A great way to spend time with your kids is to play tourist in your own town
Play Tourist In Your Town With Your Child:
Have you ever looked up the place where you live on TripAdvisor? I bet there are at least a few things on there for those who visit the place where you live. If you live in a major city, there will be a ton of course, but even the smaller towns have areas that others might want to check out when they are visiting your town or city. I know this idea may sound a bit hokey or dull, but you might be surprised at what’s in your town, or within an hour’s drive, to visit. Pretend you’re on vacation at least for the day and look at your city in a way you never have before!
WMTDS (What Makes This Date Special):
This date idea can be extraordinary because you can maximize the entire day with this idea whether your child is 4 or 18. The way you go about it may be different, but no matter your child’s age, this is a way to spend the day with them doing fun or historical things and what can compete with that. I love ideas that focus on spending a large chunk of time together. A few hours with them is lovely, but a whole day together breads lots of great conversation again no matter what age they are. Take this time and invest in them. Ask them tons of questions, focus on what is important to them in this season of life, what’s hard in their life?
Teachable Moments:
Planning – This date will allow you to teach them the importance of planning, especially if there is a lot you want to see and do and trying to fit it all in.
Money and budgeting – This can be an expensive date, so it’s essential to plan your spending before leaving the house. Make sure to involve them in that no matter how old they are.
Community and/or history – Try and find some talking points that allow you to teach them things related to where you live.
Variations:
If you live in a big city, you probably need no variations; it will be just picking or choosing what you want to see and do. If you live in a medium to a large city and have the funds to do it, spend the night in a hotel and make this a two-day adventure.
If you live in a small town and there isn’t much to do, you may need to look for some variations to this idea. One way to do this is to look for historical moments in your town what’s happened there over the last 100 years that could be worth visiting. Use Google or your local library and get creative on things you might find in your town of interest.
Go on a food tour of your town or city. You can take this idea and solely focus on food/restaurants in your town.
Play tourist in your town
Categories:
Community. Travel.
Expense:
This date idea can range from free to several hundred dollars. The cost simply depends on how much there is to do and how much you’re willing to spend on it. Living in a city like Chicago, Austin or Phoenix, you can make this a date of 2-3 days with hotels included if you like. On the flip side, if you’re on a tight budget, don’t let that stop you from doing this. There will be a lot of activities in your town for free you just have to look for them.
Planning:
The planning is a big part of the date. You can plan a little or lot before you go, but make sure you involve your child. This is true if their four or fourteen. The older they are, the more you should include them in the planning. If you have a 16-year-old, give them a budget and let them do most of the planning.
Materials Needed:
No materials needed.
Google/Pinterest Search:
(town or city name) department of tourism
Reference Websites:
Amazon Resources:
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Alternatives:
Similar Date Ideas: Coming Soon!
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