differently? Would it still take place in the same setting, such as a castle or would they set the story at their own house or apartment? Is it still set in an older time, or is it set now? -
Suggested Family Activity 📃 Create a Move Jar
Create a “move jar” today for your family. Fill it with slips of paper that you have written phrases (or drawings for little ones who cannot read) of movements such as hopping on one foot, walking like an elephant, or doing a mummy walk. Children can take turns picking a slip for the whole family to act out. -
Suggested Family Activity ❄ Snowball Letter Game
To make an indoor snowball letter game for young children: Write out the letters of the alphabet on paper and then tape it to a wall or door in your home. Give your children crumpled up pieces of scrap paper to be ‘snowballs’ that they throw at the letter when you call it out. For an additional twist on this game, tape pictures you have torn out of old magazines of items and have your children throw their ‘snowball’ at the picture that starts with the first letter of the image. This is a fun learning activity that also helps work on their coordination and gets them up and moving around. (Oh, and don’t forget to get their help picking up all the ‘snowballs’ to throw away afterwards!) -
Suggested Family Activity 😊 Random Acts of Kindness Day
National Random Acts of Kindness Day is today so try to do something totally unexpected to be nice to someone today. Maybe you can make a special care package for someone or make them a simple card to say, “Thinking of You.” You could also drop off donations of food and other items to local food banks, homeless shelters, or animal shelters. Random acts of kindness do not require money though. Just saying “Hello” to a stranger or smiling could brighten their day and is a fun and easy way to spread kindness. You could also help someone by offering to babysit so they can run errands or doing some minor housekeeping or yardwork for someone who is not able to do it for themselves. -
Suggested Family Activity ✋ Handprint Card
Valentine’s Day is this month! Turn your child’s handprint into a Valentine card by folding a piece of paper in half and tracing the child’s hand along the fold. Next, cut it out, except for the part that is on the fold line. When you open the hand, it becomes a heart made of two hands! Kids can practice their best handwriting by writing a personalized message on their palms or you can glue the hand to a larger piece of paper to give them more room for extra decorations and Valentine’s wishes. -
Suggested Family Activity 🎳 Indoor Bowling
Play a little indoor bowling today. Challenge your family to come up with creative things around the house to use for the bowling pins and balls. Think lightweight blocks, plastic cups, plastic bowls, stuffed animals, and so on. -
Suggested Family Activity • Send A Card to A Friend Day
Today is National Send a Card to a Friend Day so take some time to pick out a card and send some good cheer through the mail. You can use cards you purchase from a store, or make your own with paper, crayons, markers, and stickers. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, why not make a Valentine themed card? You can use white, pink, or red paper and decorate it with hearts, sweet messages such as “Thinking of You,” and anything else that speaks to your heart. -
Suggested Family Activity ❄ Snowflake Craft
Try these easy ways to make snowflakes today: One way is with white coffee filters – just fold the filter in half a total of four times. Then cut a design on each side of the filter, using either regular or craft scissors. When you unfold it, your snowflake will be revealed. You can also cut snowflakes out of plain white copy paper and then follow the same instructions above. -
Suggested Family Activity 📝 Writing Prompts
Try out these fun writing prompts today: Young children can draw a picture of a snowman ⛄ and then make up a story about it. Did they make the snowman during a Snow Day from school? Does it talk or walk around? Older kids and adults can try out a different prompt: What if you were being followed down the street by a snowman that came to life? Would people believe you? What would happen? -
Suggested Family Activity 📚 Library Sheflie Day!
Today is Library Shelfie Day! What is Library Shelfie Day, you ask? It is a day set aside in January each year to give book lovers and book collectors a chance to share their personal libraries. Whether you collect first editions or equally love and treasure every dog-eared book you have ever owned, we would love to see pictures of your libraries! But if you don’t have many books at home, no problem! Visit one of our NERL branches and take a picture there. Share them with us at photos@nereg.lib.ms.us. -
Suggested Family Activity 🐦Pinecone Bird Feeder
Winter weather is tough on area wildlife, particularly birds. To give them a nice treat during this dreary weather, make a Pinecone Bird Feeder. All you need is a pinecone, peanut butter, and twine, yarn, or string. To begin, tie your string around the top of the pinecone. Next, pour out birdseed in a bowl that is deep enough for the pinecone to fit. Spread peanut butter all over the pinecone and roll it in the birdseed. Tie it outside for the birds to find, hopefully near a window so that you can watch them enjoy their treat! -
Suggested Family Activity ⭐ Stargazing
Stargazing, or looking up at the stars and constellations, is a fun family activity at any time, even during the winter. It is worth the trouble of bundling up in coats, hats, scarves, and mittens to experience the crisp and clear view of the night sky while it is not obstructed by the haziness caused by summer humidity. Plus, because the Earth has rotated, different planets are visible now than during the summer. NASA’s Night Sky Network offers plenty of tips for winter stargazing, including dressing in layers, wearing waterproof boots, and bringing along a hot drink. To view more of their tips, visit https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov. #NerlSFA #NERLibrary #stargazing -
Suggested Family Activity 📦 Get Organized
Start the new year by becoming more organized. Some great places to start include: • Organize your pantry or kitchen shelves to make mealtime preparation go faster. • Have each family member organize their clothes so that getting dressed in the morning and getting ready for bed at night go more smoothly. • Encourage everyone to lay out the things they will need for the following day. Think about things like backpacks, bags, lunches, clothes, shoes, etc. -
Suggested Family Activity ☕ Crafty Cup Of Hot Chocolate
To turn 🍡 popsicle sticks into a crafty cup of ☕ hot chocolate: First, glue about eight craft sticks together into a square shape. You can use the colored variety or color plain popsicle sticks with crayons or markers. Next, cut an oval 🟤 out of brown paper and glue the oval to the top of the square to represent the hot chocolate. Decorate the brown oval with small white circles to mimic marshmallows. Next, cut out a fat ‘C’ shape out of any color paper you have and glue it to the side of the square to be the cup’s handle. Finish off the cup by decorating the front of the cup with stickers or 🖍 draw on designs with crayons or markers. -
Suggested Family Activity 💡🔌 Cut Your Energy Costs
Celebrate National Cut Your Energy Costs Day this month by doing a few simple things around your house to help lower your energy bills. You can get the whole family involved – young children can be taught to do simple things like turning off lights when they leave a room. Even if they cannot reach the light switch, they can give older family members gentle reminders to turn off the lights. Other simple things that you can do to save money on your utility bills: Turn your thermostat down (or up, depending on the season) a few degrees. Run appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines only when they are full. Unplug appliances that are only used occasionally. Take shorter showers. Use old towels or fabric scraps to block drafts around doors and windows. -
Suggested Family Activity • Thinking of You Cards
If you didn’t get around to sending out holiday cards, don’t worry! New Year’s cards are an option for those who have too many holiday activities to get everything they want done. Sending out a quick note to say “Thinking of You” or even a long letter getting your friends and family caught up on what your family has been up to this past year is a great way to spend the first few days of the new year. -
Suggested Family Activity • Seasonal Walk
Many people do not think of walking outside when the weather is colder but if you bundle up, it can be a refreshing experience. If you have young children, prompt them to talk about how differently everything looks when it is a different season. Ask them questions such as, “What looks differently now than in the summer?” or “How does the air feel on your face?” -
Suggested Family Activity 😁 Happiness Jar or Box
Instead of making New Year’s resolutions this year, spend the next few days thinking of all the things that make you happy. Write each one down on a small slip of paper (or type them into a text program, such as Word) and fold each one so that you can’t see the writing. Put them in a jar, box, or other container with a lid to make a Happiness Jar (or Box). Any time you start feeling down or sad in 2024, pick out one of your slips and remember all the reasons you have to be happy. -
Suggested Family Activity • New Year’s Cards
If you didn’t have time to send out Christmas cards, send a New Year’s card. Catch up with friends and family by giving them all the best news from your family. Let your kids make the cards using paper, stickers, crayons, markers – whatever you have on hand. -
Suggested Family Activity • Beaded Candy Canes
Beaded candy canes are easy to make when using white and red pony beads and a pipe cleaner. Both items can be purchased inexpensively at dollar stores. Just slide each bead onto the pipe cleaner, alternating each color as you go. When you have reached the top, it can be bent over into the familiar hook shape. These crafts would make a great decoration in your home, on your tree, or to give out as presents to friends and loved ones. See previous family activities on our website at https://bit.ly/3dC2vpK #NERLibrary #NERLSFA #FamilyActivity -
Suggested Family Activity 🎂 Cake Pans
Do you know our Iuka branch has lots of cake pans you can check out? If you don’t live near Iuka, don’t worry! Any of our other branches can request one for you. They have a Christmas teddy bear, a Christmas tree, and even a Santa face. There’s two sizes of snowmen and several wreaths. To see what other pans are available, search for “cake pans” in our online card catalog. More Suggested Family Activities -
Suggested Family Activity 🎄 Christmas Tree Craft
Here are two ideas for making a Christmas tree craft today: Turn a paper plate into a Christmas tree by cutting it apart into 3 wedges (imagine a watermelon slice). Glue the wedge pieces on top of each other with the fluted part of the plate pointing down and the pointy piece on the top. Then color the tree green and decorate it with stickers, sequins, beads, and other craft supplies. Or use an empty toilet paper roll as a paintbrush! Pour out some green paint on a small paper plate and dip the end of the toilet paper roll into the paint. Then press the end onto a sheet of paper in overlapping circles to make a Christmas tree shape. -
Suggested Family Activity 🔥 Bonfire
Bundle up if it’s cold and have a backyard bonfire tonight (in a safe location, of course, such as a fire pit or old grill). You can roast hot dogs for supper and fix everyone’s favorite s’mores for dessert. Finish off the night with some hot chocolate or hot apple cider while you pull up your lawn chairs and cozy blankets to stargaze and enjoy the beautiful night sky. -
Suggested Family Activity 🏡 Home Safety
As cooler weather arrives in our area, now is a good time to go over home safety rules with your family. In case of a fire or other emergency, where will everyone meet outside? Who grabs your family’s pets? Practice Stop, Drop and Roll with young children and do a fire drill to make sure everyone understands what to do. Help young children memorize their first and last names, address, and an adult’s phone number and teach them how to operate a phone to dial 911.
Suggested Family Activities
Fun and Creative Ideas for Your Family to Do at Home.
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