For those who didn’t see last Monday’s announcement, I closed down Monday FunDay.

Don’t get me wrong; we’re still having fun. Just not officially on the blog on Mondays.

Life is not all fun, of course; sometimes families need to learn to just dig in and get something done.

But sometimes, families need to remember that they can have some fun mixed in with serious chores or even that work can be fun.

In memory of the now defunct Monday FunDay, here are several ways to inject some fun into everyday life–11 Fun Tips:

1. Boo! Jump from behind a door and scare someone! My kids just love this! Perhaps it’s the older version of the game of peek-a-boo we played with them when they were sitting in a high chair?
2. Hopscotch: Hand the kids some chalk to draw hopscotch squares on the sidewalk and join them hopping from one to another before picking up the button/stone/bottlecap. Can’t remember how to play? Here are basic instructions.
3. Storytelling: Play storytelling games while driving, after dinner, or whenever you’re together. One technique is simply to pass the story along. Say just one word per person and go around and around the circle–or volley back and forth between two people–adding on until the story starts going someplace. You can each tell a sentence or a small chunk of the story before passing it to the next person.
4. Radio Karaoke: Turn up the radio on some vintage song and impress your kids by singing along with every word. Be bold–sing with gusto!
5. Impromptu Party: Make up any reason at all for having an impromptu party. Have a “Look, the Sun is Shining!” picnic party or a “Daylilies Are Blooming” tea party. Use any idea for a theme (the goofier, the more fun it is). Pull out some soft drinks and chips, turn up the music, make it a picnic or bake a cake. Whatever feels like a party without lots of planning. It can be just family, or if it’s not stressful for you, invite some friends over. The spontaneity makes it extra fun.
6. Do Something Creative: Do something artistic or creative. It really doesn’t matter what–cook some new recipe or make one up; pull out the watercolor paints with the kids and give it a go alongside them; try a new craft; write a poem.
7. Skip Rocks: Go to a stream, pond or lake and skip some flat rocks. If you take the kids, teach them to keep the rocks low and toss them away from people…because skipping rocks is fun but being hit by a rock is not fun.
8. Collage: This should be a subheading under “Do Something Creative,” but I can’t figure out how to do subpoints with WordPress. Make some kind of a collage with old magazine photos, letters, words and your own photos intermingled with markers, pastels and paints.  I’ve seen some really artistic versions online, so you can Google for inspiration, but don’t let the fancy ones intimidate you. Just capture your mood, your joys, your hopes and dreams, your journey at that moment in time. It’s fun to mess around with scissors and glue sticks. It’s fun to do with the kids. When you’re done, hang it up for a while to ponder and/or post it on your blog. 
9. Book Crossing/Book Fairy: Too many books? Sign up for Book Crossing and leave one lying around on a park bench or a grocery cart for a stranger to enjoy. Before I knew about Book Crossing, I simply left them for others to enjoy, thinking of myself as the Book Fairy. It really is fun if you can see the delight on someone’s face. One time we were camping, and I left the books right outside the busy bath house with a Post-It that said, “Free Book! I’m done with it–it’s yours. Enjoy!”
10. Eat a New Food: Buy one new vegetable or fruit that you’ve never eaten before. Find an easy, promising method of preparation and taste the final product. Try to talk the rest of the household into giving it a taste test. Write a journal or blog entry about the experience.
11. Letters: Write an encouraging, fun note to send via snail mail to a family member, friend, soldier, prisoner. It’s fun for you…and for the recipient.

There you have it: Eleven tips for some Wednesday Fun.

Add your own fun ideas in the comments, and I’ll combine all of them in a Fun Tips Roundup Post in the next day or two!

For more Works For Me Wednesday ideas, visit Rocks In My Dryer.

For my own vintage Works For Me Wednesday ideas, click here.