Our family is trying to implement a rotating system of one-on-one dates with each kid. We picked Thursday evenings, and we typically have ~1 hour to spend on any particular activity. Each week, we draw a date idea out of a jar. It eliminates the decision making.

Our kids certainly look forward to their turn each month and love to have special time with one parent. Here are some of our cheap or free date ideas that we’ve loved doing with our kids:

1. Color a picture together
2. Play a board game
3. Go to a park
4. Play with a ball (soccer, catch, bocce, croquet, volleyball, etc.)
5. Go on a bike ride
6. Take a walk/hike
7. Create art with nature (rocks and sticks)
8. Go out for ice cream
9. Check out your local library together. Choose a book for each other.
10. Teach each other something, or work on a project together.
11. Dance to your favorite music
12. Play a video game
13. Do each other’s hair/paint nails/spa day
14. Build a LEGO set together (affiliate link)
15. Read stories
16. Bake cookies
17. Put on a fashion show (with commentary)
18. Browse a toy store with no intention of buying anything
19. Look at the animals at a pet store
20. Grab a donut and chat about life

What are your favorite ways to get to know your kids one-on-one?

Happy Dating!

Kristen

The post 20 Cheap or Free Dates to do with Kids first appeared on Just A Mommy Minute.

The post 20 Cheap or Free Dates to do with Kids appeared first on Just A Mommy Minute.

We had an 8 hour car ride with 5 kids. My kids are decent travelers, but I wanted to do something extra fun for the long day of driving. Here is one of my favorite car trip hacks!

The kids had a present to open on each hour of the drive. It made the time go by so fast, and the kids were happy and anxious to see what would come next.

Car Presents Info

We didn’t get in the car until 8:00, so they got to open the first present right away. It was the Barbie: Puppy Chase movie. I had expected them to be pretty tired from waking up earlier than normal, so this would be a low-key way to start the drive.

Next, at 9:00 we had a little container of treats for everyone. Every car trip needs a good treat!

At 10:00, they each got a toy/activity to work on. By now the movie was over, so I wanted something to keep their hands busy. These Dry Erase Workbooks are a favorite.

At 11:00, they got books. I specifically chose books that my kids had shown interest in, and should last them a while.

Noon, we stopped to get some lunch, so I didn’t do a present in this hour. We don’t eat out very often, so it was like a special treat.

After lunch, at 1:00 I gave them new notebooks to decorate with stickers, and then we did a few drawing prompts. Lots of fun!

And finally, I knew the baby would be getting tired and everyone else would be getting antsy by now, so we had a 2:00 movie of Finding Nemo, which we haven’t watched in a long time. When the movie was over, we had about 20 minutes to our destination. It was amazing!

I hope this car trip hack comes in handy for you! What other things do you do to keep young kids happy on long car rides?

Happy Travels!

Kristen

The post Road Trip Hack With Kids first appeared on Just A Mommy Minute.

The post Road Trip Hack With Kids appeared first on Just A Mommy Minute.