Over the recent break, my kids started this game up on their own. I bet you can guess which ones they came up with!!

On to the play, here are a few helpful hints to keep everyone giggling:

Charades for Kids Helpful Hints

1. Are props allowed?
2. Can the littlest players make sounds?
3. Who is going to be the “reader” for the non-readers?
4. Are you keeping score or just having fun?
5. Will you have signals for “animal”, “person” or others?

Supplies needed:

• Charades cards (printable here)
• Hat
• Timer
• Paper and pencil (if needed)
• Props (if needed)

Rules:

1. Have the youngest player pick a card.
2. The timer starts after the card has been read. They have 60 seconds.
3. Other players guess what the actor is trying to share.
4. If no one gets it, the person to the left can give the same word a try or they can grab a new card. The choice is theirs.
5. Continue around the group.
6. The game is over when one person scores 10 or everyone has had enough. Enjoy!

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SEE OUR CHARADE PRINTABLES COLLECTION:

• Halloween Charades
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• Christmas Charades
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• … and Restaurant Games, too!

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• You’re Grounded and Now It’s Going to Sting {Printable}
• Why Your Kid Doesn’t Deserve an “A”
• 20 Apps You Can Play With Your Kids

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Several times this spring and summer, when the weather kept everyone inside, it became very clear to me that I had two choices:

Let my kids watch a mind-numbing amount of television until bedtime.

OR

Get creative.

Now, I’m not hating on screen time. I’ve plunked my kids in front of an episode of Team UmiZoomi more than once to get dinner cooked. Just being honest. Besides, they really do learn stuff like sign language, Spanish, music, nursery rhymes, patterns, shapes, and even how to turn the dumpiest house in the neighborhood into the home of your dreams!

Wait…that last one is Fixer Upper. That’s my jam.
Moral of the story: Screen time in moderation is fine in my opinion. What I’m talking about is not medicating the looong hours of nail-on-chalkboard boredom that your kids face when the weather doesn’t cooperate by hooking them up to a screen like tiny cyborgs.

So, here is my list of tested and approved activities to get your kids up and moving, and to engage their imagination and creativity (and YOURS). Most of these activities involve everyday objects lying around the house (like couch cushions…or a card table…or you).

11 Screen-Free Rainy Day Activities for Kids

1. Make and mail some homemade cards

Supplies:
Paint
Paint Brushes
Crayons/Markers
Construction Paper
Scissors
Glue

Clear off a table and set up some watercolors and crayons. Grab some scissors, glue, and construction paper (supervise the cutting!) and make a card for the grandparents, friends, or someone else special. Let it dry and send it to them in the mail. Wouldn’t that brighten anyone’s day?

Bonus Tip: If the children are too young to draw a picture, try tracing their handprints with their names and ages below each one, then let them scribble on the cover and add a message inside.

2. Build a car ramp

Supplies:
Card Table
Box or Couch Cushion

Sometimes happiness is my 2-year-old boy racing every car, truck, and train in his possession down a race track for an hour. Place one end of a card table (or some other flat, hard surface like a large lid) on a couch cushion or box. Grab every toy with wheels and send them flying down the ramp (sound effects encouraged).

Bonus Tip: Add a second ramp on the other side of the cushion and hold a drag race.

3. Build a maze

Supplies:
Cushions
Pillows
Chairs
Boxes
Ottomans
Bed sheets/Blankets

Clear a space in the playroom or living room and assemble a maze with your children using furniture and boxes. Create tunnels using bed sheets and blankets. Hide objects and send them on a rescue mission to retrieve them. This activity is a bit more involved, but it also gives your children a chance to use their imagination and construct something fun with their hands.

Bonus Tip: For a circle track, place an ottoman in the middle of the room, leave a large space around it (for running), and then surround it with a wide circle with chairs, boxes and pillows.
Leave some exits otherwise you’re probably going to clean up after some very dizzy kids.

4. Create a “dry” muddle puddle – (My Kids’ Favorite)

Supplies:
Cushions
Pillows
Blankets
Stuffed Animals

Desperation was the mother of this invention. I was babysitting my friends’ boys who were around the same age as my two. My four tiny charges were moping around the house devastated that it was raining and they couldn’t go outside to play. Attitudes were disintegrating.

So we threw every soft item we could find into the middle of the floor and (SAFELY) took turns jumping into our very own indoor “mud puddle.” By the end, all four kids were red-faced and panting with giant grins on their faces.

Bonus Tip: You can change the title of this game as the seasons change – once again engaging
your child’s imagination. In the summer, we call it a splash pad. In the fall, it’s a leaf pile. And in the winter, it’s a snow mound.

5. Dinner prep together

Supplies:
Ingredients
Mixing Bowls
Tiny Taste Testers
Aprons (optional)

Remember how I said I let my kids watch a show while I got dinner ready? That was becoming a normal pattern for us, so I decided to invite the children to help me get dinner ready. It could be as simple as letting them stir or add seasonings or bang a wooden spoon on a bowl while you do the cooking.

My daughter got a little apron for Christmas last year and now little brother wants one, too. It’sone more way to see my kids enjoy time at home doing something together without that habitual pre-dinner Netflix show.

6. Indoor Hopscotch

Supplies:
Large cardboard box
Scissors
Marker

Slice open the biggest box you can find, lay it out, and draw a hopscotch board on the inside. Clear a space in the house and let the bouncing begin. This game helps your children learn their numbers.

Bonus Tip: Get out some crayons and let your children practice tracing the big numbers (or adding their own drawings for fun).

7. Card Games

Supplies:
Deck of Cards
Bowl of Snacks

I mean, do you remember how fun “Spoons” was when you were a kid?

8. Hire some help

Are your children old enough to sort socks, fold towels, make their beds, load the dishwasher, clean up their room or set the table? Hire them to help you. Not only does this help them develop a work ethic, but you can begin the conversation about what to do with money, how to save, how to spend, and how to give.

You shouldn’t pay them for every task they ever do, but you’re not spoiling them by instructing them how to earn and use money responsibly at a young age.

Bonus Tip: If your child is young (3-5 years old), pay them for tasks the moment they’re complete to make sure the lesson makes the most impact.

9. Easy Playtime Tent

Supplies:
Table
Bed Sheet
Blanket

Clear off your table and use the chairs to create a walking path leading up to the table. Spread a fleece blanket on the floor under the table. Throw a large bed sheet over the table and chairs to make a roof. Tada. Tent.

10. Recreate the outdoors in your living room

Supplies:
Blankets Pillows Laundry Baskets Household items the color of nature

My 3-year-old invented this game on a lazy, rainy day. She found a small, round, green laundry basket and held it up, asking, “Can we make this into a tree?”
Before long, the entire living floor was transformed. A floral blanket became a meadow. A blue pillow case was a lake. The green basket sat atop a stack of boxes with a brown towel draped over one side as a tree trunk. Pillows became boulders. I’m pretty sure at one point I was playing by myself, so lost was I in the transformation.

11. Change up story time

Creating new fun can be as easy as changing an old routine. Instead of reading a storybook in bed or on the couch, try a few of these fun alternatives:
 Listen to an audio book. The library has a lot of these, from picture books to chapter books. Not only does this give your children a new way to enjoy story time, but it teaches them how to sit still and listen which will help them in countless ways down the road.
 Read where you land. Was today “mud puddle” day and you’re all lying in a heap of pillows and blankets right before bedtime? Great! Grab a book and read there. If it’s
under a table, then read under the table.
 Read by flashlight. Pitch a tent with a few chairs and blankets. Kill the lights and read in the tent.

Hopefully, these 11 ideas gave you some inspiration on your next rainy day with the kids. What will you do with your kids after the TV and iPads are turned off on the next rainy day?

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Yup! I also keep a few card games in my bag. Forget bandaids – I rarely ever have those (yes, they are in the van) – but, I always have a few games for my kids to play.

Let’s chat about the worksheet:

Games to Play with Your Kids in Restaurants

Tic-Tac-Toe

Your traditional game. Xs and Os. These can always continue on the back, but there are enough to get the game going.

Dots

This is also an easy way to pass the time. Each player draws a line until they form a box. If they form a box, they place their initials in it AND they get to make one more line. The player with the most boxes wins. If you need more details directions, go here.

Word Bomb

This is an alternative to Hangman. I just can’t play that version of this game anymore. Another conversation for another day, but just think about it, m’kay?

Here is how you use this game board:

1. Create your dashes for the word or phrase in the bottom.
2. Use the middle space to write incorrect guesses.
3. Every time the player guesses an incorrect letter, a section of the fuse is crossed out. Once the last section is crossed out… BOOM!

There are some other suggestions across the bottom that do not require a pen or pencil.

I Spy

One person picks something in or out of the restaurant and others at the table have to guess what that item is by asking “yes or no” questions. They can ask if it is something to eat? Is it furniture? Is it outside? Is it red? Is it in our booth? The game ends when someone guesses or they give up.

ABC Spy

We love this one in restaurants and on the road as well. The idea is that you have to work your way around your space by identifying things that start with each letter of the alphabet. If it is a place you frequent, don’t allow for repetition. for younger players, have them find the letters on the menu.

20 Questions

We play this one at dinner, in restaurants, on the road, just about everywhere. The way we play is that the caller has to provide the players with 3 clues.

The older your kids get, the tricker they become about the clues. I love to introduce this idea by saying, “Ok, my item is black, white and red.” The kids look about madly to see if it is something in their immediate area. Nope. I will cut to the chase… it is a newspaper. Black, white and READ. They really start to have fun with this play on words and I am always surprised by what they come up with! Glaciers, asteroids, rainbows and the World Cup have all made it into the game.

1 0r 2?

This is a game for two players. Place seven sugar packets in a row. Player 1 may take away one or two sugar packets. Player 2 may also take away one or two packets. Continue to take turns in this manner. The one who is left with the last sugar packet loses. The loser gets to go first in the next round. This is an awesome game to teach your kids how to develop different strategies.

Would You Rather?

This is another game we play all of the time. My daughter loves to climb into bed in the morning and do a few rounds. I think she loves it because it always cracks us up!

Would you rather kiss a donkey or eat a worm?

Would you rather live in the mountains or down by the beach?

Would you rather swim in the ocean or in a pool?

Would you rather go on vacation with Bear Grylls or Simon Cowell?

You get the idea…

Some of the links here will take you to Amazon.

If you make a purchase, we receive a little bonus which feels like a hug for creating great content for you!

Games to Keep in Your Bag

A deck of cards

So many options with War being the easiest. Here is a great source for card games to play with your kids.

Uno

This is the classic game of matching colors and numbers. Buy here.

Blink

This game is similar to Uno, but it is FASTER! The speed element really gets kids going. Buy it here.

Rat-a-Tat Cat

This game is SO awesome.  This is just a great game to have in your bag of tricks. It’s competitive, requires some strategy and has an element of surprise. We play it at home, on the ferry, camping, on the road, and in restaurants. Buy it here.

So there you go. You should feel safe to head out the door and give yourself a break from making dinner tonight! Don’t forget to download our printable worksheet.

Click here to print

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There are several games out there for families to choose from, making your family game nights memorable and fun for all involved. 

How to Choose the Best Games for Your Family

When diving into a family game night routine, you have to find the right games for your family. Keep in mind that every family is different, and you know their likes and dislikes best. There are a few things to consider when choosing a family game night game to play.

Age Recommendations

The age recommendations for games are important when you are playing with younger children. It is crucial to make sure that you choose a game that can be enjoyed by everyone in your family.

Number of Players

Many games are created with a maximum of four players. If you have a larger family, it is important to make sure that the games you choose accommodate all members.

Time Required

If you have young children or just a limited time to play, you will want to make sure that you choose a game that fits within your allotted time frame for family game night.

Ease of Use

When playing games with your family, you want to make sure that the games you pick can be easily understood and explained. The instructions should be easy to follow and the gameplay easy to learn. It should also be a game that you will be able to play repeatedly.

50 of our Favorite Games for Families 

These games are some of the best games to play on family game night. Not only are there a wide variety of options, from card games to board games, but they are also exciting to play and fun for the entire family. 

These links lead to our Amazon store, so you can make a purchase with ease.

1. Monopoly The Mega Edition
2. Guess Who? 
3. Charades
4. Yahtzee 
5. Pass the Pigs
6. Sorry!
7. Concentration 
8. Pie Face
9. Speak Out 
10. Uno 
11. Battleship 
12. Boggle 
13. One Night Ultimate Werewolf – a family favorite!!
14. Operation 
15. Scrabble 
16. Pictionary 
17. Exploding Kittens 
18. Bears Vs Babies 
19. Codenames – another favorite!
20. Clue 
21. Trouble 
22. Blokus
23. Trivial Pursuit 
24. Mouse Trap
25. Twister
26. Chess 
27. Scattergories 
28. Sequence 
29. Connect 4
30. HeadBanz
31. Spot It
32. Go Fish 
33. 5 Second Rule 
34. Qwirkle 
35. Beat the Parents
36. Mexican Train
37. Life
38. Mancala
39. Backgammon
40. Rat a Tat Cat
41. Taboo
42. Apples to Apples
43. Perfection
44. Unstable Unicorns
45. Bananagrams
46. Pick Your Poison
47. Labyrinth
48. Ticket to Ride
49. Catan – Trade Build Settle
50. Googly Eyes Game

Top 10 Board Games from Amazon

1. Not Parent Approved: A Hilarious Card Game for Kids, Tweens, Families and Mischief Makers
2. Spontuneous – The Song Game – Sing It or Shout It – Talent NOT Required 
3. Watch Ya’ Mouth Family Edition – The Authentic, Hilarious, Mouthguard Party Card Game
4. USAopoly Telestrations Original 8 Player Board Game 
5. PlayMonster 5 Second Rule Game
6. Relative Insanity Party Game about Crazy Relatives – Made and Played by Comedian Jeff Foxworthy
7. Melissa & Doug Suspend Family Game
8. Spikeball Game Set 
9. The Golfing Dead – Only One Survives 
10. Goat Lords — Hilarious and Competitive New Card Game

Playing the best games on family game night will give you a chance to connect, enjoy each other’s company and get a little competitive. These games all have a certain element of fun that your family will crave over and over again, leaving everyone excited for family game night.

Perfect to go with Family Game Night

• 20 Quick and Easy Game Night Recipes
• Game Night Ideas to Shake off the Winter Doldrums
• Our entire collection of printable charades games

The post Best Games for Families first appeared on BonBon Break.

Once your kids can read on their own, it is easy to stop reading aloud to them. But there are so many reasons to continue reading together. Reading aloud to older kids builds their vocabularies and allows them to absorb stories beyond their reading level, which leads to a love of books. More importantly, it helps you stay connected to them by providing some quiet time together that will make memories you will both cherish forever. We continued to read aloud to our two sons at bedtime until they were in their early teens. Here are some of our favorite books we shared together:

The Underland Chronicles, starting with Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins – Collins is a household name now, thanks to her YA trilogy The Hunger Games, but we were fans long before that. We read this entire five-book middle-grade series aloud to our sons, and all of us loved every minute of the action-packed underground fantasy.

The Mouse and the Motorcycle and Runaway Ralph by Beverly Cleary – perfect for younger kids, our sons loved this fun childhood favorite of mine about a clever, curious mouse named Ralph who befriends a little boy.

Lionboy trilogy by Zizou Corder – We read all three Lionboy books to our sons when they were 11 and seven, and the four of us were riveted by the fast-paced story, memorable characters, and exotic locales in this exciting adventure about a boy who can communicate with cats.

Alabama Moon by Watt Key – Ours sons were 11 and 14 when we read this stand-alone novel about a boy whose anti-government father dies and leaves him on his own. Filled with adventure, suspense, and humor, this was one of our all-time favorites (contains some mild swearing).

I, Freddy by Dietlof Reiche – The first book of the series The Golden Hamster Saga, this book introduces Freddy, a hamster who wants to be adopted, who teaches himself to read and write. Clever, funny, and heart-warming, this series will appeal to a wide range of ages – who will all love Freddy!

The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo – Any of DiCamillo’s amazing books work well as read alouds (we also loved listening to The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane on audio), but this slim volume was one of our favorites, about a 12-year-old boy dealing with some big family problems, who becomes friends with the strange new girl at school and finds a real tiger in a cage in the woods.

Half Magic (and other books) by Edward Eager – I couldn’t wait to share this favorite book of my own childhood with my sons, and they loved it as much as I did! It’s the story of four sisters and brothers who find a magic coin that grants their wishes, but only halfway. Like all of Eager’s unique novels, this story is filled with adventure, magic, and a great sense of humor. Appropriate for all ages.

Hide & Seek by Katy Grant – This modern adventure story centers on one of our favorite family activities – geocaching – and is about a boy who finds a mysterious note asking for help in a geocache and what happens when he follows it. Filled with action, suspense, and realistic characters, this one is great for older kids.

Airball: My Life in Briefs by L.D. Harkrader – We read this book to our sons when they were 11 and 14 (twice!). They both loved this hilarious, heart-warming story of a seventh-grade basketball player on a losing team whose coach makes them play in their underwear.

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It’s a brand new year and a brand new opportunity to focus on bringing family together while also having some time to relax and restore. Everyone’s looking for a way to unwind and have some quality family time.  How can we manage it all and still have time for dinner?

Take a breath and think positively about limits on time or money.  You don’t need a blow-up fun house to have a great game night with family and friends! Check out these fun and easy game night ideas for your family and friends.

AFFORDABLE FAMILY GAMES

1. Play with words.  Bananagrams is a fun, easy game you can take anywhere.  Think of it as a portable Scrabble game.
2. Play with shapes and get creative! Cut out giant circles with the corresponding Twister colors and play Twister in your living room.  You can get creative and move the circles. Who needs a traditional Twister board?
3. Go on a magazine scavenger hunt in your house. This is a great way to sort through old magazines, too!  Come up with 12-15 items to find.  Examples may include an inspirational phrase, a picture of a backpack, the word “glow,” a blue dress, an article written by two people – anything goes!  Sit around the kitchen table with a stack of magazines, scissors in hand, set a timer, and GO!  You can even make this a learning activity. Ask the kids to search for five bits of interesting trivia. It’s a great way to share, learn, and connect.
4. Play Charades. This game never gets old.  It’s a wonderful way to get active, think, and learn each other’s “favorites.”  You can have themes and ask each person to pick a favorite movie or food. It’s a great getting-to-know-you-better activity!

FOOD GAMES

Have a “Chopped” Party.  If you’ve been following the Food Network for the past few years, you know about this jaw-dropping cooking reality show.  Four contestants have a basket of four random surprise ingredients. The contestants are given a time limit to prepare each dish. They must create an appetizer, entrée, and dessert from the mystery basket ingredients. When I’ve had Chopped Parties in the past, I ask each person to bring four mystery ingredients for another participant.  You can get creative.  Here are some suggestions:

• Appetizer Round (30 min) – kale, an orange, Lucky Charms cereal and imitation crab meat
• Entrée Round (40 min) – a can of clam chowder, pineapple, chicken breast, cilantro leaves
• Dessert Round (30 min) – puff pastry, peanut butter, hard-boiled eggs, avocado

Have fun and remember, you’re going to eat your final products!  So when you pick ingredients for other participants, don’t be too mean!  What other game provides fun AND dinner?

CLASSIC GAMES

Don’t count out classic games. These have been around for years for a reason!

1. Monopoly, Battleship, and Sorry are all fun games for all ages. Game makers also have junior versions for the younger kids if the classic versions are too difficult.
2. My kids love card games. When they were little, we played Old Maid, War, and Go Fish. Now we play Gin Rummy and Hearts.
3. My grandfather played dominoes with me every Saturday. He was very competitive, and I believe he cheated. But I loved it as a child. Dominoes are terrific for teaching kids counting and sorting skills. And this game is fun for adults to outwit each other.
4. Use dominoes to play Mexican Train. Build “tracks” for your train. This is a great game for kids over 8 and adults.
5. A simple game of dice is another fabulous game for teaching counting and sorting; the goal is to roll particular sets of numbers with the dice. Whoever finishes with the most points wins.
6. Stack some blocks carefully. Roll the dice. Gently remove your block. Make the tower fall and you are out!
7. Draw a picture and wait for the silly guesses to start about what it is. This family favorite is super fun to play.
8. Roll a letter die, set the timer, and try answer come up with words for different categories using the rolled letter.
9. Get your teammates to guess a secret word. The twist? You can’t use any of the forbidden (taboo) words. Players get creative and silly.

DIGITAL GAMES

Search and you will find fun group electronic games. Some of our favorites include:

1. Wii Just Dance Series. These games are so fun. They get the group up and moving, laughing, and having a great time. Your dancing will embarrass your teens, and the little ones will think you are cool. It’s a win-win.
2. You Don’t Know Jack. This multiple choice answer game is like a comedy show. The game comes in a game pack with a console, PS4 game, and is available for download on mobile devices. Connect your mobile devices with the app, sync to the television, and start to play. The trivia questions are hilarious.
3. Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? Looking to give your kids an ego boost? Play this game with them. Not only am I not smarter than a 5th grader, but I also didn’t make it past Kindergarten. My kids still tease me about it. It is a lot of fun to play a game where the kids have the upper hand. It comes in a classic board version, Nintendo, and Xbox.

IMAGINATIVE GAMES

The best games of all use your imagination! Here’s one idea to get you started: If you have an empty cardboard box, you have a creative, let-your-imagination-run-wild playground for the ages.  Your kids will know what to do.  The world is your oyster…(or box.)

Have a hilarious and fun game night. Get creative, laughing, and hungry planning your night of fun.

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The post Family Game Night: Creative Games to Shake Off the Winter Doldrums first appeared on BonBon Break.

Is there any day of the year that kids look forward to more than a snow day? After the snowball fights, snow angels, and snowman building, it’s time to enjoy some family time indoors. Our snow day favorites include books, movies, apps, games, and TV shows that will keep kids’ minds and bodies active — and maybe even teach them a little something along the way.

Are you always looking for things to do on a snow day? Look no further!

Books

The Snowy Day, age 2+
Bright color cutouts and lively language deliver a book that’s both soothing and exciting.

Ladybug Girl, age 3+
Guided by her curiosity — and with her trusty dog, Bingo — Ladybug Girl makes her own fun by using nothing but her imagination.

Flora and the Penguin, age 4+
With loads of charm and a range of emotions, this wordless story follows Flora as she teams up with a graceful bird on skates in a cold, icy landscape.

Greenglass House, age 10+
A creaky family inn starts receiving unexpected guests, setting in motion a twisty mystery that takes place over winter break.

The Ice Dragon, age 10+
Set in the same universe as Game of Thrones — but with different characters and no blood, gore, or sex — this lavishly illustrated fantasy about a girl who’s more at home during the cold of winter offers readers lots to sink their teeth into.

Movies

Frozen, age 5+
In a Scandinavia-like kingdom, two princesses grow up separately, have adventures, and fall in love, but circumstances call for them to reinforce their unconditional sisterly bond.

Snow Day, age 5+
One snow day, in particular, changes the lives of all five members of the Brandston family in this silly Chevy Chase flick.

Ice Age, age 6+
A ragtag group of animals discovers that they have more in common than they thought.

March of the Penguins, age 6+
Get an up-close look at the circle of life — at 80 degrees below zero — in this fascinating documentary about migrating penguins.

Snowmen, age 10+
This coming-of-age movie follows a boy with terminal cancer who rallies his school and community to try to set the Guinness World Record for the most number of snowmen made in 24 hours.

The Mighty Ducks, age 11+
Despite the occasional iffy humor and content, this vintage classic about a group of underdog ice hockey players and their selfish coach shows the positive values of sports.

Apps

Into the Snow: A Stella and Sam Adventure, age 3+
Sweet siblings model curiosity and creativity in this short animated story with embedded activities.

Disney Karaoke: Frozen, age 5+
The windows are closed anyway, so why not let the kids burn off energy by belting out the hits from the movie?

Frozen: Storybook Deluxe, age 5+
This interactive storybook lets little Frozen fans listen to the story, record their own narration, play games, draw, and do other activities.

Telestory, age 8+
This video-creation tool lets kids while away the hours creating their own themed TV shows with fun background scenes, face-detecting costumes, cue cards, and special effects.

Games

Frozen: Olaf’s Quest, age 6+
Kids play through the misadventures of the movie’s lovable, bumbling snowman, Olaf, as he works through 60 short side-scrolling run-and-jump levels.

Just Dance 2015, age 10+
When wintry weather traps the kids inside, just dance! This updated classic features new pop songs and funky moves and encourages group dancing.

SSX, age 10+
Intense downhill races on giant mountains, crazy midair stunts, and a host of colorful characters make this snowboarding sim a super fun virtual thrill.

TV/Streaming/DVD

Frozen Planet, age 6+
Sure, it’s cold outside, but consider the poles, the subject of this beautiful series that brings gorgeous scenery, stunning time-lapse videography, and intriguing storytelling right to your living room.

Toughest Race on Earth: Iditarod, age 8+
This exhilarating, entertaining reality show about the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race follows several competitors in the grueling, 1,150-mile wintertime slog through the wilds of Alaska, revealing much about determination, strength, and relationships (both human and canine).

Life Below Zero, age 12+
Set in rural Alaska, this reality program shows what it’s like to live where winter never ends. Lessons include positive messages about the personal satisfaction that comes with being self-sufficient and the importance of respecting the environment.

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More Media Picks and Parenting Advice from Common Sense Media

• The Best New Movies, Games, TV, Books, and Pop Culture of 2014
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ABOUT COMMON SENSE MEDIA: Common Sense Media is dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology. We exist because our kids are growing up in a culture that profoundly impacts their physical, social, and emotional well-being. We provide families with the advice and media reviews they need in order to make the best choices for their children. Through our education programs and policy efforts, Common Sense Media empowers parents, educators, and young people to become knowledgeable and responsible digital citizens. For more information, go to:www.commonsense.org.

The post 21 Things to Do Inside on a Snow Day first appeared on BonBon Break.

Your weeknights are logjammed with activities and homework. Your weekends are a logistical shuffle of running errands and prepping for the next week. Your head hits the pillow and as you stare up at the ceiling, you think about how you spent your time today.

The reality is there is just not enough time in motherhood.

It is impossible to give 100% to everything in your life.

But there are moments when our children want us. There are moments when we put down our phones. Our eyes lock with our child’s. We forget about the shuffle to get to school, the sibling fighting and packing lunches.

We are there.

We are present.

And for that moment, motherhood feels rich and we are bonding with our kids.

Ways to bond with your children can be as simple as taking a nature walk to pouring chocolate chips into a mixer. Find your favorite activities or do something new. These are 50 ways to bond with your children.

Ways to Bond with Your Children in Nature

1. Build a Fairy Garden together. Use seasonal items, like a pumpkin to create a Pumpkin Fairy Garden.

2. Take a micro adventure. These small trips into nature in your community are a great way to explore.

3. Grab your binoculars, field guide and head out with your kids to go birding.

4. Go your state’s Department of Natural Resources and find a free outdoor event. Most Departments offer free programs year-round including bird-watching and snowshoeing.

5. Instead of doing math at the dinner table, get outside and do math activities in nature.

6. Go camping!

7. Create a nature scavenger hunt and see if you can find those items.

8. Make leaf rubbings.

9. Go to a new park or nature area that you have never been to before.

10. Collect flowers and make these Flower Garden Windows.

Ways to Bond with Your Children in the Kitchen

11. Make Nutella Bonbons.

12. Try something new and make something from the garden like Kale Chips.

13. Do a food-related science experiment like edible water balloons.

14. Make a television show themed meal or snack, like Sesame Street Ice Cream.

15. Make something homemade just for fun, like Red Velvet Graham Crackers.

16. Make cupcakes for dinner with this Mac and Cheese cupcake recipe.

17. Look through a cooking magazine or cookbook and get some ideas for the meal planning for the week.

18. Make a special family recipe and talk about the history of that recipe.

19. Organize spices or a cabinet. Kids love helping clean out and organize.

20. Create your own special hot chocolate drinks with special toppings and mixes.

Ways to Bond with Your Children With Favorite Activities

21. Game Night, try some of these creative game night activities.

22. Share your favorite books.

23. Go see a movie together.

24. Get your nails done or get a massage together.

25. Attend a parent and child exercise class together.

26. Go to your favorite coffee shop and share a hot beverage together. Bring a favorite book or board game along.

27. Go to a family-friendly painting class or create one yourself by stopping by a craft store and picking a still life to recreate.

28. Start a parent and child journal. Write to each other and use home photos to glue into the pages.

29. Pick out some seasonal plants or decorations for your home together. Make homemade decorations too.

30. Talk to your child about your favorite hobbies that you had as a kid. Do you still do any of them? Comic book collecting, video games, or whatever, check it out again.

Ways to Bond with Your Children in the Community

31. Get to know your neighbors.

32. Go for a drive around your city. Take a new road and stop somewhere you have never been before.

33. Go through your cupboards and pantry for items for your local food bank.

34. Set up a lemonade stand.

35. Gather items from your home to donate to charity.

36. Bring someone you don’t know a homemade card, flowers or edible gift.

37. Offer to rake your neighbor’s yard or help with another household chore.

38. Check out your city in a new way. Take the bus, a taxi or bike around town or in a metropolitan area near you.

29. Go to a sporting event, theater production or concert in your community.

40. Leave kind notes around your community or messages in chalk around popular walking areas.

Ways to Bond with Your Children that are Free

41. Make homemade cards.

42. Do household chores together.

43. Do an arts and crafts project with items from nature, like leaves.

44. Listen to some of your favorite music together. Find some of your favorite songs or albums from your childhood.

45. Get some of those favorite songs together and hold an epic dance party with the whole family.

46. Move dinner from the table to a blanket in your living room or backyard for a special family picnic.

47. Look at baby photos, family albums or make a new photo book together.

48. Get out an old camera or let them use your phone and let your child be the photographer for the day.

49. Play hair salon and take turns doing fun styles on each other.

50. Go geocaching and use your phone to find hidden treasures around your city or parks.

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The post 50 Ways to Bond with Your Children first appeared on BonBon Break.

We spend many a day toting water bottles and packing bug spray as we venture with our crews into The Great Outdoors.  We would not marinate in DEET or unleash our inner pack mule if we didn’t think the payout was worth the effort.

1. Nature is a top-notch noise buffer.

On our latest hike, my sister-in-law Kim said, without any trace of irony, as her children screeched past with their thundering herd of cousins, “I prefer to parent outside.”

We totally get what she means. Nature is the ultimate white noise: no pesky walls to bounce back annoying sibling smacktalk or worse.

Besides, when you are outside, you can always hang back and pretend all that noise is coming from someone else’s kid.

2. Nature brings out their creativity.

There is nothing like wide open spaces and some cool finds along the trail to bring out their inner woodland fairy or superhero. 

3.  Nature is the ultimate arena.

We are extremely lucky to live a stone’s throw from a great state park that participates in Maryland’s Parkquest, but our experience hiking and camping all over our local environs is that every park has some kind of fun to offer. Frisbee golf and geocaching are the most common games we have found, but you won’t know until you go (or check their website).

4. Hiking is a great workout.

Simply putting one foot in front of the other for three to six miles will make you feel so much better about all those extra ice cream cones and hot dogs you have been consuming on behalf of summer fun. Of course, finding a copper head on the trail might accelerate your heart rate a bit but that just means you can have the sprinkles, right?

5. Some of the very best places you can’t get to by car.

Marco Polo will have nothing on you and all you need is a pair of hiking boots or sneakers.

6. The view from the top.

It works literally and as a metaphor. Take your kids up a mountain and let them see the reward of all that hard work for themselves.

7. There will be moments that melt your heart.

Teens and tweens aren’t always cute and cuddly any more, but stick them on a trail and they surprise you in the best ways. We have also found that a trail is a great place to talk — kind of like the car but without all the smelly sneakers and sports gear fumes.

And of course. . .

Memories that will last forever.

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The post 7 Reasons to Tell your Kids to Take a Hike first appeared on BonBon Break.

1. The Story Bowl

Grab a large mixing bowl, and ask your children to gather small items to put in it. You can put in anything you’d like, but here are some ideas to get you started:
• Toy animals
• LEGO mini-figures
• Blocks
• Toy cars/planes/boats

Pick a volunteer to create the first story. This person closes his or her eyes, and reaches into the bowl, pulling out five items.

The story told must incorporate all five items in some way. Be creative!

The items can be elements of the setting, a character, or even props for another character.

Once the first storyteller is done, deposit those five pieces back in the bowl and let someone else take a turn. You’ll be amazed at the stories your children can come up with!

This simple game targets many essential literacy skills including creativity, sequencing, and plot development.

2. Change the Setting of Your Favorite Movie

This game encourages children to analyze how the setting of a story (or movie) plays a role in the plot. Think about your child’s favorite movie, and ask everyone to draw a picture of the setting.

Where does the story take place? Is it nighttime or daytime? Compare the pictures you made, and talk about them.

Now for the interesting part — ask your child what would happen if the setting of the story were to change. How would Frozen be different if it was set in the Savannah? What would Transformers: Rescue Bots be like if instead of a secluded island, the Bots and Burns family lived in the middle of a big city? Would Andy from Toy Story have so many toys if he lived in a different country?

Use your imagination, and have fun. You could even draw pictures of the new setting as you talk about what would be different.

While you draw and discuss, your children will be learning about setting, and how it can affect the characters and what happens in the story.

3. The Fairy Tale Act

My children love to play dress up! They love it when we act out fairy tales because they get to create costumes. These don’t need to be elaborate—with a little imagination, scarves can turn into wings, blankets make a covering of fur, and a stick covered with aluminum foil transforms into a beautiful wand.

To play this game, first pick a fairy tale. Ideally, it’ll be one you can tell from memory. Otherwise, you can use a book of fairy tales, or print off a copy from the Internet.

Then, assign parts. If you have fewer players than parts, let a couple of your older children play two parts. Once everyone knows who he or she is, grant 10 minutes for costume creation. The short time limit will increase creativity, and help keep the game moving.

Gather everyone in a central location, and begin narrating the fairy tale as your children act it out.

Here are five fairy tale ideas to get you started:

• Three Billy Goats Gruff (narrator, troll, baby goat, medium goat, big goat)
• Three Little Pigs (narrator, straw house pig, stick house pig, brick house pig, wolf)
• Goldilocks and the Three Bears (Narrator, Goldilocks, baby bear, papa bear, mama bear)
• Hansel and Gretel (narrator, Hansel, Gretel, Witch)
• Jack and the Beanstalk (narrator, Jack, Mother, Giant)

Bringing a story to life helps children understand important story elements about setting, plot, and characters.

4. The One Line Story Builder

Without any required materials, this game is perfect for playing on the go. One person begins to tell a story. He or she can only say one sentence. (Once upon a time there was a ……) is a classic way to start, but feel free to change it up!

The next person adds a sentence, continuing the story. When appropriate, feel free to add in new characters, change the setting, or introduce a problem to your story. Keep taking turns until your story reaches a conclusion.

This game teaches children about word choice, using complete sentences, and comprehension while listening.

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This post was syndicated with permission to BonBon Break Media LLC.

The post 4 Literacy Games for Kids first appeared on BonBon Break.

The mathematical focus of each will work on key skills–counting, estimating, number identification, shapes, and adding. It’s amazing how fun math can be.

A winning feature of every game here? NO materials are required. Just players, no pencils or paper or paraphernalia. Period.

Some of these games are more suited for younger children and some are fun for the older members of the family. Give them all a try, and see which ones are winners for your family.

1. Number Find

Remember the game described in Ellen Tebbits by Beverly Cleary? Ellen and Austin play it in the car on their way to the picnic. No silly–not the white horse game though you are free to play that one as well.

The one I’m thinking of is a letter game. The goal is for each girl to find the letters of the alphabet, in order. If it were up to me to name that game, I would have called it Letter Find.

Thus, as you can imagine, this Number Find game is similar. The goal? For each participant to find the numbers 0-9 in order. Encourage your children to look on license plates, road signs, and buildings. Numbers are everywhere!

2. What Am I Counting?

This game sounds complicated, but I assure you it is not!

Pick one person to go first.

That person secretly selects an object outside and begins counting every time that object is spotted.

An Example

It’s my turn, and I pick white cars as my secret object. When a white car goes by, I say “One” aloud. A few seconds later, I spy another white car and call out, “Two.”

The goal of everyone else in the car is to figure out what I’m counting. Until they guess correctly, I’ll keep counting out each white car that passes.

This one can be bumped up in difficulty by picking more obscure items – how many 3’s can I count on license plates before someone catches on? How many sets of mailboxes AND paper boxes (together) can I count?

We REALLY like this game!

3. Add 2

One person picks a number to begin this game (To keep it simple, make the starting number between 1-9). The next person adds two to that number and says the sum out loud. (Be sure to use the word sum–math vocabulary is essential!)

The next person has to add 2 and say the sum out loud.

Continue, until you reach a designated number (we like 100).

Skip counting is a precursor to multiplication, and this game makes it enjoyable.

You can easily change it up. Next round, add 3. Or start with a big number and subtract 2.

Mental math practice via a car game for kids!

4. Shape Search

Have you ever noticed how most drawing books talk about how all drawings begin with basic shapes? It’s so true! Look around, because for this game you need some observation skills.

Everyone looks out a window, keeping their eyes open for shapes. Circular manhole cover? Shout out, “Circle!”

Rectangle windows on that semi-truck? Call out, “Rectangle!”

Try to find some more obscure shapes like hearts, rhombuses (diamonds), parallelograms, etc.

Challenge your kids to look for shapes inside of shapes. Maybe the rectangle sign has circles, or they find a triangle inside of a square.

5. How Many ___ Before?”

This game is another one that sounds harder than it is. Honestly, it’ll take longer for me to type it all out than for you to get the rules figured out!

Pick a milestone on your trip. Will you be stopping for lunch in 20 minutes? Is there a rest stop you’ll be hitting in 5 miles?

Ask your kids (and yourself) what they’d like to look for between here and there. Certain cars? Vehicles of a certain color? Tractors? Horses? Encourage them to be creative, and keep their environment in mind.

Now for the math portion. Each player estimates how many of their chosen object they will find by the time the milestone is reached.

Do you think you’ll find 20 convertibles before the rest stop?

Or perhaps three snow plows.

Each person picks an object and estimates a number.

Say, “Go!” and let the counting begin.

When you arrive, see who got the closest to their estimate.

These were simple, but playing games is a great way to engage your children in the car.

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This post was syndicated with permission to BonBon Break Media LLC.

The post 5 Math Games to Play in the Car first appeared on BonBon Break.