Free activities for the kids

Just a couple of free activities we've done with our kids that they get really excited about:

1. Visit a fish monger- they love watching lobsters/crabs/fish

2. Visit a pet store. Get to know some pet animals without needing to take care of them yourselves!

3. Stand and watch at a bakery- our son loves watching people decorate cakes and he even gets a cookie sometimes for free!

4. Go on nature walks- look for puddles to jump in, find twigs and branches, look for wildlife like squirrels and birds.

5. Go watch the trains.

6. Go to a construction site and watch the big machinery.

7. Going to a playground- this is pretty self-explanatory.

8. Go to the library and play with other kids or read books.

9. Go to a bulk food store and name as many items as you can. You can actually do this at any store.

10. Play in the snow- yeah...we still have snow around to play with...

11. Go to the airport- they love watching planes fly by.

12. If you've got water closeby, go watch boats and see how many different ones you can name!

13. Putz around in the yard and do some yard cleaning and get them to help you!

14. Garden- they are so interested in watching things grow...and sticking your hands in to soil is irresistable for toddlers.

15. Go to a florist and watch people arrange flowers.

16. Bake at home- pizza, cakes, cookies....they love getting themselves dirty and they love eating their own creations afterwards!

17. Park at a bus depot and watch busses roll by- ask where they are going, who they are picking up...and look for other large vehicles on the road- snow plows, trucks, emergency vehicles.

All these activities are opportunity for conversation and for them to observe life in their communities, how and why things work. We find that it solidifies a lot of what our toddler reads about in books and watches on TV.