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Table of Contents
12 Unique Ways to Give Your
Child Amazing Memories
Overview
-
Picnic in The Car, Van or SUV
-
Make Their Favorite Stuffed Animal Talk
-
Write Letters From Their Hero’s
-
Set Aside Their Special Time
-
Customize Your License Plate
-
Be the Cool Mom or Dad
-
Play Games When You’re Driving
-
Voice Record Your Child
-
Step to Step
-
Take Them for a Walk in the Woods
-
Teach Them to Skip Stones
-
Camp Out in Your Backyard or Deck
Conclusion
Overview
12 Unique Ways to Give Your
Child Amazing Memories
Everyone wants their children to have an amazing life. The memories created when they are young will stay with them throughout their lifetime and you want those memories to be fun, warm and loving.
None of the activities involve any type of electronic equipment and have little or no cost.
They are fun, unique, entertaining and will give your children positive experiences they can look back on with pride (fondness) and hopefully recreate with their own children one day.
This eBook is sponsored by ImSoProudOf.com. Please visit our sponsor because the I’m So Proud Of® book is another great way to help your child build confidence and self esteem that leads to success and contentment in life.
It includes short, child friendly stories that teach them about important topics such as bullying, respect, school, friendship and many others.
In addition it allows you to write notes to your child when they do something that makes you proud.
These notes will provide a keepsake your child can look back on with pride to see how amazing they were and are.
1
Picnic in The Car, Van or SUV
This is something you can do as a family or one on one with a child.
Go to a take-out restaurant to get food. Then drive someplace where it’s safe to park and eat your food.
We would go to the top of a parking garage to see the sights or an empty parking lot or park.
We would open all the doors on the van and let our son (and his friends when they were with us) run around, play tag and just be kids after they ate.
This might not sound like much but you’ll be amazed at how your children will love doing this.
It makes a dinner out fun and different because instead of sitting in a restaurant or at home, you are giving them a unique place to explore and see new things.
After they ate we would have a Scavenger Hunt. We would give them a list of things to find and they would search for them.
For example if we were at a park, we would have them find things like a round rock, a stick of a certain size, a cool leaf, a piece of grass etc.
Whoever won would get to choose the dessert for everyone or get a bigger dessert.
Children love searching for things and this allows you to have a positive interaction with them while helping them to think outside the box.
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2
Make Their Favorite Stuffed Animal Talk
When my son was little he won a stuffed green dog in a claw game and he called him “Bark”. Bark went everywhere with him so one night when we were playing I took Bark and gave him a voice and started talking to my son.
The voice was a squeaky voice with a fun laugh and he loved it. He would have conversations with Bark that he did not have with us and opened up about all kinds of things.
He would tell Bark about his day, his fears, his triumphs, you name it and Bark would hear about it which meant Dad and Mom would hear about it.
Bark was always positive and gave my son a lot of love and kisses while talking to him.
The voices spread from Bark to other stuffed animals he had. They all had unique voices and would play with each other and talk among themselves.
This takes a little practice but I assure you it is well worth it because as I said, your child will tell things to their stuffed animals they might not say to you directly.
As an example, we were at a restaurant coming back from the beach and there were all kinds of sea creature pictures on the wall. We had left Bark in the car but when our son saw all these creatures he wanted to tell someone other than his Mom or I.
My wife went out to the car and got Bark and our son proceeded to tell Bark all about the creatures. Bark (really Dad) talked about the animals on the wall throughout the meal.
The imaginary game will give you insights into the thoughts and feelings of your child.
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3
Write Letters From Their Heroes
This was one of my son’s all time favorites and he still has all the letters written to him from his heroes. Here’s how this works.
My son was into Indiana Jones, Ben 10 and Spiderman. Who are your child’s heroes? When he needed a little pick me up, I would write a letter to him but sign it from one of his heroes.
We bought a little metal mailbox that we kept on the front porch. This was a very small mailbox so it could never be mistaken for a real mailbox and we wrote his name on it and I would put the letter in his private mailbox.
One of the first things he did when he got home was to check his mailbox and if it held a letter the excitement on his face was priceless.
Sure he got a lot of support from Mom and Dad but getting his own personal letter in the mail from one of his heroes was amazing to him.
The fact that it comes from someone they look up to other than immediate family means a lot.
This is also a great way to help your child learn to read.
Just remember when you write the letter to write it based on a topic of importance at the time.
If your child loses a race, then write a letter from one of their heroes and use it to help them understand about losing. If they are struggling with school, write a letter about perseverance. If they lose a pet, write about grief.
Letters don’t need to come only from bad situations. If your child gets a good report card or wins a race, write a hero letter congratulating them on how well they did and to keep up the great work.
The letters don’t need to be long and you can write them as often as you want but I recommend at least one a week.
Give it a try. You’ll be pleased at the positive response from your child.
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4
Set Aside Their Special Time
This can also be done one-on-one or with multiple children, you can even include your children’s friends.
We did this a variety of ways. When my son was little, every Thursday was “Dave Day”. We would go hiking, play at the house, go to Chuck E. Cheese, Pizza Hut, McDonalds (when they still had their play land), go to a museum, take the subway and pretend we were going on a long journey and much more.
Dave decided what we were going to do and he planned things out so he was involved.
Now obviously if he wanted to fly overseas or do something outrageous, I would have to intervene but we always had a great time.
My wife would join us when she was available and many times we took his friends with us on our adventures.
You don’t always have to go someplace because there are many things you can do right in your house.
All you need is a little imagination and children are great at creating things based on imagination.
The main thing to remember is to get your child involved and always choose your child. Put your phone, computer, or tablet down and just spend time with them.
Also you’ll want to be consistent. Don’t do this once and forget about it. Make it a special day or time every week.
You’ll both look forward to your time together and time spent with your child is never wasted time.
Please visit our sponsor ImSoProudOf.com
5
Customize Your License Plate
Okay this is something that will have a cost and is only valid if your state allows custom plates.
Go to your states DMV site and choose a custom plate. You’ll need to get creative but you can get your child’s name or nickname or the name of their favorite stuffed animal - anything that matters to them.
For example, my son and I were the D and D Team so one year I got a plate that said DDTEAM. He got a kick out of it and loved showing his friends his special plate.
I change my plates every year as it only costs about $40 a year and we have a lot of special plates from when our son was growing up that reflect the different times of his life.
To help with your custom plates, you can use the following numbers and letters in place of complete words as each of these will sound like a word or can replace a word.
For example the number 8 can be used for ate---8, late---L8, etc. Since you only have 6 or 7 characters you can use the letter B and the number 8 to sound like “Bait.” So if your child is into fishing for example, you could have a plate that says IB842, which translates into “I Bait for Two”.
No, not everyone will understand your plate, but you will and your children will and that’s all that matters.
Many states now have plates that are specialized and have animals, places, colleges, etc. on them so get creative in using those pictures in conjunction with your letters and numbers.
Get your child involved with this as they are some of the most creative people you’ll ever meet.
These plates will last a lifetime and are great room decorations as they grow up.
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6
Be the Cool Mom or Dad
Being the cool mom or dad is easy and let me explain.
When you take your child to the pool, park, birthday party, etc., there will always be other parents around and most of them will be sitting around talking to each other or on their phones.
Don’t be like them! Play with your child and the other children.
My son loved going to the pool in the summer, as many of his friends were members of the same pool.
While other parents sat on the pool deck, talking with each other, I chose to be in the pool with the kids.
While I was friends with all the adults I wanted to play in the water and be with my son and since I was the only adult in the pool, we always had a bunch of kids playing all kinds of pool games.
The other parents called me the “cool dad,” and my son and I would get mobbed by kids as soon as we walked in.
The great thing about children is they all want to play and have fun but for some reason when people get to a certain age, they forget how to play and have fun in pools or parks or playgrounds.
I promise if you just let your hair down and act like you did when you were 10, you and your child will have a blast.
Give this a try next time you’re out with your child and be the cool mom or dad in your child’s life.
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7
Play Games When You’re Driving
When I was growing up, I had three siblings and we travelled a lot and played car games such as counting cows, trying to find the most out-of-state license plates and looking for faces in clouds.
As I only had one child, he and I would make up games while we were going places so there was interaction between the two of us.
One of the games he remembers best was what we called the “Stubborn Actor” game.
I would be the Director for a movie and he would be the actor. I would create different lines for him to say or different moods or looks.
I would explain these to him and his job was to do the opposite or mess up the lines, moods or looks.
I would yell out “CUT” and go over the lines again and he would have to think of a different way to mess things up.
He would mess up his lines, looks or moods and then laugh and laugh which made me laugh and laugh.
It really was a blast and one of the games we played a lot.
Another game was the “Where is David” game. This was very simple: he would cover his face with his hands and I would act like I was freaking out thinking he had left the van.
He would then uncover his face and tell me he was right here. I, of course, would have to argue that he was not and for him to not leave the van again without telling me.
Sure enough, I would look back and his face was covered again.
Children can make games out of just about anything and adults only need to go along for the ride.
The next time you’re in the car with your child or children, ask them to create a game you can play---not something on their phone or tablet but something you can do together that is safe, fun and creates an interaction you’ll both remember.
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8
Voice Record Your Child
You can use your phone but I suggest you get a small voice recorder.
Today’s child knows to ham it up when the camera is on them. They are the star of the movie.
Listening to a voice recording of a conversation with your child is like reading a book. The focus is on what is being said, not what is being done.
You can record them reading, singing, or just talking with you.
Voice recording is totally sincere because they will not be showing off for the camera or be shy about having the camera on them.
Sometimes I would hide the recorder and get my son singing to a jingle he heard on television.
You can get a voice recorder for under $20 that will record hundreds of hours.
It’s well worth the investment and you can save the recordings to your computer or the cloud and access them anyplace or time you want.
My Dad had a reel to reel tape player and he was always recording my siblings singing or answering his questions.
It is a blast to listen to those old recordings today and remember those childhood days.
Please visit our sponsor ImSoProudOf.com
9
Step to Step
This is another game we created as children and I passed on to my son and all his friends and everyone loved it. You can do this indoors or outdoors.
It’s actually a very simple thing to do and allows you to get involved with your children while they are playing. As they grow older, you can make this more difficult.
Here’s how this works: If you’re playing inside, take cushions off the furniture and place them so your children have to walk on the cushions without touching the floor.
You can use towels or old shirts in place of the cushions if you are worried about damaging your furniture cushions.
Now, there are also numerous stepping stone games on the market but these didn’t exist when I was raising my son and they are not as personal as using things around your house.
Pretend there are alligators on the floor to make things more exciting. The first time you do this, you will need to play the game with them to show how it’s done.
If you’re playing outside, you have a lot more options to create “step to step” fun.
You can use leaves, bark from trees, or circles made from rocks. Just make sure the items won’t cause harm if your child falls on them.
This game can be as long or short as you want. You can create different levels of play as well.
Remember what I said about being the cool mom or dad, this is a prime example of that.
Playing with your children is amazing and something they will always remember.
You don’t need to be an adult all the time, so let yourself be a kid again.
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10
Take Them for a Walk in the Woods
This is one of the easiest activities you can do with your child and they will gain so much from the experience.
When my son was old enough to walk, I started taking him to the woods.
We would not go to parks, but open land around a creek or river where it was permissible to hike.
Parks have paths or trails and those are a good place to start but to really experience nature, you need to get out into nature and this can be done by going just a bit off the trail or path if it’s allowed.
Teach them to respect nature and appreciate the beauty outdoors.
Children love to see life in the wild whether it’s fish, frogs, snakes or bugs. They will be amazed to see wildlife up close and personal.
We would go to a local creek and I showed my son how to turn over rocks and catch crawfish. We would never hurt them but the wonder in his eyes and the excitement in his voice to see there was something he had never seen before living under a rock was simply amazing.
I would also take his friends with us. His friends are in their twenties now and they still fondly remember our excursions to the woods and what they learned and saw.
There is so much to see in this amazing and beautiful world we live in and unfortunately too many children only get to experience nature by seeing it on their phone or television.
By taking a little time and introducing your child to nature, you will create positive memories that will last a lifetime and perhaps even provide them the groundwork for a future career.
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11
Teach Them to Skip Stones
Okay, I said taking children to the woods was easy but this one is even easier and will be a blast for everyone.
Skipping stones is a magical event for children and adults too.
(Please ensure they cannot hurt anyone or any animals or property before they start skipping stones).
If you’ve never skipped a rock across water, this will be a great time for you as well. All you need is a body of water where it’s safe to throw stones. Then find some flat stones and skip away.
I don’t think I’ve ever been around a lake or creek that I did not pick up a stone and skip it across the water.
Counting the number of hops the stone takes adds an element of competition for everyone involved and makes for a fun game.
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12
Camp Out in Your Backyard or Deck
Camping out is always fun and the best place to start is your own backyard.
This can be done with or without a tent and sleeping bags to save money up front and then if your child really enjoys it, you can invest in the supplies you’ll need to actually go camping.
To get started, take some blankets and pillows and make a nest to sleep in whether on the ground or on your deck.
Choose a night where the weather will be good, leave your phone and other electronics in the house and sleep out under the stars.
This is a good opportunity to teach your child a little astronomy and get them asking questions about the stars, planets and moon.
If you have binoculars, let your child look through them to see even more stars and see the craters on the moon in more detail.
Getting your child out of the security of the house is a great way to help them become more secure with their surroundings.
This is something the whole family can do together or mom and dad can take turns so the one who is not camping out gets some alone time as well.
I’m going to repeat this sentence because this is ultra important.
Leave your phone and other electronics in the house. Make this about you and your child and the great outdoors and not about answering texts, calls, scores or emails.
Once you test the waters in the backyard and all goes well, then you can plan an actual camping trip to a campground.
You can get a tent and sleeping bags for up to 4 people for under a hundred dollars and you’ll get a lot of use out of this investment.
So give it a try. Plan your first camping trip in your backyard and see how excited your child will be about this new and thrilling adventure.
Please visit our sponsor ImSoProudOf.com
Conclusion
Hopefully you found the activities here helpful and they lead to many happy memories for you and your child or children.
Don’t stop with just these as there are limitless things you can do with your child to create positive memories that will last them a lifetime.
All it takes is a little time and imagination and as we’ve said, children can supply unlimited imagination, if you let them.
Your child is a gift.
Don’t let anything stand in your way of creating memories.
Life goes by fast and if you blink, you’ll miss the best years of your life and theirs.
Don’t put off playing with your child.
Start right now doing one of these activities in this book and you’ll see how incredible you’ll feel and how amazing your child will respond.
Please visit our sponsor ImSoProudOf.com