100 creative kickstarters for families

this is a project i have been working on for a long time, mostly in my journal. these are things we have done with great fun together with our kids. i expect i will write more elaborate posts on many of them in the future - but in the meantime, i think you get the idea of what we were trying for. there is a link at the bottom for a printer friendly version of this. and as always, please share your family's kickstarters! i would love to hear what you do.

1. say “yes” more than “no”

2. let your kids wear whatever they want

3. keep money in your pocket to do photo booths more often than not

4. do play doh and sculpty together

5. throw a party for a mundane reason (like it’s Tuesday)

6. read and believe in fairy tales

7. make seed bombs

8. cook together. alot.

9. skip school and eat breakfast at the oldest diner in your town

10. conduct a taste test (on apples, cheese, candy, whatever...)

11. eat by candle light

12. throw some food coloring and glow sticks into the bath tub

13. make (and photograph) a detailed time line of one day

14. create a set of family paper dolls

15. write a family manifesto (or at least a motto)

16. freeze things in ice and play with them (flowers, toys, beads...)

17. make lemonade from scratch

18. paint a wall in your house with chalkboard paint

19. go on a texture hike. make rubbings along the way

20. organize a museum exhibition in your dining room

21. write the front page to your family’s newspaper

22. take apart electronics

23. play board games together

24. make your own board game with elaborate and changing rules

25. throw a bunch of boxes and a few rolls of duct tape in the yard with a gaggle of kids

26. walk in the rain. on purpose

27. make a little altar somewhere in your house

28. explore vintage media (slide projectors, record players, film strips...)

29. make a hopscotch inside with painters tape

30. learn 5 native trees/birds/flowers/butterflies

31. act out your favorite scene from a book

32. have a weekly movie night

33. make a fort

34. blow bubbles inside

35. make some environmental art

35 1/2. go to the hardware store and let the kids look at everything they want for as long as it takes

36. have a fabric bin available

37. think of  a random act of kindness and do it together

38. serve breakfast cereal from huge mixing bowls with big ladles

39. volunteer somewhere together

40. blow up a bunch of balloons for your kids to find when they wake up

41. take turns doing a puppet show for each other

42. create a club, complete with membership cards and t shirts

43. give each kid a roll of crepe paper - see what happens

44. create fancy drinks

45. make vision or wish boards together

46. read lengthy chapter books. every night

47. make some big public art together

48. wrap up small gifts and leave at the breakfast table for NO REASON

49. put candles in your meal and blow them out

50. write a song together

51. buy dress up clothes at goodwill

52. make masking table and newspaper sculptures

53. eat popcorn for dinner

54. take a class together in something new

55. gather and spend some time practicing your signatures together

56. chalk quotes in public places

57. find one free event in the paper and go - no matter what it is

58. tell a story about when you were a kid

59. plan some inter generational field trips

60. if your kids are older, bring out all the blocks and build together

61. buy dry ice, put it in the sink for a foggy bath

62. make a family flag

63. visit a local museum and then go home and make art inspired by the trip

64. get in the habit of talking to strangers

65. play a video game with your kids

66. lay on a blanket outside, eat popsicles and look at the sky

67. learn a parlor game

68. give your kids all the laundry baskets in the house to play with

69. spend the whole day in your pajamas

70. go canoeing or kayaking

71. buy a birthday cake from the grocery store and have something weird written on it

72. get a microscope and look at stuff under it

73. go to yard sales together

74. make a time capsule and bury it somewhere

75. eat at a new restaurant

76. have everyone in the family wear a hat or scarf or gloves when you go to an event

77. dig a hole

78. play with fire

79. draw comic strips

80. decorate your bikes with crepe paper and have a parade

81. write a letter to a business complaining about or complementing their work

82. raise butterflies, tadpoles, grubs...

83. get lost together

84. design your dream house with the Ikea catalog and old magazines

85. camp

86. ride public transportation

87. have an impromptu dance party

88. visit a skate park

89. stock up on cheap beans, flour, rice, herbs for a sensory pantry

90. visit a local nursery, give each kid a few bucks to buys a plant that speaks to them

91. create a map of an invented land, design the government, money, flag, national costume...

92. send a message in a bottle

93. take an oral history of a family member

94. paint everyone’s toenails - even dad’s

95. go to a local fair that celebrates a harvest (garlic fest, strawberry fest...)

96. research your favorite candy/food/drink/car

97. grow mushrooms from a kit

98. visit the farmer’s market and give each kid a few bucks to buy a fruit or veg of their choice

99. learn a song in another language

100. start your own list of adventurous things your family has done or is planning to do - share...

you can print out a copy here.