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71 Things your Child should Try Before the Age of 12

Think back to all the fun, simple enjoyments of your childhood.  What are some of your best memories or experiences? For many they are the simplest things. Here is our list of things for your child (and you) to try!

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anastasia-moloney-new Anastasia Moloney Early Childhood Development Specialist

Life as a family gets busy so it’s really important to make sure we provide our children with opportunities to just be kids, to get outside, to explore the natural environment and to have some good old fun.

The list below includes ideas that encourage exploration and experimentation. Although some of the activities may be dependent on your child’s age, location and the climate, you’re bound to find some ideas that your tot will love and perhaps even you too!

  1. Build a fort
  2. Splash in puddles
  3. Blow bubbles
  4. Pick a fruit or vegetable
  5. Fly a kite
  6. Plant seeds and watch them grow
  7. Build a sandcastle
  8. Catch a bug
  9. Run through a sprinkler
  10. Dance in the rain
  11. Go tubing on water or snow
  12. Build a snowman
  13. Star gaze
  14. Stay up to watch fireworks
  15. Run a mile
  16. Learn to skip rocks
  17. Make an echo
  18. Feed an animal at a farm or pond
  19. Roast marshmallows around a campfire
  20. Blow a dandelion
  21. Find shapes in the clouds
  22. Have a picnic
  23. Make homemade ice cream
  24. Roll down a hill
  25. Make popsicles
  26. Dig in the sand or dirt
  27. Make and bury a time capsule
  28. Dance like no one is watching
  29. Laugh until you cry
  30. Make yourself dizzy by twirling around and around
  31. Tell stories around a campfire
  32. Make shadow puppets
  33. Read a book with a flashlight
  34. Go for a hike
  35. Write your own journal
  36. Learn to do a cartwheel
  37. Read a book in the shade of a tree
  38. Try to catch your shadow
  39. Learn to hula hoop
  40. Use a map to find your way
  41. Draw your own map
  42. Build a fairy garden
  43. Rake the leaves and jump into the pile
  44. Write your story
  45. Make a flower crown
  46. Watch the sunset
  47. Watch the sunrise
  48. Collect shells on the beach
  49. Draw your own hopscotch and play
  50. Paint a picture to hang in your room
  51. Write your own song
  52. Send a postcard
  53. Find or make a secret hideout
  54. Climb a tree
  55. Make your own musical instrument
  56. Start a collection- it could be as simple as collecting different rocks, leaves, sticks, etc.
  57. Have a wheelbarrow race
  58. Set up a lemonade stand
  59. Create a sidewalk mural
  60. Write your name in the sand/snow/mud with a stick
  61. Press flowers in a book
  62. Dig up worms
  63. Try to catch a butterfly
  64. Try to catch a snowflake on your tongue
  65. Have a camp out (this can be outside, your backyard or your living room)
  66. Make boats and see if they float
  67. Have a watermelon or cherry seed spitting contest
  68. Pick your own bouquet of flowers
  69. Make a paper airplane and measure how far it flies
  70. Find or make a walking stick and go for a hike
  71. Make something out of a cardboard box – the opportunities are endless! Here’s some Cardboard box craft inspo.

Hope this list inspires some fun for your kiddos and brings out your inner child!