Gardening
Set aside a garden bed and discuss what they would like to grow in it. Visit the local nursery and spend time looking, touching, smelling and tasting plants. Encourage them to select different varieties – ones they can pick and eat (peas, tomatoes, salad greens) as well as some they can watch grow and flower from seeds.
Start a worm farm; discuss what worms eat and how they help in the garden, then have the kids look after them.
Make a path
Children of any age can help make a path of tiles, stones, old bricks or mulch. Involve the whole family in planning where it will go and what materials you will use. Will it be straight, winding, or have stepping stones? Make sure the tiles or stones aren’t too heavy and supervise the job.
Build furniture
Have the kids build ready-to-assemble furniture, such as a desk or shelving, for their rooms. It isn’t necessarily straightforward even for adults, so be prepared for some confusion and discussion over the instructions! It can be a good idea to do the complicated sections yourself and get the kids involved for the finishing touches.
Paint a wall
This could get messy, so it’s going to take extra preparation and supervision. Start small. Designate a part (perhaps the lower third) of the wall in their bedroom or playroom. Discuss colours and find a low-VOC brand of paint so the little ones aren’t breathing in fumes. Cover the floor and the rest of the wall area in plastic sheeting, dress the kids in old clothes and let them go. You can ‘tidy up’ later.
Build a tool storage rack
Get your school-agers involved with helping to organise your tools. Look in the local hardware store for pegboard with pre-drilled holes then have the kids plan where the tools should hang and draw outlines around each one, remembering to account for placement of the hooks. The outlines can then be painted using a fine brush or texta before the board is hung in place.
Build a cubby house
It doesn’t have to be a condo in the trees – your children will love any cubby that they helped build. Try one based on palettes or a large wooden crate, then add mats, curtains, shelving or hooks. Remember, the more difficult or technical it is, the less they can take part, so plan it carefully.
We often underestimate our kids and tend not to give them ‘big’ jobs to do. Yet they enjoy creating things and will learn valuable lessons from both the task and their interaction with you, so give them an opportunity to have fun doing so.