Free Activities Single Working Parents can do with their Kids
Being a single working parent is hard work. All day you’re at the office working hard so that you can come home and give your children the love and attention they deserve. However, it’s not always that easy. Finding the balance between saving money for your family and doing fun activities for everyone is hard to do, especially if you’re a single working parent.
The following is a list of fun activities, most of which you never have to leave the comfort of your own home to do. All of these activities are free and use items in the house. A lot of them are green friendly as well. They’ve been separated into categories based on the age of the child. A lot of single working parents are so busy with the work they bring home; they forget the little activities kids like to do. Even the teenagers who swear they’d rather just watch T.V. want to spend some sort of bonding time with their parents. You may just find yourself having a great time as well.
Toddlers/Young Children
- Build a tent with sheets and couch cushions
- Read a book together. Take turns reading!
- Listen to a book on tape while playing in the bathtub
- Play with a toy they usually play with on their own: a videogame, legos, dolls, etc.
- Go to the park
- Sit outside and watch the stars
- Give each other new hair dos.
- Teach them how to cook small things
- Plant seeds with something you’ve eaten like watermelon or apples
- Wash the car together
Tweens/Teenager
- Paint your toes together—give each other manicures and pedicures
- Create kitchen science projects with ideas from the web with ingredients from the kitchen
- Ask them to educate you—how to play a certain video game, update you on the latest drama on one of their favorite T.V. shows, etc.
- Rearrange the bedroom furniture
- Go to the park
- Sit outside and watch the stars
- Teach them how to play solitaire or chess
- Visit a free museum or zoo
- Teach your dog new tricks together
These activities and exercises are great ways to keep a nice balance between work and the rest of the world. Your children are a great way to keep a balance, but there are plenty of other ways too. To find out more, check out our Work-Balance page!
There are countless other activities to do with your children, all of which single working parents are fully capable of doing. For a complete list of activities check out About.com’s 101 Absolutely Free Kids Activities article.
Source: About.com Single Parents
