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Activity Ideas

One of the best parts of parenting is having fun with your kids. Most of the time, it’s easy, but sometimes it’s not.

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Are you looking for quick, easy activity ideas for interacting with kids in your life? Try the activity below.

Contact the Toledo Museum of Art to find out if the staff would be willing to train teenagers to be tour guides. Recommend this idea to a teen who is interested in art, history, or public speaking.

Discuss your faith with a young person. Tell each other about a favorite holiday or holy day from your faith tradition. Visit each other's congregations, and then talk about what's similar and what's different.

Volunteer to be a mentor for a young person. This gives you a chance to have one-on-one time with a child or teenager, allowing you to make a substantial difference in someone's life.

Help a child find ways to learn more about a subject that really interests her or him. For example, you might invite an animal lover to watch a documentary with you about a favorite animal, or join you on a visit to a local veterinarian.

Share stories with a teen about what life was like for you as a young person (dating, school, family relationships, and so on). Talking about these things may show that you have an understanding of what life is like for her or him.

Invite a child or teenager to join you in doing a certain activity each season, such as picking strawberries, planting a garden, finding the biggest pumpkin, or singing holiday carols.

Volunteer to read aloud at a school library or community center to help nurture kids' love of books.

Ask a school or public librarian to create summer reading lists for students, focusing on books that have positive themes and subjects that are popular with youth.

If you volunteer to help lead a youth activity, find one that matches your own talents and interests. If you like baseball, try coaching a team; if you enjoy bird-watching, volunteer to lead a group at a nearby camp.

As a way to spend time together, invite a young friend to till, plant, and tend a garden patch with you, or create a container garden with potted plants. This can be a creative way to teach responsibility and a new skill.Ask a teen for help with a project you're working on.

What may be a burden to you could end up being an opportunity for a teen to gain school credit, boost self-esteem, or even escape from afterschool boredom.Take advantage of family and child discounts at the Toledo Zoo.

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