10 Fun Things to do With Your Children - Pretend Play

If you are like me, you sometimes struggle to keep your kids entertained. When my boys are bored, sometimes I let them be bored. Other times, we rack our brains to come up with something "fun" to do. To save you from having these moments, I have complied a list of fun things to do with your kids! I will list 10 of our favorites each week.

This week is all about pretend play.

1. Play "horsey" - This is a favorite with my boys. There is so many different options in this one. You could be race horses ( this is C's favorite). You could live in a barn. You could be wild horses. Or they could just ride you around the living room.
2. Form a band - Anything goes as instruments. We've used pots and pans, empty boxes, chairs and play drums. To add to it, have them make marching band hats and make a parade! We will make hats, take our instruments and go for a march around the block. We get lots of comments on how cute they are and the boys have tons of fun.
3. Play zoo - We have a ton of stuff animals all over the house. Gather some up, put them in "cages" and let your child be the zoo keeper. Have them tell you all about the animal, what they eat, and where they really live. You could have a petting zoo where you get to touch all the zoo animals.
4. Throw a birthday party - Does your child have a "lovey"? Mine do. Throw a party for them! Wrap up some presents - odds and ends that you have laying around, make a cake (or pretend) and have fun!
5. Play Lego's - my boys can spend hours building little towns with firehouses, post offices and police stations. We have Lego cars, Lego people and Lego animals. Everything needed to build Lego towns!
6. Camp out inside  - throw up a tent, have hot dogs for lunch (or dinner) make s'mores and tell stories!
7. Play restaurant - Use your play kitchen (or if you don't have one, use the real kitchen!) Have customers, and a chef/waiter. Let your child write down what you want to eat and then "cook" it! This game lasts for hours at our house!
8. Build a fort - Gather sheets, blankets, pillows, chairs, couches, whatever you got to make the biggest coolest fort. One time, we just built a tunnel with chairs and blankets and crawled through. It was the most fun we had that week. :)
9. Play puppets - Put on a puppet show. If you don't have a stage, make one out of cardboard!
10. Play school - Take turns being the teacher and the student. Teach each other stuff. Have recess. They'll love being the teacher, especially if you have a chalk board or a white board they can draw on.

Hopefully these ideas will keep you and your little ones busy! They work for me! Don't forget to check back next week for more fun things to do with your kids!