Long gone are the days of spontaneity, where you could decide last minute that tonight is date night or drop everything to meet up with a friend for coffee. Being a parent requires you to spend a lot more time planning your outings, and one of the biggest hurdles is finding child care.
Many times it’s hard to find a sitter, it’s not in your budget or you just aren’t comfortable leaving your kiddos under someone else’s watch. Whatever the case may be, don’t presume adult or spouse time is a thing of the past. Instead, incorporate your children into your plans. Seem impossible? No way! We’ve compiled a list of activities to keep little ones busy while you enjoy that much-needed one-on-one adult time.
Date Night or Couples Night
Whether it’s a romantic evening at home or having company over, the objective is to keep the kiddos entertained so you can exchange some sort of intellectual dialogue that won’t be interrupted every two minutes by “MOM!”
Crafting Stations: Cut and prepare pre-assembled crafts for them to do. You can get free coloring printables online and look to Pinterest for some creative ideas.
Lights, Camera, Action!: Prompt kids to write their own story/play and put on a production, including props and costumes. They will love having an audience for their performance.
Obstacle Course: Set up tunnels, cones they have to jump over, beanbags to toss and sequence shapes to step on. Your options are endless. Don’t feel like you have to buy special items for this activity—get creative with what you have, whether it’s inside or out. “Obstacle courses are our go-to activity when we have people over,” Darren Wilks, Overland Park, says. “It keeps them entertained and it burns off energy so they are ready for an early bed.”
Treasure Hunt: Write clues on sticky notes that will lead them through the house or yard to their next spot. It’s your choice to have little treats along the way or a big treasure at the end.
Drive-In Movie: Decorate boxes into cars so they can “drive” into the movie. Supply them with play money and set up a concession stand so they can purchase snacks during the feature film.
Campout: Make a tent or fort to camp out in. Supply them with snacks, flashlights, pillows/sleeping bags and a pretend scenario of where they are camping. Later, help them roast marshmallows and tell ghost stories before tucking them in for the evening.
Family Restaurant: Set up a pretend restaurant equipped with menus and place settings. Have the children dress up to take your order, prepare your meals and refill your drinks. “We gave our son cooked noodles, corn-on-the-cob and a bottle of water to play with in his pretend kitchen while we had a make up anniversary dinner,” says Sybill McDowell, Gardner. “He kept himself entertained for 45 minutes!”
Game Night: If you are hosting a poker night or game night for couples, make the kids feel a part of it, as well. Set up age-appropriate board games or cards for them to play, too.
Girls Day Out
It can be almost impossible to finish a complete sentence or conversation with your girlfriend while chasing your little one around on the playground. Here are a few places and ideas to turn your play dates into actual girl time.
Shop: Take your little ones shopping with you. Sounds crazy, right? Not really, especially if you are able to confine them to a stroller or shopping cart. “I meet one of my girlfriends once a week at Target. Sometimes we shop, but what we really love is getting out,” Melissa Owens, Leawood, says. “Putting them in a buggy makes it easier for us to enjoy our time together.” Malls like Oak Park or the Great Mall have child play areas for kids to romp around while you can sit and catch up with one another.
Get Physical!: Get moving around the block with your strollers, speed walk to the park or host a Zumba exercise party in your living room. This is a great time to bond with friends, get in shape and burn off some steam.
Play Places: Utilize play places around town like McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A and Burger King. Usually these places have seating areas in close range and are enclosed, so there will be less chasing going on and more talking amongst friends. Remember to bring hand sanitizer!
Bookstores: Barnes & Noble, Borders and other bookstores in the area have great kid areas for your little ones to explore. They can entertain themselves with the books, make believe on the stages or play with other toys supplied by the store. After catching a story time, make it a point to get together with a fellow mom while the kids play.
Jennifer Duxbury is a SAHM from Olathe who is expecting her second child and is making grown-up time a priority right now while she can!