Have More Fun With Your Kids
Your kids are your joy. They’re also the most annoying thing in your life. Being a parent is one of your biggest life adventures, and it’s important to find ways to treasure the little things. You might feel like you have very little time day-to-day, but it’s important to have fun with your kids.
You might have one kid. You might have six. If they’re close in ages, activities become easier. If there’s a big age gap, you might need to plan separate activities. Don’t neglect your teens in favor of your toddlers or vice versa. Hang out with all your kids, and find ways to have fun.
How to Have More Fun With Your Kids
If you invest in that family bond, having regular fun experiences is the way to go. Studies show that a lot of adults recall family vacations as their most treasured childhood memory. Doing special, exciting things with your kids can create memories that last a lifetime.
If you want to equip them for the real world, then give good lessons, use tough love when you need to, and have more fun. A better future for your kids could await at the end of these activities.
Ages 0-1
There’s not a lot of fun to have with your kids yet at this age, in terms of things you’d enjoy on your own. When they’re not talking, not walking, and not saying hilarious things, the most you can do is change their diapers and watch them make funny faces.
While you might not read board books by yourself, or play patty cake by yourself, or laugh for half an hour about seeing a dog at the park, you can enjoy these things with your kids. The more you interact with them, the better their development.
Ages 2-5
Once your baby starts talking, walking, and running everywhere they’re not supposed to run, you can do more activities with them. Now it becomes fun to go trick-or-treating, go to the zoo, and go to the park when it’s warm.
While most of these activities may still be more fun for your kid than for you, you can have a legitimately good time at the zoo, resting on a park bench, and watching kids go trick-or-treating.
This is a great age to get into the habit of doing special things with your kids. It’s more than babysitting; it’s having adventures together.
Ages 6-8 
At this age, kids start to become their own people, and you’ll love every minute of it. Children start to have opinions and dreams, and their personalities really start to take shape.
It’s exciting to see your kid form into a human being, instead of a really short caveman.
At this age, you can plan special events, like clue hunts, rock climbing days, or even nighttime mini golf. Once your kids start exhibiting independence, the more mutual fun times can become.
Ages 9-12
Even if you don’t think you’re particularly wise, you can make a big difference in your kids’ teenage years by hanging out with them during their pre-teen years. They’re growing fast, learning a lot about the world, and they don’t have hormones dumped into their system yet, so you can lay a good foundation while they’re still rational.
This is the perfect age to go on family vacations: a hotel in India, camping in the Badlands, experiencing accommodations in Hervey Bay, and more.
Also, traveling out of town to find new foods would be a great idea! We have delicious and addictive food suggestions for Milwaukee visitors, so here’s where to go for the best food in Milwaukee.
Ages 13-15
At this age, your kids may start to shift away from you. That’s normal, and you shouldn’t discourage their independence too much. Instead of nagging them, find fun ways for them to still interact with their family, as they figure their own life out.
A fantasy football draft board could keep everyone together over a mutual interest, or the occasional movie night could get everyone talking over the latest release. Your kids might not want to dye eggs anymore, but they won’t say no to free movie tickets.
Ages 16-18
By now, your kids are (hopefully) maturing. They’re getting ready for college and might have a significant other.
Since they’re still under your roof, you might feel like it’s your job to do their laundry and tell them what to do, but the truth is, they’re almost independent. Start letting them learn lessons the hard way, within reason.
When it comes to having fun with them, choose something they love as a way to show you care about their interests. Find cheap tickets for sporting events, concerts, and theater shows and start to bond together over one of their passions.
Ages 19+
Once your kids head out for college, they’re in a huge transition period. For the most part, you should let them do their own thing, as they discover a new world apart from their family.
After your kid’s graduate, they’re technically adults, and you’ll need to transition into a new relationship with them. That doesn’t mean the opportunities for fun are over, however. Now that you’re both adults, you can have deeper conversations and enjoy activities together, like shopping, making cheesecake, or fishing.
Wrap-Up
Your kids won’t stay little forever. There are days that thought saddens you, and days that it relieves you. No matter their age, your kids can have fun with you. Your kids can enjoy your company and attention at any stage in their life, as long as you give them permission to be themselves.
Whether they’re babies or teenagers, find ways this week to start spending time with your kids. From nighttime mini-golf to cheesecake bakes, you can find something that means the world to both of you.
