How often do you take your kids to do something fun?

Question

We have two kids our oldest is 3 and our youngest is 14 months. My husband works 45 hours a week and I work about 20. I usually take the kids to do something local (indoor playground, park, trampoline park) at least once during the week. Since my husband is off on the weekends I usually plan for us to do something fun (aquarium, zoo, theme parks, beach). Today my husband told me that he thinks we should just relax and stay in on the weekends because he needs time to rest. I get that he works a physically taxing job, but I don’t think it’s fair to keep the kids in during the weekends. He feels that me taking them to play during the week is enough.

Answer

Children don't need that much external stimulation. Weekends at home are not a bad thing. They can actually be incredibly beneficial. I'm with your husband on this one. I can't imagine keeping up with that kind of schedule. I have 3 boys. We go somewhere special about once a month, probably twice a month during the summer. Otherwise we do parks and playdates about 2-3 times during the week and have home time on most weekends.

Answer

I feel like compromising and doing something every other weekend or so would be best for y’all and your children. That way they had the best of both worlds; they learn to use their imagination and play on their own, but also get to have more memorable weekends with their parents too. And your husband gets to relax and yet you still feel like you’re interacting as a family on fun adventures!
Even on “downtime” weekends you can still get out and go for walks and play in the yard, etc.

Answer

We go to the park every day after school for like an hour and a half so he can get some energy out. Weekends he usually just plays in our yard or with his friend down the block. If there is something fun going on, like the city Easter egg hunt today, we will do that, or a few times a year we go to his cousins’ house on the other side of the state and go to the zoo. In the summer we go camping and to the pool. Most of what we do is my son playing freely and exploring nature. Kids need to learn to play independently and entertain themselves. It’s crucial for brain development.

Answer

We love to be out and about as a family.  I'm a sahm who hates being in the house so we have one activity or errand every weekday, then we usually go to the farmers market or a festival or something every weekend. But I guess we're weird Haha. We love getting out!

Answer

More than twice a week. But I’m a stay at home mom and need to leave the house pretty much daily for my own sanity.

Answer

Your kids will struggle to entertain themselves if they regularly have activities set up for them and aren’t forced to learn how to be at home without someone dictating their days.

Answer

i couldn’t handle doing a big thing every weekend, that’s just too much.  kids don’t need that much, i’d say once every month or two to a big thing like the zoo. playing outside, playing in mud, searching for bugs, swinging, board games, stuff like that keeps my kiddos perfectly content.

Answer

We go out everyday. But it’s not always a zoo trip or swimming. It’s usually going to someone’s house for a potluck or just a walk to a local park for a while. I try and teach my kids it’s fun to go out but it’s also good to stay home and just play at home.

Answer

I’m a horrible parent then. 😂 we never go anywhere. Lol. Weekends are always spent at home. We play out side in the back yard and usually with neighbors. But we’re homebodies anyways...sooo....🤷🏼‍♀️

Answer

We do big things like once a month. We go out and about every day just about everyday.

How often do you take your kids to do something fun?

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