An adventure at any age can be exciting, but involving family is a great way to stay creative, curious, and connected. Any adventure can spark the imagination whether it’s indoors, outdoors, based on a story, or completely made up. Let your child’s creative side fly when you coordinate a family adventure.
In 1992, a group of researchers carried out a study in a daycare center to determine how the kids would behave if all the toys were taken away. In the 1992 study, when the kids no longer had toys or games to keep themselves entertained, they started thinking about what they could do to fill their time. They eventually discovered that nature walks provided them with branches which they could use to create things, and that role playing was actually a very interesting activity.
Reduce The Tablet Use
Plan some time for the family to play together at home. Whether you’re playing together with toys, or building a blanket fort together, or even using tree branches or chalk outside, letting your child take the reins and build an imaginative story themselves can really help them grow. Parents can guide children by setting up some story to act out or a game that the child can build on that simply starts with naming a baby doll or a stuffed animal.
Let Boredom Win
Like the 1992 study determined, boredom can be helpful in keeping a child’s imagination active. Your child can plan ahead for boredom when they build a boredom jar. Ask your child to write some of their favorite activities or some story prompts they can act out later on some slips of paper they can fill a jar with. Then on a day when they are home and looking for something fun to do, they can simply pluck an idea from their jar to start a fun adventure.
Encourage Reading For Fun
Reading really takes the mind for an adventure on its own, but reading with a child can help parent and child alike keep their imagination active any time of day. There are different types of books written for anyone, on any subject, so parents can even set certain books for bedtime and certain books for adventure time.
Outdoor Adventure Time
Arguably the most important way to keep children creative, curious, and connected is for parents to create opportunities for children to explore. Taking children on hiking trails can teach them patience, persistence, and goal setting but for different ages, hiking trails can mean so many different things. Younger children can learn about plants, insects, and animals on hiking trails, but older children find more entertainment in competing for endurance and stamina. Challenging children on hiking trails with scavenger hunts, sight-seeing bingo, or different activities or games can keep the outdoors fun for any age.
A Day In The Life Of An Adult
Some other adventures a parent can incorporate a child in can include planning a vacation, fixing a car, or going to the grocery store. Family adventuring doesn’t have to be entirely outside of a family’s busy schedule, so make sure you ask your child some fun questions while they help with a mundane task, to let their imagination stay active. Maybe their fun twist on your activity will help you stay on track the next time you’re doing what you normally do.
A family adventure really can be a fun, creative way for children to stay curious and connected. Whether you’re building a blanket fort, taking an airplane somewhere new, or hiking a trail to get a breath of fresh air, adventuring is rewarding for all.
Let us know what adventures your family has planned for this spring!
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