|
Activity Ideas
Match Resources » Activity Ideas
WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH MY LITTLE?
For all ages!- Surprise your Little by celebrating his/her half birthday.
- Make a thin layer of Jell-O and carve it into letters, numbers, figures etc.
- Together, write a family newspaper for friends and relatives.
- Take a walk together with a memento bag and collect interesting leaves, rocks or junk.
- Go to the bank and open a savings account for him or her.
- Design a Christmas card together.
- Make a bug cage and catch bugs together.
- Eat lunch with him/her at school.
- Teach him/her to weave a ring out of grass.
- Paint graffiti on the walls of a room a few days before it is repainted.
- Buy 10 shares of stock in an inexpensive company that he/she will recognize and watch it make or lose money.
- Look up new words in a dictionary.
- Use a globe to locate friends, travel destinations and current events together.
- Go on a sound scavenger hunt with a tape recorder.
- Work together to make a collage of his/her life with pictures cut from magazines.
- Make giant soap bubbles.
- Plan a vacation together--imaginary or real.
- Roast marshmallows with toothpicks over the flame of a candle.
- Learn a simple magic trick to amaze him/her and their friends.
- Show him/her your picture from your high school yearbook.
- Paint an original T-shirt for a special occasion.
- Go for a walk through a hardware store and explain the function of various tools.
- Compliment your Little's character and skill three times for every one compliment on his/her appearance.
- On a one-foot square of grass, find all the living things that are visible in that space.
- On his/her birthday, ask your Little to lie on butcher paper and trace around him/her. Repeat the process each year to show how much he/she has grown.
- Learn to count to 10 in a foreign language.
- Write a letter to your Little on your anniversary telling what you've noticed about him/her in the last year.
- Have an art show of his/her masterpieces. Invite your friends and relatives to come and buy original, signed art work. Set low prices so everything will sell.
- Practice filling out applications for everything.
- Help your Little make a list of all the people who love him/her.
- Look through a clothing catalog and ask what he/she likes and doesn't like. Explain what is becoming of a young lady or gentleman and what is not.
- Explore the attic together.
- Paint a special message for his/her mother on a wooden cutting board.
- Make a calendar of the big events of his/her year.
- Make snow angels.
- Write a poem about him/her and read it on a special occasion.
- Feed the birds.
- Look through a book of house plans and help him/her pick out a dream home.
- Help him/her write a letter to the author of a book she really likes.
- Buy him/her a rubber stamp or stickers with his/her name and address on them.
- Start a coin or stamp collection.
- Teach him or her a big word.
- Get a book of animal tracks and explore a pond or trail together to see what animals live in the area.
- Put colored water in a two-liter bottle. Connect another to it like an hourglass and turn it over. Give it a swirl and you will create a tornado in a bottle.
- Go on a camera scavenger hunt together. Make a list of things you want pictures of before the hunt. Let him/her take the pictures.
- Tape record messages to send to grandparents or other loved ones who do not live nearby.
- Help him/her stencil a border pattern around the top of a wall.
- Go on a newspaper scavenger hunt. Give him/her a list of 10 to 20 items to find in a newspaper.
- Read biographies of people who did great things and let your Little know they were no different from him/her.
- Make a weather board. Put a few hooks on a small board. Prepare tags with numbers and a few key words. Show him/her how to track temperature and weather conditions each morning before school.
- Learn to program a computer in BASIC language.
- Finger paint with chocolate, lemon or strawberry pudding.
- Make mini-pizzas using English muffins topped with pizza sauce, cheese and pepperoni.
- Make maracas by covering light bulbs with layers of paper-mache. When they dry, gently break the glass and paint them.
- Help compose a letter to your Little's Congressional representative regarding an issue of importance to your Little.
- Invite him/her to sell old toys and clothes at your garage sale.
- Check out a tree identification book from the library and discover which ones are in your neighborhood.
- Using the letters from a long word, see how many smaller words you can create.
- Train together and participate in a one-K fun run.
- Role play meeting new people so he/she will have more confidence in what can be an unfamiliar situation.
- Invite someone who has lived in a foreign country over for dinner to talk about life in that country.
- Use a book of names to find the meaning of his/her names and those of family members and friends.
- Build a log cabin together with Popsicle sticks and glue.
- Clip coupons together. Give him/her a percentage of what you save.
- Watch a potter throwing on a wheel.
- Use a magnifying glass together to examine all kinds of little things.
- Make a tent using blankets stretched over chairs and tucked into drawers.
- Teach him/her to use a fire extinguisher.
- Squeeze fresh orange juice.
- Tape record him/her reading their favorite story.
- Tour the state capital.
- Go to the airport for lunch and watch the planes take off and land.
- Show him/her photographs or movies of you as a child.
- Roast pumpkin seeds in the oven.
- Take him/her with you when you vote and explain why you selected the candidates you did.
- Volunteer together to ring a bell for charity at Christmas time.
- Ask him/her to share an opinion on things that are important to you.
- Get some lumber, hammer and nails and encourage your Little to be creative.
- Tell him/her stories about you when you were his/her age.
- Volunteer to visit his/her class to tell students about your profession.
- Have a sock war! Five minutes and 20 pairs of socks.
- Open the hood of a car and point out various parts of the engine.
- Show your Little how to check and change the oil in a car.
- Walk through an unfinished house.
- Give him/her your old billfold or purse. "Accidentally" leave a dollar or two hidden inside.
- Read books about famous inventors.
- Speak highly of the men and women in your life. Help him/her to value their character and skill.
- Enjoy a fresh coconut or pineapple together.
- Build and paint a birdhouse.
- Watch the activity at a construction site.
- Teach your Little how to tap out his/her name in Morse code or spell it using sign language.
- Order sea monkeys or Chia pets and watch them grow.
- Skip rocks on water.
- Copy each others hands on a photocopy machine.
- Buy a yo-yo and learn how to do tricks with it.
- Help him/her make a video movie.
- Have business cards printed with his/her name and a catchy slogan.
- Take him/her to a photo darkroom and see how negatives and prints are made.
- Visit a farm and milk a cow.
- Look in phone books to find the name of someone with the same name as you and your Little.
- Visit the state legislature when it is in session.
- Set up a road side lemonade stand or similar business.
- Teach him/her the proper way to answer the phone.
- Using play money, show him/her how you spend the money you earn.
- Get a chemistry set and perform your own experiments.
- Make a list of everything you will do with all the money you win from the $10 million sweepstakes.
- Encourage him/her to admire professional athletes who are worthy of his/her admiration on and off the field.
- Have notepads imprinted with your Little's name.
- Write to the President and ask him for a photo. Your Little will receive a picture and a packet of information.
- Build a house of cards together.
- Buy a short section of rain gutter and build a giant banana split in it together. Invite some friends to share the treat with you.
- Make your own code with numbers representing letters. Send each other coded messages.
- Teach your pet a new trick.
- Visit a music store and learn about different types of instruments.
- Visit and tour MSU.
- Make pancakes from scratch.
- Learn to identify three constellations.
- Teach him/her how to operate a washing machine and to sort or fold clothing.
- Paint an old piece of furniture.
- Learn ten new words in a foreign language.
- Do something together for an elderly friend.
- Rent a bicycle built for two.
- Teach a Little a clean joke he can share with his/her friends.
- Learn to use a real camera-one in which nothing is automatic.
- Shop until you drop, in the mall or downtown window shopping.
- Go ice fishing or ice skating.
- Explore the Pioneer Museum.
- Go tubing or sledding down hill. Make your Little go first to "test" it out.
- Make dinner for your Little's mom and surprise her on her birthday.
- Have a Monopoly tournament. Try and let your Little buy Park Place and Boardwalk.
- Visit the hospital and look at the babies in the nursery or infant intensive care unit.
- Shop for antiques in a rural community, like Livingston or Three Forks.
- Surf the Internet. Try and tap into a computer in a foreign country. Or look for web pages of companies he/she would recognize.
- Learn how to fix your bikes.
- Visit a second hand store and buy some old clothes that you can use to play "dress-up."
- Visit a nursing home and read or sing to the residents. Or ask them to describe what life was like when they were your Little's age.
- Whack golf balls at the driving range.
- Shop for hats bearing the insignia of your Little's favorite sports teams.
- Walk around a boat show, sporting show or Star Trek convention.
- Bake and frost cutout cookies.
- Assemble a model or bookcase.
- Work on home improvement projects together-painting, wallpapering or remodeling a spare room. It provides great talk time and quite a few laughs too.
- Make foods from around the world and learn how people live in that country.
- Have a carpet picnic on the living room floor and watch a movie.
- Throw snowballs at phone poles from increasing distances.
- Meditate together.
- Take him/her to your church and introduce your Little to your pastor or priest.
- Visit a pet shop or animal shelter.
- Maintain a scrapbook of all the things you do together. Include ticket stubs, menus, pictures, brochures, programs and other mementos.
- Rearrange the furniture in your living room.
- Visit a coffee shop to sip hot chocolate or soda while playing chess, checkers or backgammon.
- Research an important event or issue at the library. Tour the big libraries at the university.
- Sit at the mall, in a park or MSU and watch people.
- Create s'mores with graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate chunks. Heat them in the oven, microwave or over an open fire.
- Learn how to dance.
- Take turns styling each other's hair.
- Learn to sew an outfit for your Little.
- Do aerobics in the living room or visit a health center.
- Decorate eggs, not just for Easter.
- Make a homemade pizza.
- Plan a trip around the world or around the USA. It's a great way to sneak in a geography lesson.
- Hike along the M. Stop to make dandelion necklaces or to search for bird nests.
- Tell each other stories. Start by giving the other a starting sentence, such as "I was walking to school the other day when I saw..."
- Create a bead necklace or bracelet.
- Visit the Museum of the Rockies.
- View the exhibits at the Emerson Cultural Center.
- Volunteer to build a house with Habitat for Humanity, help people at Special Olympics events or serve Meals on Wheels.
- Make a fondue meal or a fruit-and-cake fondue for desert.
- Take an art class together.
- Shoot a round of pool.
- Learn to make homemade root beer or ice cream.
- Feed the ducks at the MSU pond.
- Go swimming at Bogart park, the Bozeman Swim Center or the Bozeman Beach.
- Volunteer with the Humane Society.
- Decorate a sidewalk with chalk.
- Go see a baseball, basketball, football, or ice hockey game.
- Learn to read a recipe and make a new dish.
- Attend or enter a parade.
- Volunteer at the food bank.
- Go sledding or build snow forts.
- Visit Wheat Montana farms or bakery.
- Visit a friend's farm or ranch.
- Fly a kite.
- Play a board game or a game of cards.
- Call your Match Support Specialist.
- Play on the computer.
- Make a c.d of your Little's favorite music.
- Do some gardening or other lawn work.
- Teach water safety or first aid skills.
- Create a c.d of your own radio station. Sing songs, do commercials, and the daily news.
Ideas for Teenagers
Sledding (ie. Pete's Hill).
Take Hunters safety classes with your Little.
Snowshoe at Sourdough Trail. Go on a snowshoe tour at Moonlight Basin (every full moon each month).
Skiing/snowboarding at our local resorts.
Ice skating at Hanes Pavilion.
Make a snow fort.
Go to Big Timber Water slides.
Attend Shakespeare In the Park.
Go to our State Fair.
Attend area Rodeos.
Watch car racing at Gallatin Speedway.
Go fishing, kyaking, whitewater rafting, etc.
Free swimming, sand volleyball, and fishing at Bozeman Beach.
Have a picnic.
Go for a day hike. (The M, Palisade Falls, Grott Falls, West Shore Trail, Sacajawea Peak, Lava Lake, Southfork of the Spanish Creek, Bear Trap Canyon, and Mount Blackmore).
Float the Gallatin or Madison Rivers.
Go camping at Hyalite Canyon/Bridger Canyon (after 6 months of course).
Take dance lessons together.
Go to a hot springs (Bozeman, Norris, and Chico).
Listen to live music at the Leaf 'n' Bean.
Go to our local Farmers Market (Bozeman/Belgrade).
Start your own sports team or play sports together (volleyball, softball, basketball, soccer, etc).
Go horse back riding.
Join a gym together (The Ridge Athletic Club, Golds Gym, Riverrock Athletic Club).
Go rock climbing at Spire Climbing Center.
Take music lessons together.
Run errands together.
Get Littles' opinion if you're shopping for furniture, apartments, etc.
Volunteer together (Human Society, Eagle Mount, Bozeman Deaconess, Salvation Army, elderly homes).
Attend Montana State University events, athletics games, theatre, etc.
Support your local high school. Attend events, athletic games, theatre, etc.
Ride the go-karts located in the Four Corners area on jackrabbit Road near the Ice Gardens.
Play Miniture Golf at The Clubhouse (located in Gallatin Valley Mall).
Go to the library (free internet access, free rentals for books/movies/DVDs/magazines/etc).
Go sightseeing (Yellowstone, Bridgers, Big Sky, Hyalite).
Cook a meal together.
Learn CPR and first aid together.
Attend community events/activities (Christmas Stroll, Sweet Pea Festival, Winter Fair, Music on Main).
Work on science projects together.
Build/paint a model airplane/boat/etc. and test it out when complete.
Ride bikes at the BMX track.
Have lunch with your Little at school.
Make ornaments for the holidays.
Make holiday cookies and decorate them.
Go to Montana State University Sub – play air hockey, pool, bowling.
Go to Pet Smart.
Work on your car together.
Wash your car.
Attend Littles events (games, concerts, school events)
Parts of this list were completed from the books "How to Be Your Little Man's Dad" and "How to Be Your Daughter's Daddy." Written by Dan Bolin and published by Pinon Press, P.O. Box 35007, Colorado Springs, CO 80935. |
Thank You To our
LEGACY MATCHMAKER
OP/TECH USA Giving Levels
Century Club $100
Patron of Youth $350
Benefactor of Youth $500
Match Maker $1,000
Magic Maker $5,000
Dream Maker $10,000
Legacy Match Maker $20,000
 |
