Teach Acceptance-Build Confidence

©JudyHWright http://www.judyhwright.com

We all have weaknesses that are hard to accept. Parents, teachers and caring adults see areas that need improvement in children and want to help them build confidence.  The trick is to build confidence and acceptance without criticism and breaking the spirit.

As I have mentioned in previous articles and books, “Soar with Your Strengths.”

Determine which strengths are improvable, get to work on those and manage the rest.  For instance if your child is not good in math, but excels in woodshop, then do everything possible to encourage him in working with wood.  Find a tutor (high school or college student) to assist him in learning math in a way that makes sense for him.

The best way to build confidence and self-esteem is to find things we are good at and enjoy and do more of them.

Here Are Even More Ideas to Build Self-Confidence and Self-Esteem in Kids

Accept Imperfections — in Your Child and Yourself. Rules and high expectations can seem overwhelming to a child, who may not understand that you don’t expect her to be perfect.

One way to reassure her that it’s okay to make mistakes is to let her see you make them—and correct them or apologize.  To do so will model for your child that it is fine to be human and that mistakes are temporary teaching tools.  As we teach and model that mistakes are a part of live and that we can do better next time, it will be comforting  and not an excuse to blame others.

Use Punishment Sparingly. In my work as a parent educator, I have seen parents come down hard on a child for a minor misdeed or oversight.

Major punishment for minor misdeeds makes kids feel helpless; the result is more likely to be a power struggle between parent and child than in a lesson in how life should be lived.

Shame and guilt create confusion and self-doubt.  They are difficult and destructive emotions for all humans to overcome. If your method of discipline is shame, blame or guilt, please go to http://www.DisciplineYesPunishNo.com for many methods that are more effective and don’t break the spirit of the child.

Take or Make Time to Listen. Sometimes it feels impossible to find time to uninterrupted moments to listen to your child.  It is essential for a child to get the opportunity to talk to each parent individually, especially in single-parent, blended or divorced families.  Communicate regularly every single day.

If it is only five minutes before bed, let your child know that time is special and you will not lecture, blame or threaten, but just listen.  Trust me on this one.  You will never be sorry that you did not dismiss a confidence sharing time in order to lecture about dirty clothes on the floor.

Self-Awareness Quiz

1. Do you accept that you will have areas of weakness and strength in your talents? Claim your eBook at http://www.UseEncouragingWords.com to help yourself and others be positive about life.
2. Will you build self-confidence in yourself and your children by concentrating on the strengths and managing the weak areas?
3. Will you take or make time to listen with your heart, ears and eyes when your child is sharing concerns?

About the Author

Judy Helm Wright aka Auntie Artichoke, the storytelling trainer is an author of over 20 books. She speaks internationally on topics of resilience, family relationships and empowerment.  To contact her to speak for your conference or organization call 406-549-9813 or see http://www.judyhwright.com

3 Self-Esteem and Confidence Messages

© Judy Helm Wright http://www.judyhwright.com

Self-esteem and confidence is the most important contribution that a parent or loving adult can make to the life of a child.  The messages received in childhood can build or destroy the self-esteem of a child and they carry over into all interactions as an adult.

Self-esteem and self-confidence are the foundation on which most other personality traits rest and will do more to determine a child’s future than any other single factor.  No matter what economic status, culture or family dynamics are present in childhood, nurturing loved ones have the greatest impact on future life.

3 Tips to Share a Message of High Self-Esteem;

1. Help Them Be Attractive. Although we don’t want to emphasis looks too much, it is a fact of life that others are drawn to those that are attractive and well groomed.  Does that mean that you should have plastic surgery on your daughter’s big ears?  Absolutely not. It means that if she is self-conscious about it, then you can help her choose a flattering haircut.

Help them fit in, with fashion of their friends. This doesn’t mean you need to spend a lot on clothes. One great rule to follow is “spend twice as much, buy half as much”. Rather than buying a bunch of cheap clothes, buy half as many select, high quality items. In long run this decreases spending because expensive clothes wear out less easily and stay in style longer than cheap clothes. Buying less also helps reduce the clutter in your closet.

1. Make eye contact. Poet Mayo Angelou says “Your eyes should light up when your child comes in the room.”  Without realizing it, we use eye contact as a primary means of conveying love, especially to children.  A child uses eye contact with his parents and care givers to feed emotionally.  The more the adults make eye contact with the child as a means of expressing their love and bonding with them, the more the child is nourished emotionally.
2. Practice Kindness and Compassion. We think of self-esteem in terms of empowerment, confidence,
   

   Self-confidence and self-esteem are built when caring adults and parents take time to give positive message of encouragment and love.

   courage and bravery.  Kindness and compassion have a softer side and so we don’t teach these characteristics as often by lecture, but rather by example and modeling. Use encouraging words in dealing with the spirits of those you love and those you come in contact with on a daily basis. Being kind is a very powerful way to make a positive difference in the world and to reflect in the gratitude of others.

Self-Awareness Quiz

• Do you recall the self-esteem messages you received from adults when you were a child?
• Did those messages build high self-esteem and confidence or did they humiliate and demean you?
• Do you use encouraging words in personal communication to build the self-esteem and confidence of others, including children? You will want to claim your free eBook at http://www.useencouragingwords.com

Raise a Confident Kid

©Judy Helm Wright http://www.judyhwright.com

When children have a good relationship with significant adults in their formative years, it will impact and enhance their entire life.  When caring adults strive to make kids feel understood, valued and wanted they become confident and self-assured.

As confident kids feel supported and loved, they do well in school, social activities and community endeavors.  They are happier and more secure and make those around them happier and more secure also.

Confident kids have developed responsiblity and courage. They are able to take safe risks and feel competent and loved.

Confident kids gain several reliable groups of friends and learn to work out differences and handle conflict and disappointment.  As they mature and face the future with courage and self-esteem, we are blessed with a more peaceful home, community and world.

Here are Three Ways to Raise a Confident Kid

1. See them as a capable human being. This message is one that we all want to hear from important and influential people in our lives. Telling a baby he is clever for rolling over, or a seven year old for zipping his jacket when it is cold outside are all messages that say “You are capable.”  Success breeds success and when you have instilled a foundation of confidence in the ability of the child to problem solve, they will be more willing to try harder tasks.
2. Catch them being competent. Everyone likes to be around competent people, especially those who can teach or share with other team members. When you witness your child succeed at a task, yet allow others to participate and take part in the victory, be sure to acknowledge the leadership attributes. While it is important to praise the specific mechanical or technical skill, he or she is developing “soft skills” of interpersonal relationships.
3. Develop Responsibility and Safe Risk Taking. Rights matched with responsibility can encourage confident kids.  As caring adults, you will want to give appropriate and increasing responsibility, such as doing chores and homework in a timely manner.  As a child improves in his responsibility he will feel more comfortable in feeling competent and trust-worthy.  All kids should be encouraged to take safe risks and to widen their arsenal of life skills and talents.

Self-Awareness Quiz

• As a child, I was encouraged to develop responsibility?
• I see myself as a competent adult in at least five areas. List them.
• In order to raise a confident kid, I recognize that developing a supportive relationship and giving kind guidance are important components.

If you have enjoyed this article and it has helped you to be reflective about your role as a parent or caring adult in the life of a confident kid, please leave a comment.  You will also want to gain your free eBook on Using Encouraging Words at http://www.UseEncouragingWords.com You will be glad you did.

© Judy Helm Wright http://www.AskAuntieArtichoke.com

I am entered in a  Ultimate Blog challenge and so rather than work on two (or ten) important projects, I decided it  would be fun to repurpose an eBook I am writing for Kindle and Amazon.

It is titled 77Ways to Build Self-Confident  Kids and hopefully will be available within the month.

Especially if I post every day.

Meanwhile, let’s give you bite-sized pieces and get some feedback. I have neglected this blog to write a book, be in a movie and have a new marvelous grand daughter Autumn.

77 Divided By 31 is What???? 

77 tips on building self-confident kids - Can you think of other ways to increase self-esteem?

Since there are 31 days in January and I have 77 tips, it does not divide easily or evenly.  So some days I will include 2 and some days will see 3, 4, or 5 tips.  That will keep you on your toes and your eye-balls peeled in this direction.

1. Help them to help themselves. Dorothy Canfield Fisher (1879-1958) says “A mother is not a person to lean on but a person to make leaning unnecessary.” If you are still zipping their jacket in elementary school, will you go with them to college?

1. See them as capable human being. This is encouragement we all  want to hear from important and influential people in our lives. Telling a baby he is clever for rolling over, or a seven year old for zipping his jacket when it is cold outside are all messages that say “You are capable.”  Success breeds success and when you have instilled a foundation of confidence in the ability of the child to problem solve, they will be more willing to try harder tasks.

Self-Awareness Quiz

• Do you tell yourself and your children “Good Job” when a difficult task is accomplished?
• Did you know it is more respectful to allow others to help themselves instead of rushing in to “save them” and do the job they are capable of doing.
• How did your parents or other adults build your confidence as a kid?

About The Author

Judy Helm Wright aka “Auntie Artichoke” is an international speaker and author on resiliency and respect.  You will want to claim your eBook on Using Encouraging Words at http://www.useencouragingwords.com

You will be so glad you did.

Home is where your heart is safe. It is the one place you can relax and be authentic. Home is not just walls, floor and bed, but the intangible aspects of your environment that make you feel welcome and blessed. It is, or should be, a refuge from the world.

I am not going to write much about home because it is such a sacred and personal sanctuary. But I will encourage and empower you to be a homemaker, to make a home wherever you may be sleeping and residing.

3 Ways to Rest Well Wherever You Sleep

I have found three simple and yet effective ways to make any house, hotel, campground or friend’s sofa to feel like a welcoming refuge from the world.  Perhaps you can find additional methods of being a home-maker, and making your little corner intimately yours.

1. Use natural fabric for your sheets and pillow case. They will give a subtle comforting feel to your body to remind you to rest well.
2. Tuck a good luck charm or token under your pillow.  Some little touchstone that you can put under the pillow, so you will know the familiar and be soothed back to sleep.
3. Make your bed.  Even if you are staying in the Hilton Towers, smooth the covers up on the bed and express gratitude for the restful night’s sleep.  You will begin your day in a more polished and eager way when you have ended the segment of rest.

You will feel rejuvenated and relaxed as you begin to understand the power of being a maker of a home, or a homemaker where ever you are.

Your Sacred Space

It is my deepest wish for you that you have some space that is all yours. That you have in this space small tokens or experiences that remind you that you are loved and you are safe. When you get to that wonderful space at the end of the day, you can relax, unwind and be your authentic self.

How would you enjoy being this relaxed and confident in your body, your relationships, your workplace and the Universe? Do you feel at home with who you are?

Home is where your heart is. The Dalai Lama has said, “This is my simple religion. There is no need of temples; no need for complicated philosophy.  Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.”

Self-Awareness Quiz

1. What would it feel like in your heart to experience home wherever you go?
2. How do you make wherever you sleep at night feel safe and comforting to you?
3. Does the word “home maker” bring up positive or negative feelings?

We are interested in your comments and feedback. You are welcomed at our community of kind, thoughtful people who want respect for all. Sign up today at http://www.ArtichokePress.com You are free to use this article in your blog or ezine, but please keep the © Judy Helm Wright.  Thank you.

To be a biological parent requires a single act of sex, or even a test tube or petri dish.  A joining of sperm and egg does not a family make.  How you were created is less important than how you were nurtured.

Parents and mentors come in all sizes, ages, sexual orientation and skills.  Many children I have met are parenting their parents.  They have had to assume adult roles in order to give themselves and their siblings any sense of stability.

To be a member of a healthy and nurturing family requires an endless array of complex behaviors, forgiveness, sacrifices, and commitment. It requires that we be very careful of derogatory labels like ”thief” “lazy” “liar” for occasional mistakes.

Kids Need Role Models

Children are the world’s most precious resource. They are the reason that we keep going to work and coming home dead-tired and still find time to play catch. Parents and role models recognize that the children are watching how we live our lives.

The best security blanket for any child is the knowledge that the adults in the family respect him/her and each other.  The choice legacy a family can bestow is unconditional love and forgiveness.

Separate the deed from the doer.  For more guidance on parenting, please see my website for excellent articles, resources and aides.

Families teach us that we can survive the pain of divorce, mental illness, abuse, alcoholism, suicide, unemployment, violence and all the other stuff that happens in life. The functional and flourishing family is most productive when it has goals and values as a unit.

When your family is supportive and respectful of the rights and dreams of each other, it is a wonderful spring-board to life.

Not all families are this loving, respectful group of individuals.  Many are made up of selfish people who put their own needs and desires above the highest good for all.   However, in my work with families, I have found that some of the most emotionally resilient and happiest groups are those who have been made stronger by their trials and tragedies.

How Do Healthy Families Work

Healthy families are not perfect; they may have yelling, bickering, misunderstanding, tension, hurt, and anger - but not all the time.

Dysfunction can be any condition that doesn’t return to normal after a stressful circumstance.  In an emotionally unhealthy home, problems tend to be ongoing. Sometimes for generations the coping mechanism or lack thereof, has been taught and modeled.

In healthy families emotional expression is not just allowed and accepted but encouraged. Family members can freely ask for and give attention. There is unconditional love but boundaries for behavior. Rules remain consistent, but with some flexibility to adapt to needs and particular situations.

Healthy families allow for each member to pursue his or her own interests, and boundaries between individuals are honored. When healthy boundaries and expectations of behavior are established and common courtesy is in place, all members flourish.

Cooperation and communication are effective tools in producing harmony and personal growth for family members.

Self-Awareness Quiz

1. Who was a role model in your family?  Who showed you love and forgiveness?
2. If you are not a parent, can you still influence and encourage children? How?
3. Do you remember a family that seemed emotionally healthy and happy? What did they teach you?

Thank you for being a part of this community of kind, thoughtful people who want respect for all. Be sure and claim your free eBook at http://bouncebackfromanything.com You may reprint this article in your blog but please give credit to Judy Helm Wright, Artichoke Press.com

The mind does not know when you are speaking the truth as it is or you are talking about what you wish were happening. To the mind it is just chatter. It is just as easy to see yourself and the members of your family having positive character traits as to dwell on the failure and disappointment. What you focus on, you get more of.  Shift your mindless chatter to good thoughts and look for the positive traits.

When you reflect back to people who disappointed you in their choices and you worry, stew, and fret about unchangeable circumstances, you are setting up a continual loop of negative self-talk. It takes no more effort to see a positive picture and the end result is more uplifting. You will find more information on catastrophic thinking in the chapter on emotions in the book Out of Balance? Be a Bounce Back Person.

Focus on the best in others, because they really are competent, worthy of your love and respect, when you strip away their anger, fears and insecurities. This allows them the freedom and opportunity to rise to your expectations.

Feedback Not Criticism

By operating from love and gratitude you will begin to see their mistakes as temporary indiscretions or mistakes, not personal attacks on you and your values.

When you correct others (and yourself) focus on the behavior not on the character. Today your son may have taken money from the top of your dresser and it is a fact that the money is gone.  The money is missing and he took it, but that does not mean he is a thief.  It simply means it is time to teach lessons on respecting other people’s property and resisting temptation.

Basically, he is a good kid and knows that it was wrong.  Tell him that he is expected to return the money with interest or mow the lawn for a month to repay the money or some discipline to teach about making better choices.

Stick to your guns and insist that he correct the mistake.  Do not make him the mistake.  If you call him a thief, it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. He will work hard to make that label fit.

It is just as easy to imagine and reinforce positive character traits in yourself and those you care about.  If you see your daughter being bossy and criticize her for being so, she becomes resentful and you become a nag.  If you can say “You are an amazing leader; let me help you to help yourself in finding ways to channel your talent in helping in the community.”

Just as nurturing and nursing a baby will help the physical body to grow and develop, so will nurturing the spirit. Part of your destiny includes helping others to reach theirs.

Self-Awareness Quiz

1. Do you recognize how negative labels can become self-fulfilling prophecies?
2. What do you do to encourage others and yourself?
3. What is the difference between feedback and criticism?

Thank you for sharing your feedback and comments. You are invited to claim your eBook at http://www.bouncebackperson.com You will be very glad you did. You may copy this article for use in a blog or classroom. Please give credit to Judy H. Wright and Artichoke Press.com

Just as nurturing and nursing a baby will help the physical body to grow and develop, so will nurturing the spirit. Part of your destiny includes helping others to reach theirs. You are the farmer and the gardener who will assist the family to develop their full potential.

Affirming kind words and encouraging positive behavior can affect the outcome of a child’s life. Whether you are a parent, teacher, coach, uncle or just kind neighbor, your positive words and actions will support and sustain a small child into a responsible adult.

It is possible to raise positive kids in a negative world.

Healthy Potted Plant

Think of a family as a healthy potted fern. A plant is made up of small individual stems and branches that, as separate entities, appear fragile and unsteady.  From a distance, the whole appears as a mass of green foliage that forms a solid picture and is described as a plant.

If you pulled out one stem and stuck it in a drinking glass, it might very well survive.  But it would look isolated and weak. The leaves would droop with no support or foundation of solid grounding. However, if that stem were resilient and had the right nurturing and assistance, it could form the foundation for another plant.

By growing and developing together, the individual stems gain strength and protection from one another. The plant and the family are healthier and grow more when everyone cooperates and shares both resources and environment. Their roots are intertwined and form a secure foundation that withstands being knocked over and occasionally neglected. Much like your mistakes and disappointments in life, as long as the roots are strong, you can grow again and again.

Nature is a Great Teacher

That is the way of nature. Nature is a wonderful teacher, and I gain hope just watching how plants turn toward the sun. When plants are exposed to light, they always turn toward the light and away from the negative shade if possible. Leaves tilt toward the Sun in order to absorb the greatest amount of positive nurturing possible. They – and I – want the light.

Don’t forget that a plant has spent a lot of time in dirty, dark places before it begins to blossom and expand

How To Be A Good Parent -Parenting Is Coaching

In today’s information age, parents are bombarded with tips, advice, and guidelines even before their children arrive in their arms. Everywhere parents turn, there’s another website, another friend, or another book pushing a different set of rules for how to be a good parent. Confusion is inevitable.
Trying to figure out the exact right way to be a good parent can become an obsession that obscures the real joys of parenting!
Trust Your Gut- But Get Assistance

Parenting is a big job! Listen and learn from successful families. Mentor your child to be a healthy, self-sufficient responsible adult.

You are the best expert on how to parent your child. But……….everyone needs tools to become a better parent and person.  If you grew up in a dysfunctional home or lack parenting skills, go to parenting classes, seek professional help or ask successful families that you know how to parent.
As a parent, you are more than a babysitter. To your children, you are a life mentor, supporter, coach, and guide. You do more than keep your child alive: you teach your child how to live. You are a specialist in your own lifestyle and have seen much of what works and a lot of techniques that are not healthy.
Don’t be shy about sharing your knowledge with your children! In our family, life always ran smother when we had family meetings and could discuss in a democratic way what was going on in life.  For an outline on Family Councils, see http://www.kidschoresandmore.com
Don’t Try To Be Perfect- Just Be Present
The perfect parent does not always have dinner on the table at six. The perfect parent does not always serve the healthiest option available. The perfect parent does not always know what to say. The perfect parent does not exist!
Families can do fine as long as the rules and boundaries are fair and consistent. If there is a foundation of unconditional love and forgiveness, then families will thrive, not just survive.
Rather than draining all of your energies as a parent in attempts to meet the standards others set for you, realize that the real answers to being a good parent lie within you. Spend time with your children listening and sharing and you will develop your own parenting style.
Mentor and Teacher–Not BabySitter

We are coaches, supporters, guides, and mentors to our children.
A football coach does not try to mentor children in French, yet many type B parents, encouraged by friends or media, try to teach their children to live a type A lifestyle. This is counter-intuitive and ultimately leads to frustration and confusion for both child and parent.
Like any other coach, mentor, or guide, a good parent teaches what he or she knows and admits what he or she doesn’t know.  You will be amazed at what your child will teach you.  They have a much less jaded prospective on life and can not only smell the roses but see the little Lady bugs.
Your best parenting style will be an extension of your own personal style.
Allow your personality, and that of your child, to guide you as you decide which parenting suggestions will work best for you. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Try new ideas. Reject the ones that don’t work for you or your child, and make the ones that do a  consistent part of your routine.

Self Awareness Quiz

1. What is some parenting advice that didn’t work for me and my child? What is some advice that did work?

2. What parenting methods from my past do I want to change or modify?

3. What are my goals as a parent?  How can we function best as a family?
Thanks for joining us today and sharing time learning new methods of parenting and family life.  This is the most important work you will ever do in your life. Enjoy your family and allow your child to enjoy you.
This article is written by Judy Helm Wright, life educator @ http://www.ArtichokePress.com You may have permission to use in your blog, ezine or offline magazine. Please keep contact information and content intact.

Thank You.

51 ways to have fun with your family this summer for little or no money…

• Take a hike. Go around the block, up the mountain, down the trail
  or under the elm trees. Ideally, we should all be walking 10,000 steps
  a day.
• Ride bikes. If the adults don’t have bikes, borrow them from the neighbor kids.
• Have
  a scavenger hunt. Divide in teams and look for items in your house,
  yard or neighborhood that begin with the first letter of your name.
• Have
  a treasure hunt. An adult hides clues all over the neighborhood and the
  rest of the family searches for them and a treasure that everyone can
  enjoy.
• Hide coins in a room or area you want to have
  thoroughly cleaned. As the family finds the coins they are deposited in
  a hat and then used to buy movie tickets for the matinee or ice cream
  for everyone.
• Have a garage sale. It not only cleans out
  closets, but it helps the kids with math, sorting, organizing, selling,
  negotiating and making change.
• Plant a garden. If you don’t
  have room either plant a flower box or planter with a tomato plant in
  the middle and lettuce around the edge. You will grow your own salad
  all summer.
• Have a sleep out in the back yard.
• Build
  a birdhouse. Check with your local building store about free clinics
  for the kids. Home Depot offers one every other Saturday, so sign up
  early.
• Build a tree house. This is a wonderful family
  project that incorporates lots of life skills in the planning and
  executing of a hideout in the branches of a big old tree in your yard!
  A real memory maker.
• Play hopscotch. Draw the grid on the sidewalk and challenge your child to see who can win by balancing on one foot.
• Play tag, Red Rover, hide and seek, kickball or just run around and chase each other.
• Teach each other how to dance the “in” dance of your generation.
• Jump rope.
• Put on a play. Invite the neighborhood
• Write life stories.
• Build a model.
• Start a collection.
• Restore an old car.
• Paint a mural on the garage.
• Write
  thank you notes to public officials who make your community safe and a
  great place to live: firemen, police, teachers, principals, mayors etc.
• Serve food at the homeless shelter.
• Gather food for the food pantry in your community.
• Pick up litter along a stretch of road.
• Visit a national monument.
• Go fishing.
• Dig worms, use them for fishing and put the rest back in the earth to make better soil for your garden.
• Have a picnic at a free band concert in the park.
• Volunteer to usher at a play or music recital and get in free.
• Shoot some hoops with the kids at the schoolyard.
• Check
  out videos at the library. Or check out an audio book and listen to it
  together while you drive. Be sure to talk about it afterward, so that
  you can discuss the issues and ideas it sparked.
• Learn to crochet, knit or do needlework. Don’t know how? Ask a neighbor to teach you.
• Spend the day working in the yard of an elderly neighbor.
• Visit the nursing homes and listen to the stories of the elders there.
• Take a walk through the cemetery and remember the people who used to live in your community.
• Easter
  egg hunt. No matter what time of year, it is always fun to find the
  colored eggs. Fill them with coupons, candy or coins for a visit to the
  ice cream store.
• Pipe Cleaner People. Give everyone a
  package of pipe cleaners and them make up a family, including animals
  and then tell a story.
• Build a fort with blankets, clothespins and a clothesline. Or drape blankets over the backs of chairs.
• Run through the sprinkler.
• Water fights are some of the funniest summer fun. Now there are water balls made from sponge that are a blast to splat!
• Board
  games are always enjoyable, if everyone can remember the object is to
  have fun not compete for who wins the most. Remember, what we are
  aiming for is communication, not competition.
• Card games
  are a great pastime for all family members. Games like “Go Fish”
  “Hearts” and “Uno” are fun for everyone over six years old. Even three
  year olds love “Old Maid.”
  A wonderful memory game made with photos
  of family was a favorite for years with our children. We had duplicate
  snapshots made of family members and then laminated each one on the
  back of a playing card. When they were shuffled and laid facedown, each
  player had a turn trying to remember where the matching pairs would be.
  .
• Make your own piñata. Cover a large balloon with strips
  of newspaper dipped in a mixture of flour, water and white glue. Allow
  the strips to dry before making another layer. This is a long process,
  so be prepared for a mess for a week or so.
• Work on projects to enter in the fair. Entries may receive a blue ribbon!
• Read a book together. Take turns reading each chapter or page.
• Do a jigsaw puzzle. Leave it out for a while so the whole family can work on it.
• Buy coloring books and new crayons at the dollar store. Everyone color and have an art show.
• Drive down side roads and see what you have been missing.
• Go swimming in the creek, river, ocean or plastic pool in the backyard.
• Watch
  the sunset together and count your blessings. Always end every day on a
  positive note and nothing makes you more grateful that recognizing how
  blessed and fortunate you are to have a group of people who love you
  unconditionally. Tell each other thank you often. 

  For more ideas order the booklet: Playful Parenting, More Than Just Fun & Games from www.ArtichokePress.com