Top Tips for Fun Games for Kids: Find Fun Activities and Educational Things to Do

The most intelligent animals, all primates and humans, too, learn by playing - so fun games for kids are really the most natural kind of fun learning activity you can get your kid involved in.

And you know what?

Fun activities for kids can be lots of fun for grownups, too. If we allow ourselves to get properly involved and can find the space and time required, that is :-)

All that being said though, children do tend to be better at - and more interested in - learning things by the pure and raw means of fun and play.

Adults are often content to just pick up a book or observe hands off, while most children become bored very quickly with that kind of apparently not-so-stimulating activity. Most children need more direct and concrete feedback stimulation of their senses.

Generally speaking, children need a lot of sensory and auditory stimulation such as bright colors, fun sounds and physical tests ... include these aspects in the games and all this will help them learn faster - from the most basic of physical skills to more advanced cognitive thinking.

What You'll Get on This Page

You can view this page as the BIG resource central for fun games for kids.

Here you will be introduced to the many different types of fun activities for kids. The list here of fun things to do with kids is by no means exhaustive so take it a source of inspiration.

Some of the great activities for kids are physical and help to strengthen hand eye coordination while others prompt deep thinking and entice children to think their way through the objective.

So playing games can serve to flex their muscles, whether it be their arms and legs or their brain. :-)

Under each section on this page, you will find one or more links that will take you to a specific activities page containing lots of games concerning a certain topic e.g. math games for kids, science experiments for kids, arts and crafts for kids, making healthy snacks for kids and much, much more.

Games are just an excellent way to educate children in different areas and help to improve their knowledge and skills.

Your children's brains are soaking up the knowledge, and above all, children want fun. So when you combine fun with learning, you have a winner with them. They will probably bug you to keep playing and 'doing the fun things to do for kids' with them.

You will be able to spend quality time with them, while teaching them.

And - who knows - you might have fun with these fun games for kids, too.

(If you have a toddler, you might like these pages on Fun Toddler Games and Fun Activities for Toddlers

Fun with Foods - Making Healthy Snacks for Kids

Engaging the children to help create fun snacks is not only a great way to spend time with your child, it can also be a fascinating learning experience.

General Parenting Tips for Cooking:

To sow a seed of food and cooking interest in your child, it can be a good idea to take your time to:

• Discuss the tastes of ingredients and how they 'work' together when combined.
  
  
• Teach your child what everything is called and perhaps also where they are grown / come from.
  
  
• Tell you kid which vegetables are 'related' to each other (are in the same vegetable family) e.g. potato and beetroot are root vegetables.

Tip: I always have the internet going on my laptop nearby so I can quickly look up information.

My son can be very specific in his questions: like, 'What does a broccoli plant look like and how big does it get?'

Here, the internet will quickly come to my rescue :-)

So you see, eating and preparing healthy foods can also be a game and does not have to be boring at all!

General Ideas for Creating Healthy Snacks for Children

There are many ways to make nutrition into fun games for kids. Here are a few tips:

Do things like lay out a bunch of nutritious ingredients to inspire your kid to come up with new snack ideas

On the table you can lay out nuts, various seeds, cream cheese, vegetables, fruit, crispbread etc. You know, light and healthy things!

This will encourage them to create fun new recipes, made with healthy ingredients. Finding fun things to do with kids through the creation of snack foods are so easy.

And often you will find that they will combine things that just make you think, 'Yuk!' But try to stay open-minded. What you may think is disgusting may just be absolutely delicious for your child

For instance one of my son's favorite snacks at the moment is whole grain crispbread with liver pâté with a bit of honey on the top.

Yes, somewhat disgusting to me, too, but he loves it. And really I'm just a coward for not even wanting to try! :-)

You can focus one day on fruits and nuts and another on vegetables

This might be a particularly good idea if your child has a tendency to become allergic to food.

For instance, my son will not get the same kind of nuts for two days in a row and he will only get to eat one type of fruit at a time. If he wants more fruit, he will get another kind as fruit number two.

Keep an assortment of foods on hand for the creation of easy recipes for kids

Having a great variety of foods in the kitchen allows the children to create a snack masterpiece whenever the mood and hunger strikes.

This helps to free up time for you too, if you have the ingredients to allow the children to "cook" up some snacks.

Arts and Crafts for Kids

What kid does not like working with their hands, in creating new and interesting things?

Fun games can also involve doing crafts. Here you help to teach your kids hand eye coordination and manual dexterity. They learn about colors, shapes, and even textures.

You can encourage their creativity by encouraging them to create something out of "raw" materials.

How to Set the Creative Spirit Free

Having enough craft materials on hand will help start the creative process. Doing crafts for fun games for kids does not need to be very hard.

If you place before the children craft materials such as construction paper, empty containers (like small cardboard boxes, milk and egg cartons, crayons, markers, washable paints, craft jewels, sequins, yarn, pipe cleaners, glitter, fabrics (think quilting squares) and so forth, and tell them: create.

If they are a little bit confused as to what to do, sit down with them and begin building something out of the craft materials yourself.

This will most likely inspire your child to do the same :-)

Even smaller children can create crafts if they are easy enough.

As an example, small children can use glue sticks, give them a box, and have them create a keepsake with construction paper and craft jewels. It is easy, not messy and they will have a blast.

Make a Seasonal or Monthly Arts and Crafts Day

Doing arts and crafts is something that is so easy to do especially if it surrounds a holiday.

New Years, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas are among the most popular holidays and a great time for doing creative fun activities for kids.

You can introduce seasonal crafts days that surround winter, spring, summer and fall.

Or on the other hand, monthly crafts days, because each month has special days and celebrations.

So many topics and themes work well as a craft project.

Just put on your thinking cap, sit down with your children, and start creating.

Activity and Game Maps (Rather Than Chore Charts for Kids)

Did we just say chores and fun in the same headline?

Surely not!

But yes, chores can be fun, if you make doing them a game.

So perhaps rather than calling it a chore chart, you can call it an activity and game map.

To me that has a much more positive ring to it. Probably for your child, and for you too! :-)

Many people use different kinds of reward systems for their chore charts for kids. However, I not a big fan of the principle of using rewards.

Why?

Because I don't want to teach my child that it is only meaningful to do something because there is a reward in the end, a carrot at the end of the stick. (I'm not going to go into an in-depth discussion about rewards and praise here, but if you're interested in reading about the principle of positive, conscious parenting, you might like these articles on Unconditional Parenting or Positive Parenting.)

Therefore, rather than letting the reward be the fun aspect of the chore, let chore itself be the reward.

Let the chore be the fun in itself!

Here is a way to convert chore charts for kids into a fun games for kids chart:

• Make a list of all the chores that need to be done in the house e.g. laundry, washing up, taking out the garbage, washing the floor, tidying up room etc. I'm sure you can make the list go on and on :-)
  
  
• Now, take another piece of paper and make a long general list of playful ways and means to spice up chores and make them more fun e.g. you write with music, with throwing, with running, with dancing, with categorization, with riddles, with singing etc. The more you note, the merrier.
  
  
• Hang up both lists next to each other e.g. on the fridge.
  
  
• And now for the fun part: with your child, you combine things. E.g. you combine 'Putting away laundry' with 'Throwing'.
  
  Together with your child you discuss how to solve this combination in reality e.g. it could be rolling up the socks into small balls and have your child throw them in the drawer.

The co-operation aspect here is really important as the discussing of potential solutions will give your child sense of responsibly and boost his self esteem (installing the belief in your child, 'I have a say and what I say is important') and thus a bigger, more real-felt incentive to carry out the chores.

Yes, the chores might take longer!

Yes, you will spend time on the solution aspect!

But also, Yes, you will both have fun with the chores!

Also here is an extra bonus:
This type of chore chart for kids will not only be fun, it will stimulate your children's imagination and solution skills by teaching your children to be creative in their actions and to make the best of them.

Fun Math Games for Kids

Any activity that involves counting can be converted into fun and cool math games for kids.

Here is list of different playful ways to approach teaching your children about maths:

• Board games: Many board games involve numbers, such as Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land, Dominos, Scrabble, Yahtzee, to name a few.
  
  
• Math websites: There are in fact several good math websites around that mathematicians developed. There are websites that cater specifically to multiplication games, some teaching through times table games and basketball games.
  
  Children who can relate to basketball, many love to play and what better way to teach multiplication than through a game involving a sport they enjoy.
  
  Some of these also offer good advice on math games.
  
  
• Jigsaw puzzle: Doing a jigsaw puzzle helps with math, and we have not met a kid that did not get a kick out of a cool puzzle. They come in different skill levels, from easy enough for a toddler to those multi-thousands of pieces that give a healthy dose of concentration.
  
  
  
• Times tables: Fun games can involve also multiplication math games, which are great for older children.
  
  Learning the "times tables" is one of the rites of passage for children in school. By around age eight children need to learn to multiply through their "12's".
  
  There are several ways to teach your kid the times table e.g.:
  
  Through song: Select a tune your kid knows and sing though the rows of the time tabel.
  
  Count with concrete objects: Go out and find lots of pretty stones or shells (if you live by the beach) and use these to visually show your kid the logic of the times table.

Playing games to learn math skills can really be fun things to do for kids.

Easy Science Projects for Kids

What better way to find fun things to do for kids than through learning academics.

Science is one field of study that does not have to be a boring school class. There are so many science experiments for kids that will be teaching them valuable lessons.

Science experiments do not always need a laboratory to perform them. Some can be as simple as taking a dried bean and planting it in some dirt to teach about the biological process of germination.

Here are three examples of easy science projects for kids that you can do at home and which don't require any fancy equipment:

The Good Old Enemies - Oil and Water: Easy Science Experiments for Kids

• Take a glass of water or even better a see-through bowl.
  
  
• Pour in a little bit of oil, stir it hard and watch what happens.

What happens?: Well if you stir hard enough they may mix a bit initially but if you stop, the water and oil will separate again!

Water and oil just don't seem to get along for very long and won't really mix.

Why?: The technical reason is due to the way they are put together on an anatomical level. Water is a polar molecule and oil is a non polar molecule.

One a molecular level they don't attract each other - so here opposites don't attract ;-)

The Secret Message - Lemon on Paper: Fun Science Projects for Kids

• Buy a lemon and squeeze it (you can also use vinegar for this experiment)
  Sit your kid down with a piece of paper, a cotton ear stud and the freshly squeezed lemon juice.
  
  
• Have you kid write a message or make a drawing by dipping the cotton ear stud in the lemon juice. (if you add a little bit of water to the lemon liquid, the drawing will be very hard to see once it is dried).
  
  
• Once the writing or drawing has dried, hold the paper close to a heating source such as a light bulb.

What happens?: The drawing or writing will magically appear on the paper.

Why?: When the lemon juice is heated it oxidizes and turns brown. Lemon contains a high amount of carbon compounds which quickly oxidize when air is added. And when you also add heat, this process happens even faster.

In high tech terms oxidization means that a particle loses one or more electrons.

Warm Colors - Heating Water with the Sun and Colors: Fun Science Experiments for Kids

• Take two glasses of water - it is important that there is an equal amount of water in each glass.
  
  
• Find two pieces of paper: a black and a white (cardboard paper or even cloth will also do).
  
  
• Wrap the white paper around the one glass and the black around the other. You can use a sticky tape or a rubber band to fasten the paper around the glass.
  
  
• Put the glasses outside in the sunshine for a couple of hours.
  
  
  
• Take a thermometer and measure the temperature of the water in the two glasses

What happens?: The water in the 'black' glass should have a higher temperature than the water in the 'white' glass.

Why?: Different colors absorb different amounts of light. The darker the color the more light is absorbed. The lighter the color, the more the light is reflected back and less light is absorbed.

Light turns to heat because the particles on the paper will vibrate. The darker the paper, the more particles will vibrate and the more heat will be produced. :-)

Other Ways to Approach Science Projects for Kids

Using Science Websites

It is easy to use science projects as fun activities for kids. Several science teachers have taken their time and knowledge to share what they know on science websites for kids.

Many science teachers even use these websites when coming up with science fair projects for kids as a part of their lessons.

Science Fairs

Science fairs are a fun way to learn about science, and you can do these scientific games for kids at home with your children. Many of these projects are super easy and uses items you have around the house to perform the experiment.

Children get a kick out of learning science by doing these hands on projects.

Teaching Animal Facts for Kids

Teaching animal facts for kids are fun. You can go to visit a veterinarian and asking them to share with the children what it is they do.

Be sure to call ahead of time. On the other hand, take the children to a zoo and teach them about the different animals.

Many times, zoo workers are happy to explain about the animals. They can tell about the animals' habitats and can explain how the animals interact in the wild.

The zoo is a great place to see animals live and up close. Have they ever heard a lion roar? Have they stood next to a giraffe? There are many fun things to do for kids at a zoo.

Magic Tricks for Kids

Children are enthralled with magic tricks. They will sit and watch a magician for hours, wondering how they do the tricks.

It is the mystery of the unknown, it is the mind trying to understand 'how in the world'. Children just thrive on this sort of thing.

Perhaps you can help give the kids some skills that can entertain others at parties and gatherings.

Teach them how to do magic tricks. Help them learn to captivate and spellbind the audience. They can challenge themselves to learning greater tricks that will leave their audiences wondering how they did it.

In addition, they can start with simple easy to learn magic tricks.

Here are two great videos that will show your child how to do some really awesome magic tricks for kids:

The Disappearing Coin

Finding the Right Rattling Matchstick Box

Teaching magic tricks helps them to learn how to perform in front of an audience.

Have them practice in front of a mirror, teach them about stage appearance. Teach them how the expression on their face helps to be convincing with their magic tricks.

Magicians are always hits at parties and family gatherings!

Fun Toddler Games

Even our little ones enjoy some hands on time with fun games for kids.

Their little brains are like sponges; they learn and absorb skills very fast at this age. Playing toddler games helps them to focus on very basic skills, learning to count, learning to take turns, teaching shapes, colors, and even the alphabet.

Walk down the game aisle at your favorite discount store. You will see many age appropriate games for toddlers. Take children outside and play games keeping them active. They enjoy running, and throwing balls. Who knows, you may discover you have a little prodigy on your hands!

It does not take a lot of time to do fun games for toddlers. Their attention span is very short, so when planning activities, make sure they are not long and involved. They do well with simple and short activities.

Vary the activities to be physical, where they can be physically active (because we all know how much energy a toddler has), and have them sit down for short spurts of time (to color or cut or draw). Toddlers do well with bright, fun, music, things that capture their attention. Keep this in mind when planning activities for them.

Make a Family Tree

Fun games for toddlers can be learning about their family history and heritage.

It can be fun to take blank family trees and help them to fill the leaves with their siblings, parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins.

Let them help to make family tree charts. You can draw a tree, or print off a family tree template. You can find a printable blank family tree online.

This project works well with small children and older children alike. Even adults enjoy creating family trees.

Make it even better by having photos of the family members you can paste to the leaves. A good visual will help small children to learn who their family members are.

If you want more creative family tree templates than this page offers, I can really commend this website - where you'll find lots of free, original, artistic blank family tree charts.

A Printable Blank Family Tree: The Apple Tree

Feel free to print out the below family tree template along with the apples and flowers.

Cut out the apples and flowers, glue on a portrait and glue the apple portraits on the apple tree and the flower portraits on the flower plant.

A Printable Blank Family Tree: The Big Old Oak

Here is another free printable family tree chart along with leaves. Feel free to print them out.

Cut out the leaves and glue the family photos on to them and glue the leaves back on to the tree.

Fun Activities for Kids
- Reading and Making Poems for Kids

Even the smallest of babies will love it if you recite a cute poem to them.

Take out the Mother Goose Book and read the pages. These are all poems. However, do be aware that many of the old nursery rhymes and folktales are soaked with old style morale which can be quite violent and cruel. So choose your rhymes with care :-)

Here is another one old Mother Goose nursing rhyme that is quite fun and completely harmless:

Hey diddle diddle,
The Cat and the fiddle,
The Cow jumped over the moon,
The little Dog laughed to see such sport,
And the Dish ran away with the Spoon.

Dr. Seuss was a genius in telling a story through poetry. Children really enjoy listening to the singsong rhyming of the lines.

Help Your Kids Write Their Own Poems

If your kids are old enough, encourage them to write poems. Help them to develop an appreciation for this side of literary entertainment.

Teach them how songs are poems put to music. See how you can inspire them to put pen to paper and see what they come up with on their own.

Even small children who are too young to write can be poets. Encourage your little one to think up a poem.

You can write it down for them. Let them watch you write it as they say it; they will get a kick out of this. You could then have the child decorate the poem so you could frame it.

These kinds of ideas turn writing poetry into fun games, even if they are too small to read and write.

A child is never too young to learn the appreciation of poetry and prose. You will instill a love for reading and writing in them.

Finding Fun Things to Do with Kids

Finding fun games for kids requires you to think and act as a child. See if you can pull back your memories and try to remember how you felt at your child's age.

What sort of things interested you? What kind of fun games did you like?

Get on their level mentally, think up activities that you know will entice them, and entertain them.

If you are drawing a blank, ask them for suggestions. See if you can invoke some imagination and creation from them.

You will be so happy you spent this time with your child and they will appreciate you for taking the time to play with them

Your Positive Parenting Ally,
Birgitte

Parent Coaching

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Being a parent can feel like a double-edged sword. Life with kids may feel like the greatest gift you have ever received, while at the same being hugely challenging, often leaving you confused, stressed and overwhelmed.

When we feel like this, we've lost touch with ourselves. We can't hear our own inner voice, and it's difficult to know what is 'right' for us and how to act.

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Where Would You Like to Go Next?

14 Fun Activities for Kids: Stimulating and Creative Indoor Games and Physical, Active Outdoor Games.	18 Fun Kids Activities: - A True Well of Things to Do with Kids for Every Occasion.
15 Hilarious Party Games for Kids Ideas for Planning Active Birthdays.	9 Fun and Easy Magic Tricks for Kids: Simple Step-by-Step Instructions for Kids Magic Tricks.
Fun Animal Games for Kids That Stimulate Both Brain and Body.	5 Creative Ways to Teach Exercises for Kids.

Wonderful Arts and Crafts for Kids

Fun and Easy Arts and Crafts for Kids that Make Memories for a Lifetime.	Easy Play Doh Recipe for Making Colorful, Non-Toxic Homemade Play Doh.
Fantastic Drawing for Kids Kandinsky Style Made Easy.

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