A huge list of self-care activities for moms to do together with their kids. Includes a free printable list!
Self-care is something I really struggle with.
I find it difficult to put my needs ahead of others.
See, I'm a giver and a carer.
So I hate acknowledging that I need help and therefore, never ask for it. Giving control over to someone else, when I know I can do it eventually, is hard for me. I guess in a way it feels like failing, even though I know I am not.
Perhaps I am too much of a perfectionist.
Or maybe it's the fact that I am usually just too darn tired to give myself the attention and care I require.
After all, raising kids is hard and exhausting.
Raising quirky, neurodiverse kids is hard and exhausting. So I end up not having the energy to even consider my own needs.
However, I have been trying to be better at giving myself the self-care I need. It's important to do so. I am a much better person, and a much better parent, when I do.
But finding time away to give myself the self-care I need is impossible. There's not too many people I trust to look after my kids for any length of time. That's why I'm focusing on finding self-care activities to do with my kids.
These activities are for you to do together with your kids to help both of you feel recharged because let's face it, most parents struggle to find time alone to do these things themselves. So why not include the kids!
By including them, I am helping them learn self-care skills themselves. I am helping them, and me, fill our coping skills toolbox and teaching them valuable self-regulation skills.
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50 Self-Care Activities You Can Do With Kids
This list of ideas is designed to make you laugh, relax, breathe, and generally just have fun with your kids. They are activities that you can do together to make you both feel recharged. They will reset your day and help you and your child feel refreshed!
- Have a dance party
- Play a game (our current favorites are Ticket to Ride, Hogwarts Battle, and Dragonwood)
- Unplug and read a book (we are currently reading through the Harry Potter books)
- Exercise
- Go for a bike ride
- Go for a walk or a hike
- Cuddle up and watch a movie
- Paint your nails
- Diffuse essential oils
- Draw, paint, or craft
- Journal
- Write a collaborative story
- Bake or cook a meal
- Order take out or go out for supper
- Drink warm beverages
- Do some Mad Libs
- Just play!
- Watch music videos on YouTube
- Go swimming
- Go to the library and pick out books
- Tell jokes
- Meditate
- Do yoga
- Blow bubbles
- Garden
- Go on a picnic
- Swing at the park
- Go out for ice cream
- Give each other back or foot massages
- Call or FaceTime with family or friends
- Watch funny videos on YouTube
- Listen to music
- Take a nap
- Learn something new (instrument, language, hobby, etc.)
- Listen to an audiobook
- Write poetry
- Skip rocks on a pond
- Make an inspiration collage
- Go fishing
- Go berry picking
- Explore a new museum, park, or area of your town or city
- Scrapbook
- Take silly pictures together
- Write things you like about yourself and your child on a list and have them to do the same
- Plan a trip to somewhere you've never been before
- Do a puzzle
- Brush and/or braid each other's hair
- Lay in a hammock and cuddle, read a book, and/or talk
- Build a fort and play a game or read a book inside it
- Go to a pet store and watch the fish swim around
>> CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FREE PRINTABLE
Other Ideas You'll Love
This post is part of a monthly series called Parenting Children with Special Needs. This month's topic is self-care and you can find the other posts regarding this topic below.
Self-Care for Foster and Adoptive Families | The Chaos and The Clutter
What Happens When You Ignore Self Care | This Outnumbered Mama