Lifebeat
New Year’s: Ideas for enjoying a ‘day off’ with the kids
12/30/2008 01:00 AM EST
If you’re staying at home, how about…
A pajama day
Be totally lazy, says Melissa Stanton, a mother of three and author of the The Stay-at-Home Survival Guide. Don’t even get dressed. Cook together, watch movies, play board games. “I find that if we have a day when we don’t leave the house we don’t spend money that day,” she says.
Play dates
Let your kids invite their friends over for the day or to sleep over, says Stanton. “It is a hard day for mom, but at least we’re in the house and everyone is occupied,” she says. “Hopefully another parent will reciprocate and take my one, two or three kids.”
An obstacle course
Build one inside or set-up a scavenger hunt using furniture and household objects, says baseball star Evan Longoria, spokesman for the Sportys Baseball DVD, which teaches children about baseball.
A game day
Set up several board games, such as Monopoly, Risk, Battleship, and rotate every 10 minutes from game to game, says Jen Singer, creator of MommaSaid.net.
Some exercise
Take family walks, jogs or races around the neighborhood every morning or afternoon, says Longoria. Leave the car at home and, if possible, walk to the mall or movie theater instead — or ride bikes, he says.
Play outside
Have the kids organize a soccer or football game outside. If there’s snow, build a snowman and get creative, says Longoria. If there isn’t, let your kids sell hot chocolate like a lemonade stand — with your supervision, said Singer.
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