Ensuring foster children feel included is crucial for making them feel welcome, loved, and involved. However, you do not have to plan lavish outings or events to make this happen. Little things, such as indoor and outdoor activities, can create strong bonds and connections. Understanding that bonding with children in care is important, here are some activities you can do to spend time and bond as a family.
Cooking and Baking
These are perhaps two of the easiest and most fun activities you can do together. They are both great options because they are great for kids of all ages, and it takes little to get started. You can look online to find simple recipes that take little time but are fun online and create something together. These activities are great for spending time together and teaching lessons like task sharing, taking responsibility, working as a team, and the importance of healthy, nutritious meals.
Let your foster children pick what to cook or bake to get them even more involved. Doing so is an excellent way of showing them you trust them and their choices, which is great for building their confidence and self-esteem.
Exploring and Playing Outdoors
There are numerous outdoor activities and games foster carers can explore with their foster children. A go-to option that is both fun and inexpensive is visiting a park. The children can play, exercise, and enjoy fresh air.
Picnics, nature walks, road trips, and camping are also all great for foster children as it helps them have fun in new areas. If you want to engage in activities involving travel, you should talk to your foster care agency to ensure you are allowed to do so.
New Hobbies and Interests
As children grow older, they become interested in different things and hobbies. As a foster carer, you should allow your foster children to not only engage in different activities but also to choose the ones they are interested in the most. Depending on the activity, you can use the fostering allowance you receive from the fostering agency to cover it. Fostering agencies such as fosterplus.co.uk have generous allowances that cater to these costs so you can encourage your foster children to pick the ones they like. Some popular options include painting, decorating, arts, and drawing murals.
Board Games
Board games are another excellent option for foster families that want to spend time together and bond. There is no shortage of board games, so it is easy to pick ones that foster children of all ages will love. These games range from easy options like Scrabble to more challenging ones like chess.
You can also encourage your children to play with each other as there are numerous online platforms where they can do so easily.
Creating strong bonds between foster children and the rest of the family is critical for making them feel welcome and part of the family. There are numerous activities to engage in, and you can pick the best ones depending on the children’s age and interest and their ability to bring everyone together.
