get siblings outside, thinking, and working together

This free Get Out & Move in the ‘Hood activity will get kids–siblings, even!–outside, thinking, and working together. Promise.

Sometimes it’s difficult to get our kids outside, right?

Sometimes it’s hard to get them to use their brains in fun and creative ways.

Sometimes it’s all we can do to get them to not hurt each other or get into a fistfight over finishing the last of the Lucky Charms.

I feel your pain. Really I do.

So last weekend, my husband and I put our heads together for some fun ways to get our kids (and ourselves!) out of the cranky zone. Out of the hamster-wheel day-to-day of this quarantine.

And we came up with this.

Here’s the skinny. . .

Getting Siblings Outside, Thinking, and Working Together

We wanted to create an activity that got our kids out of the house and in the neighborhood, but we did not want them to interact with anyone other than each other.

We wanted to get them to work together–and have fun doing it.

We wanted to design something that got them thinking creatively, and we wanted to do something that got them actually talking and laughing together.

Not an easy feat.

Not an easy feat for three teens, that’s for sure.

So we outlined some pretty specific expectations for this little hunt, and we handed a copy to Maddy, Owen, and Cora mid-day on Saturday.

They read it, and immediately we could see the wheels spinning. We knew it would either be a hit or a total flop.

Our Hunt in the ‘Hood included the following directions:

Grab your bike, your helmet, your phone, your mask, and your brain.
Find these things in the neighborhood.
Work together.
Take pictures of yourselves and 1-20.
FOLLOW ALL SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES!

Our Hunt in the ‘Hood included 20 items that the kids needed to take photo of, such as:

Climbing a tree (carefully)
Next to a “for sale” sign
Doing a Tik Tok dance in front of a sports car
Behind a baby stroller
Near two different swimming pools

two girls and a boy near a little free library

It required them to take a social distance waving photo near three of their friends, which they loved.

It required them to hang out together! To have fun together! To work together!

We told them to remember that:

there needed to be three kids in each photo
they could not enter a home or a store
they must follow all social distancing rules and failure to do so would result in instant disqualification from the game.

three kids near a pool. middle girl pointing to boy

We knew that kids needed some motivation to do something like this, even if it was going to be fun.

Prizes were a definite must-include.

My husband and I put our heads together for the prize options. We did not want this to be a mini Christmas or birthday, so we had to be creative.

Our prizes included: a free pass on chores for one week, a homemade 3-course dinner of their choice, restaurant take-out of their choice, and the ultimate prize was a $20 Amazon gift card for each.

We figured that we could easily handle chores. We figured that we all had to eat and that making special meals could be fun, and we figured that restaurant take-out would really, truly get our kids interested.

Anyway, it was an absolute blast.

So? How did it go?

The kids had fun, and we had fun listening to the stories they told when they came home. I think we’ll definitely do it again. Soon.

They had to do some serious working together in order to accomplish this little Hunt in the ‘Hood. And though they work together daily just surviving together in this house, I’m sure they’re missing the collaborative work they are used to doing in school.

And that collaborative piece is super important. It’s a life skill everyone must have.

Overall, you guys, the Hunt was a blast. I was so, so grateful.

For the sun, for the day, for the time as a family.

Grab your free Get Out & Move in the ‘Hood activity:

And tell me what you think! Would this activity work for your crew? What would they love–or need to have changed?

Check out a few other posts that may help you develop strong and healthy habits for your family:

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