A brilliant mom friend of mine started “Kids Choice Day,” every Wednesday, so I thought my daughter and I would give it a try! Our children are in the middle of a world crisis so a day where they have a bit more “control” of their world will be good for the entire family! On “Kids Choice Day” the kiddos get to decide what their day is going to look like from what they eat for breakfast and lunch to what activities they engage in throughout the day. My daughter began by drawing a map of things she wanted to do. My picky eater had no special food requests.

Outdoor Play- It was beautiful weather so we spent the majority of our day outside. From scooter rides to playing on our backyard playground to water play, an afternoon of sun and fresh air was the perfect choice!

Outdoor Games– I printed out a bunny themed game board from my daughter’s teacher and we enjoyed playing this dice game while sitting on a blanket in our backyard. CLICK HERE to download the game board. We also enjoyed coloring and doing a puzzle outside!

Easter Egg Workout– Another great suggestion from Mrs. Stanglein, my daughter’s teacher, really got us moving! I printed one exercise on a slip of paper and placed a slip in an Easter egg. My daughter selected an Easter egg from the basket and I read the slip and we performed that exercise. You could include the following.. 5 sit ups, 10 jumping jacks, run around the house 3 times, do a bear crawl, 10 toe touches. Have fun making up your own!

Alleluia Shakers- During Lent we put our Alleluias away but on Easter morning every church family will sing “Alleluia!”We made Alleluia shakers by filling a plastic Easter egg with rice (you could also use beans) and then decorating the outside. We made some for our family of three but also made some to add to the weekly supplies we deliver to grandparents and to a family friend. We will shake our eggs whenever we say or hear Alleluia during virtual church on Easter Sunday.

Ms. Pac-Man– I love the game Ms. Pac Man so my husband (boyfriend at the time) gifted me with a vintage Ms. Pac Man machine many years ago. It sits in our unfinished basement but every so often my daughter and I will sneak downstairs and play a game or two. The machine has a special chip inside that includes a cheat mode so we could play the game forever! My daughter shares the love of Ms. Pac Man because she included it on her map for Kids Choice Day!

Keep Playing… I can’t stress the importance of play, especially during this time of added stress and mixed up routine. Children learn and grow through play. Play helps them make sense of their world and process what they are learning. We ended our day with water play. My daughter requested it and asked if she could play with her “My Little Pony” figures in the water. I sat back with an adult beverage, this Noteworthy Mommy needed a break after our day of play, and I simply observed her. I love when her animals have dialogue with each other. In this scene my daughter was pretending the ponies were Jesus and His twelve disciples. The pony playing the part of Jesus was washing His disciples feet. I heard her mention Simon and Judas. We had just discussed this event during Jesus Time last night. This unscheduled, unforced event was filled with the joy of learning and brought happy tears to my eyes! And in case you were wondering, Rainbow Dash played the part of Jesus.