6 Activities Kids and Dogs Can Do Together
As the weather improves, you might need some new ideas to keep your family happy. Why not kill two birds with one stone, and have your kids and dogs work together to keep each other busy? With school finishing up, try out some of these activities to keep your family healthy, active, and content.
Take a Walk
If your child is old enough, let them walk your dog. It doesn’t have to be a chore! It’s a great way to get out of the house. If your child can safely hold a leash but you’re not comfortable letting them out of your site, grab a chair and a drink, and watch your child walk the dog in front of the house and safely up your block. They can practice going up and down the street, and it will allow your child to build their confidence when working with your dog!
Play Fetch in the Yard
Ask your child to find their favorite ball and take the dog outside for a good ol’ fashioned game of fetch. If your dog isn’t good at playing fetch, now is the time to teach them some basic commands such as “drop” or “go get it.” Since kids love YouTube, you can look up some dog training basics to show your child how to teach your dog new commands. It’s a great way to train your dog and teach your child something new, too.
Run Through the Sprinkler
Hot day? Grab the sprinkler and let the kids and pets have at it! You can get creative with it by buying attachments for your hose or you can just put on your regular sprinkler. This is a perfect activity before you plan to bathe your dog. You can get the dog wet and then bring them inside or off to another area of your yard to soap them up and rinse them off. Just make sure you keep your dog cool in the heat. A sprinkler should do the trick, but make sure you have a water dish accessible.
Take a Nap
It doesn’t sound like much of an activity, but nap time isn’t a bad idea after a long day of play. Since dogs nap lots during the day, encourage your little one to snuggle up with them for a “sleepover.” Tell them to bring their favorite pillow and blanket to enjoy a little siesta.
Run Up and Down the Stairs
On a rainy day or when your kids are especially full of energy, supervise a stair run challenge! The kids and dogs will love it. You can challenge them to go up and down the flight a number of times or time them with your cell phone’s stopwatch. If you have more than one kid (or dog), try doing a bracket competition where all members of the family participate. This is a really easy way to get everyone to run out their pent-up energy.
Read a Book Together
Is your child learning to read? Your dog (or any household pet) is the perfect reading partner. Some children may be self-conscious when learning to read. Thankfully, pets don’t have an opinion on the matter! Create a comfortable space for your child and pet to read together. Your kid will get lots of practice, and your pet will appreciate the attention.
Make Up Your Own Activity
These are just some ideas for activities your kids and dogs to do together, and it’s by no means extensive! Here are some tips for thinking up your own activities:
- Use what you have: Try to think of activities using the space you’re in and the tools or toys you have on hand. This makes redirecting an energetic child or pup much easier.
- Make it simple: When dogs or kids are learning a new thing, it needs to be broken down into simple steps. So, make sure whatever they do can be done in a step or two. As your dogs and kids get older, they’ll be able to complete more complex tasks.
- Use your time wisely: Whether you’re working from home or need a few minutes of peace to weed the garden, when your kids are at play, it’s time to get what you want done.
You don’t have to buy things or travel to have fun. There is so much to do at home or in your yard that helps the time pass productively.