Memberships to the zoo or aquarium have been some of our more worthwhile and enjoyable family memberships, and fun for a wider range of ages than some others (like children's museums).

We were surprised by how affordable season theater subscriptions can be, especially when you have to option to customize the number of shows, and pick less expensive seats.

I've cherished our memberships to local children's museums while our kids were toddlers and preschoolers. Once they start school (even kindergarten) I've found we don't get nearly as much use from them, but they are well worth the cost in those 2-5 years.

A coding or other fun STEM class.

An outing to a special kid-themed restaurant, like Medieval Times.

Why couldn’t the pony sing a lullaby? Because she was a little horse.

Where do polar bears vote? At the North Poll.

Why did the student eat his homework? Because the teacher told him it was a piece of cake.

Why did the teddy bear turn down dessert? Because he was stuffed.

How did the mobile phone propose to his girlfriend? He gave her a ring!

How do you repair a broken jack-o-lantern? With a pumpkin patch.

What musical instrument do you use in the bathroom? A tuba toothpaste.

Our kids looove when we blow bubbles in the air and let them pop them! They poke them, swat at them, grab them, etc. and it’s a constant giggle fest!

Have kids help put away leftovers! Taking off and putting on Tupperware lids, opening and closing Ziploc bags, twisting jar tops...all of these require fine motor skills they'll be honing while they help you clean up.

On days when you're not feeling creative and need some easy fine motor activities, just give your toddlers a mound of play dough. From shaping it into balls to squeezing it through their fingers and cutting it with scissors, my kids always really enjoy interacting with play dough. I figure it helps build their hand muscles too!

My kids will take any excuse for water play! Try giving your toddler a small cup of water, an eyedropper, and an empty ice cube tray. They can use the eyedropper to transfer the water from the cup into the ice tray.

Pick up things with kitchen tongs. Our kids have so much fun using tongs to pick up socks on the floor, toys, or anything else that needs tidying up!

Hot potato. We just had a birthday party for a five-year-old, and ended up playing hot potato along with pass the parcel. Though I’ve loved pass the parcel since we discovered it on Bluey, think the kids enjoyed hot potato even more, as they were able to toss the “potato” (we used a small plushy) to each other out of order, which made the game more active and the kids more engaged. When the music stopped, whoever was holding the plushy got out, and the last person in got the prize. This kept the kids from slow passing, too, since the goal was NOT to get caught with the plushy!

Vacuuming rugs. This is mostly a chore for my teens, as the vacuum is too big and unwieldy for the little ones.

Dusting is a chore I'll assign to all of my kids, from preschooler to teens. I just adjust who dusts what based on how fragile it is!