| Family concert
Have a family concert. Each person could make up a song, dance or skit and
perform it to the rest of the family.
Swap stories
Ask your Mum or Dad to tell you a story about something special you did
when you were little. Find out a story about their childhood too. You could tell
them about some of the special things you remember.
Breakfast in the park
Pack a simple breakfast, like muffins, yoghurt, fruit, and juice or water,
invite family and friends and head to the nearest park. Let the kids run and
play or if you prefer you can use the opportunity to play some outdoor games.
Breakfast in bed
Get Mum or Dad to make you an extra special breakfast in bed (for instance,
a bowl of cereal decorated with fruit in the shape of a happy face).
NZ Idol
Hold your own NZ Idol show. Pick one or two family members to be the judges
and let the rest compete to see who will be the next NZ Idol. To make the show
more real, you could even try using a karaoke machine or microphone.
Plant a special Children's Day flower or tree
How about planting something together in honour of Children's Day? You
could enjoy watching it grow Children's Day after Children's Day!
Get outdoors
Go on an adventure outdoors with the family. Take advantage of some of the
great national parks and hiking tracks and spend your day hiking, exploring, and
picnicking. Even if it's raining, throw on your raincoats and gumboots and
splash in the puddles.
Head for the beach
If there's a beach near you why not pack a family picnic and head off for
the day? You could make shaped sandcastles and pretend to be Hector's Dolphins
diving in and out of the sea. If you're very lucky you may even spot a real one!
Almost all swim the east, west and south coast waters of the South Island.
Remember to be water safe and
sun safe.
Camp out in the back yard
Pitch your tent in the back yard and roast marshmallows over the coals of a
charcoal grill. You can tell ghost stories and if it's a clear night try to spot
some of the major constellations in the sky.
Family movie and photo session
The evening might be a good time for watching old family movies (if you
have some) or looking through family photos and reminiscing.
Board game challenge
Play your favourite board game together as a family.
Family fun contest
Plan a family fun contest some time during the day or in the evening.
Competitions should be something that everyone can participate in. Here are some
ideas:
- Balance contest – you need two tin cans and a length of string. Set the cans
two-feet apart, each person stand with one foot on the can, holding one end of
the string in their hand. At the count of three, each challenger tries to
unbalance their opponent by pulling on the string.
- The longest apple peel – you need an apple and a vegetable peeler. Each person
peels an apple, then measure who has the longest unbroken peel.
- Coin spinning – see whose coin spins the longest. Make sure to give everyone a
few practice spins.
- Blink challenge – stare at each other and see who blinks first.
- Laugh-a-thon – try to make opponents laugh by cracking jokes and making faces.
- House of cards – who can build the biggest house of cards.
- Jump rope – who can skip the longest?
- Handstands – who can stay up in the air the longest?
Note: you can make up your own competitions to add to this list. Younger children
should get a point advantage so it is fair for everybody.
Organise your own Children's Day event
You might have a great idea for celebrating Children's Day in your
community, such as a street party for your neighbourhood or games in the park
with your friends' younger brothers and sisters. Why not form your own
Children's Day event planning team and dream up something exciting? For help or
advice contact the
Children's Day team.
Play games with your parents or grandparents
Ask your parents or grandparents what games they used to play when they
were your age. Play them together!
Invent your own Children's Day board game
Why not try inventing your own board game that the whole family can play on
Children's Day? Your only limit is your imagination!
Play sport in the park
Get a group of friends and adults together and play a game in the park,
such as cricket or soccer.
Go for a bike ride with the whole family
Get on your bikes and ride to your favourite place for a picnic.
Write a book of short stories
Write a small book of short stories with your family about what it is like
growing up in New Zealand. Photos of your family, neighbourhood and friends
could bring the pages to life.
Do the Children's Day quiz
Parents, how well do you know your child?
Test yourself and find out. |
