Mix It Up: Easy Family Activities at Home

Kids love discovering what happens when they try something new. Sometimes, all it takes is a small change to turn an everyday routine into an opportunity for creativity, curiosity and connection.

Mixing things up at home doesn’t require special supplies or a big plan. Try changing one small part of something your family already does and see where it leads.

Here are a few simple ways to make the ordinary a little more unexpected.

Let the Kids Plan Dinner

Dessert first? Breakfast for dinner? A meal where everyone chooses a different color?

Choose one night to mix up your usual dinner routine. Let kids help create a silly theme, choose a meal or give familiar foods funny new names. Even a regular dinner can feel different when kids get to help make the rules.

Mix-It-Up Challenge: Write down a few dinner ideas and randomly choose what’s on the menu.

Take the Long Way

Turn an ordinary walk, bike ride or drive into an adventure by taking a route you don’t normally use.

Let kids decide which way to go, look for something you’ve never noticed before or make up stories about the places you pass.

Give your adventure a mission, like finding something shaped like a triangle, spotting five different colors or counting how many dogs you see along the way.

Tell a Story Together

Start with one sentence and take turns adding to the story. Each person builds on what came before, so you never know where the story will go next.

A trip to the grocery store might suddenly involve a talking banana, a spaceship and a penguin looking for frozen waffles. The more unexpected the story becomes, the more fun it can be.

Try a Mystery Destination

Write a few places your family enjoys visiting on slips of paper, such as a playground, library, walking trail or bookstore. Put them in a container and choose one without looking.

You can also let one family member choose the destination while everyone else gets to be surprised.

Have a Family Taste Test

Choose a food your family enjoys and try a few different versions. Compare different apples, popcorn flavors, crackers, cheeses or fruits.

Before tasting, make predictions about which one will be your favorite. Then compare your favorites and come up with fun categories like “Crunchiest” or “Most Surprising.”

Try a Photo Challenge

Give everyone a phone or camera and choose a simple photo challenge. Take a picture of something ordinary from an unusual angle, find something that looks like a face or photograph five things that are the same color.

When you’re finished, share your photos and see how differently everyone interpreted the same challenge.

Mix Up Your Routine

For one hour, change a few harmless everyday routines.

Wear pajamas before dinner. Read a book somewhere unusual. Sit in a different spot at the table. Play music while cleaning up. Let kids come up with their own ideas for making an ordinary routine feel different.

Sometimes one small change is enough to make an ordinary evening memorable.

Make a Mix-It-Up Jar

Create a jar filled with simple ideas your family can try whenever you need something different to do.

Try ideas like:

• Build something using only three materials.
• Draw with your non-dominant hand.
• Invent a new sandwich.
• Have a five-minute family dance party.
• Read a book somewhere unusual.
• Make up a new holiday and celebrate it.
• Let the youngest person choose the family activity.
• Wear mismatched socks for the day.
• Turn an ordinary chore into a family challenge.

Add new ideas whenever inspiration strikes and encourage kids to contribute their own.

Keep Mixing It Up!

Trying something new doesn’t have to mean planning a big outing or buying special supplies. Changing the route home, creating a silly dinner, making up a family game or putting a new spin on an everyday routine can encourage creativity, flexibility, problem-solving and connection.

The next time your family is looking for something to do, try changing one small thing. You might be surprised by where a little mix-up takes you!