Treat your children to a blast from the past with some traditional values that even today's kids can enjoy.
Ever heard yourself telling your kids, “Back in my day . . .”?
You don’t have to be an old fogy to sometimes wish that the fast pace of today’s family life would slow down, if just for a few hours.
Not everything was better “in the old days,” but some heartwarming traditions are worth bringing back.
Here are some things you can do to bring back some elements of a simpler, slower-paced time.
Get out some board games.
Remember the days before Xbox, PS2 and computer games? You could set up a Monopoly board and be entertained for hours. Treat your children to a night of board games by digging out an old favorite. Many of the old classic games – Chutes and Ladders, Sorry, Life, Clue, Battleship and Bingo – are still on the market. Others, like Password, Scribbage, Mousetrap, Chinese Checkers, Parcheesi, are sold on EBay and vintage board game internet sites. Bring back some of your favorite card games – Old Maid, Go Fish, Crazy Eights – or play checkers, Tinker toys, pick-up sticks or Mr. Potato Head. Or make your own board game where your child is the star of the show.
Go out for a night of family fun.
Take the family bowling or roller skating. Or go to a discount movie theater for a showing of an old classic. Go to a Friday night high school football game together. Many areas still have drive-in theaters. Put the kids in their pajamas, pack up some snacks and head to a double-feature drive-in movie.
Stay in for a night of more fun.
Set aside one Friday night a month for Family Fun Night. Play charades or musical chairs. Rent a classic movie or musical and watch it together with popcorn. Have a karaoke night. Make pizzas together. Make taffy and have an old fashioned taffy pull. Go out into the backyard and play hide-and-seek, freeze tag, olly olly oxenfree or Ghost in the Graveyard. Catch lightning bugs. Have a camp-out in your back yard.
Jigsaw puzzles
In the 1950s and ‘60s, many a dining room table was covered with a partially finished jigsaw puzzle. It was where you’d wander when you were bored, try a couple of pieces, and sometimes get so caught up in trying to find that one puzzle piece that you’d find yourself spending the afternoon “doing the puzzle.” Set out a family jigsaw puzzle on your dining room table and see what develops.
Spend a Saturday the way you remember.
Go horseback riding. Take the family fishing. Go to a Saturday matinee. Take a bike ride around the neighborhood. Go on a picnic. Take a Saturday drive through the country, sans headphones and GameBoys. Play some outdoor games in the yard.
Have a traditional meal.
You don’t have to be the Cleavers to benefit from a sit-down family dinner. There’s great value to setting aside your busy schedule and gathering the whole family for dinner together. If you can’t manage it every night, try to set aside at least two or three nights during the week for a dinner with everyone together. Try some lively discussions the whole family will enjoy.
Treat your family to a good old fashioned dinner of meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Surprise your kids with a batch of homemade oatmeal cookies when they get home from school. Once a month, make a big breakfast of pancakes or eggs and bacon for your family. Have a big Sunday dinner in the afternoon every few weekends. (You may even want to put on an apron for effect!)
