Spending time with your children is an essential part of their development and emotional well-being. Keeping your children entertained while spending time together may seem like an overwhelming task. This is particularly true if you have children in various age groups.

Fortunately, there are many family-friendly activities that you can partake in with your entire family. The ideas mentioned in this article are suitable for young children and teenagers alike. Consider some of the ideas mentioned here when you are planning your next family fun day.

During warmer months, camping is an excellent activity to partake in with your whole family. It is inexpensive and gives you and your loved ones a chance to enjoy the great outdoors. Camping can be both exciting and relaxing at the same time. Look for campgrounds in your area, or plan a road trip to make things even more interesting.

If you have older children, consider looking for campgrounds that offer activities like paddle boating or canoeing. These activities are exciting for pre-teens and teenagers and give them a chance to do something adventurous and fun. Make sure to bring along child-friendly materials for your younger children to use. For example, you may want to let them pick out their own flashlights or camping gear. This gets them excited about the adventure that awaits them.

Another fun and engaging nature-related activity you may consider is visiting a botanical garden. These gardens are full of beautiful flowers and other wildlife you may not commonly see. Botanical gardens can be very engaging for young children and teenagers alike. Most of these gardens are fairly inexpensive to visit. Butterfly houses are a similar concept to botanical gardens. They offer you a chance to see beautiful creatures in an exciting environment.

If the facility permits it, encourage your older children to take photos of what they see. This may keep them engaged and enthusiastic about your family outing. You may also encourage younger children to draw pictures or write about what they see. Provide them with a small sketchpad or coloring book for them to document their favorite parts of the outing. Prior to visiting a botanical garden or butterfly house, check out their websites to see if they are hosting any special events. This can make your outing even more unique and enjoyable.

Small and simple spur of the moment activities are also wonderful ways to spend time with loved ones. You may simply plan a picnic at the park or visit the local swimming pool. Activities like these may seem trivial, but they create lasting memories for children of all ages. If you feel like doing something spontaneous, consider sharing these ideas with your children and getting their input.

Overall, you have many different options when it comes to fun things to do with your children. You simply have to get creative and think outside the box. Family fun does not have to be expensive or overly time-consuming. These are just a few of the many family activities you can consider when planning an upcoming family get-together.

Caring for a dog can benefit children in many ways such as teaching them responsibility, boosting self-esteem, enhancing social skills and helping them to be co-operative and share. No matter what kind of dog you have, children should be taught to treat the dog gently.

In addition, the dog should be taught that the rest of the family are the pack leaders. Dogs are a wonderful addition to the family and bring a lot of happiness to every member of the household.

Being a parent is difficult. I recently wrote about trampoline safety.

Labrador Retriever

One of the world’s most popular breed of dogs, the lab is well known to have a friendly nature and is one of the best family dogs. They are very intelligent, patient and gentle dogs that need a lot of love and exercise to keep them happy and healthy.
Golden Retrievers- Similar to the lab with a longer coat, the golden retriever is a confident, smart and loving breed. They need a lot of exercise, love to play and are very patient, making them perfect with kids.

Bulldog

You may not believe it, but these little muscle machines are one of the perfect dogs for kids. They are very docile, friendly and loyal forming bonds with children very quickly, plus they are sturdy enough to handle whatever the kids may throw. However, the bulldog is not the most energetic dog so if you are looking for a dog to take on bike rides and hikes on the weekend, a different breed may be preferable.

Irish Setter

These beautiful red giants are playful and love being around people. They do need a lot of exercises but play very well with children and are very smart so can be trained well.

Poodle

Miniature poodles are not the best around children as they are fragile and high strung. The larger versions of this breed are smart, caring and loyal dogs that rarely get bored or annoyed. Poodles love to learn new tricks or play endless games of fetch with the children. They also shed very little so are perfect for kids with allergies, though it must be groomed.

Newfoundland

This sweet large dog is like a giant teddy bear and will be loved by everyone. Acting as a big babysitter, the Newfoundland loves children, is very protective of them and is very gentle, kind and patient.

Collie

Made famous by Lassie, the Collie is easily trained and very gentle with the whole family. They are very loyal to the family and only want to please their owners.

There are many other breeds that are great with children, and most dogs are gentle as long as they have been brought up in a loving home. It is best to check the size and energy levels of the dog before you bring it home.

Additional Resources

• Pet MD

There has been a long-term debate over trampolines with experts warning not to have them at home and parents arguing there is no better way for children to enjoy the outdoors while exercising and having fun. Many medical groups have however said that the risk of injury for children and adolescents using trampolines at home is very high, including fractures and head, neck and spine injuries.

In my opinion trampolines are safe as long as children are watched by the parents and aware of the dangers so that they will be careful. The safety nets and padding that come with trampolines can help but do not replace the supervision of an adult. Most people do not set up the safety net enclosures correctly, and this can provide the children with a false sense of protection, so it is important that an adult is there just in case. The trampoline frame,

The trampoline frame, springs and surrounding landing surfaces should be covered by shock absorbing pads for extra protection. If the trampoline has a ladder, remove it when not in use to prevent the kids using it when you are not around or unaware. All equipment should regularly be checked for damage and tears, do not use it until everything is repaired.

It is recommended that kids under 6 do not use larger trampolines, and I agree with this. They are much lighter and have less coordination and balance which could lead to injuries. Most injuries happened from trampolines when there was more than one person jumping.

There should always only be one person at a time on the trampoline otherwise the lightest person has a high risk of injury.

The trampoline should be positioned on a soft, level surface, so it is balanced yet not dangerous on a hard surface. It should be nowhere near trees, fences or other dangerous hazards that are within reach. Children should not try somersaults unless they have been trained to do so and should never jump off the trampoline or climb underneath it.

I think children are completely safe if they are watched over by an adult. It is a great way to spend some quality time in the outdoors having fun together, plus it will tire them out quickly so they will be calmer later on.