Cardboard Boxes 2

If you’re an aunt (or uncle) like I am then you know how much fun it can be to spoil your nieces and nephews with love, cuddles, and candy all day long only to get to send them home to your sibling at night’s end. (Payback’s a bleep.) However, there can be those days when you either don’t have the oomph or will to run around with tiny people who just never seem to run out of energy. But no fear. There are some activities you can add to your aunt/uncle repertoire that will have both you and the kiddos entertained and having a blast. 

 

Before we go any further, I am going to reintroduce you to an old friend. Remember cardboard boxes? Now, this may seem odd seeing as how you’ve never befriended a brown box in your life. But that’s where you’d be wrong. In fact, if you were to think back to your own childhood you may be able to remember that they weren’t in fact just square and brown things to pack away extra junk you didn’t want to lie around, rather they were your very own spaceship, and you were the astronaut. Or they were pirate ships, and you were trying to “shiver the timbers” out of your little sister before her cannons sunk your boat.  Whatever you imagined them to be, your nieces or nephews now do the same. So, instead of just throwing out those cardboard boxes when they come bearing your latest online shopping conquest, set them aside and let them be a part of the next fun activity you do with when it’s your day with the kids.

 

Now that we’ve got that relationship underway, let’s turn our attention to some easy, yet fun, activities that will be a major hit. For starters, baking cookies. First of all, kids love cookies, and second of all cookies are awesome. Plus, kids absolutely love being able to help in the kitchen and it’s a fun way to spend time together. If you’re like me, baking cookies from scratch is the only way to go. If you’re like my sister, buying a tub of cookie dough from the store and letting the kids scoop them on the tray is the only way to go. Whichever way, the kids will have fun, and you’ll have a delicious treat come snack time. 

 

Another great activity you can do is edible playdough. It’s fun, kids love it, and you don’t have to worry about calling poison control if one of them eats it. Win-win. There are tons of recipes you can follow online, but essentially, it’s just a mixture of peanut butter, powdered sugar, and food coloring. (If one of the kids is allergic to nuts you can also use marshmallows, coconut oil, and cornstarch). Trust me, this one will get you the aunt/uncle of the year award. 

 

The last fun activity I’m going to share with you is not for the faint of heart. You ready? It’s this…just play a boardgame with them. Or even a card game. I know it’s probably hard to remember those, as they don’t seem to be a thing anymore. But they’re still around for a reason. And they can provide hours of entertainment for you and your nieces or nephews. Just ask mine, he beat me (no joke) 13 times at Candy Land, in a row. And he loved every second of it. Me, not so much. 

 

Look, kids don’t actually really care what you do with them. They just want you to show them attention and let them know you care. Whatever you decide to do, just have fun and remember… it’s ok to load them up with junk food. Your sibling kind of deserves trying to put them to bed with a sugar high.