Activities to do with Kids at Every Age
Summer is right on the horizon and I get excited thinking about all the activities to do in warmer weather! Times have DEFINITELY changed over the past two years and where and how we spend our free time looks a lot different than it used to! I feel like we have gotten to explore what it means to have a kid AND a life that is still social, active and fun! I wanted to share ideas and activities that have been successful for US over these past two years of having Jett in tow! I’ll be asking for YOUR input both in the comments and on Instagram, and all the good ones we can add to the list! So please share your favorite activities with kids!
OK so first things first… I know opportunities can vary greatly depending on the age of your little one. When Jett was teeny tiny, we took advantage of the fact that he was super portable and flexible! (He would sleep half the time anyway!)
Things to do now that you have kiddos!
Go out to Eat! (this was such a treat for us when Jett was just born - Plus he was really easy to manage back then!)
In the weeks after having Jett, and we had “sort-of” gotten the hang of it, we REALLY enjoyed going to our favorite Italian spot and eating out on the patio. Pizza, pasta, and wine.. and just enjoying the evening, chatting about our crazy new life and decompressing.
Picnic at the park or just have a glass of wine on the patio at home
(Wine is becoming a theme here as you can see) Slower days with a newborn just means finding creative ways to eat and relax! Our side patio, or local parks were a favorite of ours to relax with a picnic dinner to unwind after long days.
Family Stroller Walks
For a month or two after Jett was born, we would go to a local high school and walk the track in the evenings - Jett in the stroller, and Mochi on the leash. Walking was HUGE for me postpartum, and I walked as much as possible to just get out of the house, plus Jett could snooze easily in the stroller! And before I started more vigorous workouts, walking REALLY helped me kickstart losing the baby weight.
Go to a Brewery with Friends
Breweries with big outdoor spaces where the kids can run and play (or young enough can just chill with you) have been so fun for us these last couple years. Enjoying good weather, food + drinks and catching up with friends is my idea of a successful outing! Now that Jett is running around, we find places that he is contained (you know that little guy is always trying to outstep his boundaries!)
Our favorites in KC:
KC Bier Co. Located Waldo we like to bike up on a nice day! There is a little play house and for some reason Jett is obsessed with the rocks/gravel !
Brewery Emperial Located in the Crossroads, Jett really enjoyed the trikes and the french fries were both parent and kid approved!! Wish I could let you know how the beer was, but unfortunately I have only been while preggo! Check back in 6 months.
Maybe an obvious one - but don’t underestimate the power of friends with kids and just getting together at home!
Some of my favorite weekend evenings have been spent just at home or home of a friend with kiddos. The little ones typically play together and with a bit of oversight, us adults can connect and get a glimpse of what life used to look like before babes!:) As the weather gets warmer I am really looking forward to patio weather and evenings outside!
Workout classes that have childcare
Ok so maybe this one you aren’t participating in together, but believe me- this benefits both parties!! YOU get your sweat on.. switch on those endorphins.. and maybe even meet and connect with other mamas who have kids in the childcare room. Your little? They get playtime with new toys, new friends, and get some socialization skills in! Honestly with Jett, we are STILL in the cry-when-mom-leaves stage but we keep going because I know he is always fine in 5 minutes, and is stronger in the process. (plus he really does love playing with all those new-to-him toys!)
Bike Rides
HIGHLY HIGHLY suggest you in invest in a bike trailer if you like to spend time outside, whether you want to bike for exercise or just bike down the street to the park. We bought a trailer when Jett was just about a year old ( I believe they say a year is a good time to start) and it has the ability to hold two kids or just one.
This is the Bike Trailer we have!
and This is Jett’s little helmet! (different print, same helmet)
Find a common space with Yard Games
We love going to Park Place locally here in KC to grab gelato and just running around on there open space lawn. With lawn games for adults, lounging chairs, and twinkly lights when it starts to get dark! We love spending time here relaxing while Jett runs around (but then sprints back for his bite of gelato) I feel like shopping centers or parks with spaces like these are more and more common and I am all for it!
Char Bar here in Kansas City also has a great lawn game space that we frequented last summer and can’t wait to back again this year!
Zoo
We totally lucked out with such a wonderful zoo so close to our house! We bought season passes to the Kansas City Zoo because we frequent it so often! From our house its about 10 minutes door to door and so we treat it less like a whole-day commitment, and more of a “its a nice afternoon.. lets shoot over to the zoo for an hour or two!” Jett loves the penguins.. and the train/carousel rides.. and is getting better spotting and being interested in all the animals. It’s a great outside activity, even if its just me and him - I get some exercise in, and we both get a little vitamin D!
Sunday School
OK another great and FREE way for your kiddos to socialize and try new activities. I have really enjoyed making church a priority on Sundays, and letting Jett get some playtime in for an hour and a half. Plus we walk away with the sweetest little crafts that he “makes”. Heart melting!
Local to KC
The Little Gym (Prairie Village - kids 4 months and up) Let your little one socialize plus get out all their wiggles with songs, and lots of fun colorful gym equipment to climb on!
Goldfish Swim School (119th/Metcalf - Overland Park) Swimming lessons for kiddos 6 weeks and up! Want to try your first class for FREE.. sign up here! (Plus if you like it and want to continue, you can receive $50 off your first month by mentioning my name! )
Deanna Rose (Overland Park) children’s farmstead with lots of animals, a great playground, and hands on activities!
Johnson County Children’s Museum (Overland Park) - have yet to go here, but NEED to. Have heard wonderful things!
Music classes The New Dime Store (Brookside)- free on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 11-11:30!
Library classes (pretty sure all Libraries have them but we go to the Plaza Branch!) Read books, sing songs, socialize with other kiddos, and have play time too!
BarK - (North KC) We just tried this place out for the first time with Jett and our pup. It was so great - everyone including Mochi loved it! It’s 10$ per dog, but totally worth it. You can let your dog play (without your supervision - they hire people to monitor dogs play if you want to sit down on the patio and eat with your friends and kiddos!) We posted up on the patio with a live band and really good food (and beer that again I can’t tell you if it was good or not, but I am sure it was!)
Super Kidz Club (Mission) This is a brand new indoor play area - it’s HUGE lots of tunnels, slides, things to climb on.. a ball pit, and more! It’s big enough to fit adults too - which is great since I don’t necessarily trust Jett running around in there without an adult!
Ok now it’s your turn! Share your favorite activities to do with kids!!