10 Simple Ways to Delight Your Kids

Making lasting memories with your kids doesn’t have to take much time or cost a lot of money. I asked some of my favorite writers for Inner Child Fun Media to share their best tips for how they make ordinary moments with their kids into treasured memories. Be sure to follow their blogs below for even more inspiring ideas!

10 Simple Ways to Delight Your Kids

1. Make the Most of Small Moments

“To delight my delightful children, I give them each a Lego Mystery Figure pack, take them on an “After School Adventure,” color their bath water with liquid watercolors, or simply relax with them on the couch during a cartoon!” — Melissa at Fireflies and Mud Pies

2. Humor Them

“Be silly! Doing something fun and unexpected always makes my kids giggle!” — Megan at Coffee Cups and Crayons

“We too love to be silly! The kids love it when we tell jokes or use funny voices…in general, they just love it when we act like kids ourselves! That, and dance parties!” — Jane at BuzzMills

3. Read Together

“Reading together is my favorite simple way to delight my child. She will curl up for hours and now that she is starting to read herself, it is amazing to watch her excitement as she decodes.” — Becky at Crafty Garden Mama

“I also like to read extra books at nap time and bedtime and snuggle under the covers.” — Sara at My Merry Messy Life

4. Meal Time Fun

“I keep a mason jar filled with colorful stripey straws on the kitchen counter. Every meal we’ve had has been made instantly more fun because of them. The girls take turns picking out straws for each other and we constantly hear squeals of delight: “You chose my favorite color!”” — Tiffany at Peanut Blossom

5. Write a Note

“My daughter and I exchange notes frequently…in the lunchbox, we have mailboxes to each other in the house, I leave them on pillows if I’m traveling, etc. I just put up the paper chain I made for her birthday countdown & even put notes on it. I pick up note cards at places like Marshalls – wherever I find cute, but inexpensive & we make them too. Just fun – I keep ALL of them in a box on my desk. It’s one of my most prized treasures” — Jodie at JodieFitz.com

6. One-on-One Time

“I love spending one-on-one time with each of my kids. Whether it is spending time at home reading or watching a movie together, baking cookies, or taking a walk and having a great conversation… Simple time spent sharing each other’s company is an A+ in my book!” — Jessica at All She Cooks

7. Do a Craft Together

“They love, love, love it when I sit down to draw, paint or craft along with them (and I do too!)” — Jane at BuzzMills

8. Make Up a Game and Play

“My kids love when I make up a game and play with them. Just today we decided to stack up a bunch of cardboard blocks and knock them over with balls and kick them with our feet.” — Sara at My Merry Messy Life

9. Really Listen

“My favorite way to delight my son is to listen to him and take personal interest in his passions. His face always lights up when I let him know that I’m listening and want to hear all about his interests.” — Joyce at Childhood Beckons

10. Build a Pillow Fort Together

“I love building forts out of couch cushions to surprise the kids at the end of a long day. Such a simple thing, but it never fails to make them smile!” — Valerie at Inner Child Fun

Other Simple Ways to Delight Your Kids:

• 50 Questions to Ask Kids (Plus Free Printable) — Crayon Freckles
• 10 Creative Ways to Make Time for Your Kids — Inner Child Fun
• 5 Ways to Pamper Your Children — Collecting the Moments… One by One
• Your Guide to Amazing Recipes for PLAY — Inner Child Fun
• 5 Simple Ways to Be Kind to Your Family — Inner Child Fun
• 10 Simple Ways to Make Your Child’s Day — Childhood Beckons