Indoor Activities

• Play chess, Chinese checkers, or card games. If you do not know how, learn together.
• Put together a jigsaw puzzle. You might even want to frame it together.
• Answer would you rather questions: https://www.thebestideasforkids.com/would-you-rather-questions-for-kids/
• Do a science project together using household products (ex. find out what happens to an egg soaked in vinegar.)
• Do a crossword puzzle or a word search.
• Build with Lego blocks. Fond du Lac Public Library also has a drop-in Lego night once a month, no registration needed!  https://fdlpl.org/
• Help your Little make a card or present for Mother’s Day/Father’s Day/parent’s or sibling’s birthday.
• Start a scrap book or journal of your time together.
• Draw, paint or sculpt clay
• Write a story or a poem together.
• Call the library about story hours or have your own.
• Build a model car or plane
• Carve soap sculptures.
• Make your own bath bombs
• Learn how to make your own clothes.
• Check out the programs offered at THELMA, especially Studio 51 – https://www.thelmaarts.org/
• Read the paper. Learn about current events, the economy, candidates, etc.
• Work on a resume.
• Make a calendar to schedule outings and then plan ahead!
• Start a collection of something you’re both interested in – stamps, rocks, coins, comics, bugs, dolls, figures, sports cards, etc.
• Pop popcorn (the “old fashioned” way, not in the microwave)
• Form your own book club (with other matches) and/or read together
• Do a pretend job interview.
• Have a TV show you both watch every week, then call and talk about it.
• Talk about where to find a job, or how to plan a career.
• Make wrapping paper from old magazines and newspapers
• Visit a local courthouse and observe a court hearing.
• Browse at Chapter 52 used bookstore: https://www.fdlpl.org/chapter-52
• Tackle some homework together.
• Talk about college or tech school.
• Talk about the future and set goals.
• Share family/vacation pictures with each other
• Talk about relationships.
• Make puppets and put on a show for friends or family
• Discuss your favorite music & artists and listen to songs together.
• Make friendship bracelets, or do other crafts together.
• Sing or dance to music.
• Bake bread or make your own pizza.
• Prepare a meal together from start to finish. Try finding good recipes online or in your favorite cookbook.
• Pop popcorn, make ice cream floats and watch a Movie at home.
• Make your own ice cream. Or make butter in a mason jar!
• Learn to cook ethnic food.
• Arrange for your Little to meet professionals you know in fields of interest to talk about what they do and how they got there.
• Come to any Big Brothers Big Sisters-sponsored event. Make sure you join our Bigs Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/fdlcoBIGs/ or check your email regularly, to learn about these opportunities.
• Bake a pie, cookies, cake, etc.
• Design an exercise program and work out together.
• Go to your local library and research a topic you are both interested in.
• Choose an organization and volunteer together. Some ideas: help build a house for Habitat for Humanity, volunteer at a Big Brothers Big Sisters event, help out at a homeless shelter or food pantry.
• Write an essay or a poem and send it to your Match Suppor Specialist at BBBS.
• Make a collage on “friendship” or things your Little and you are into, using pictures and headline from old magazines, newspapers, or photos you find on Google Images.
• Look up new words in the dictionary
• Have your Little teach YOU something!
• Invite your Little to visit your office/place of employment.
• Take tours of friends’ jobs.
• Show your Little your high school yearbooks, baby pictures, old report cards, etc.
• Visit your local YMCA or Community Center.
• Visit the site of your first job, or a similar place. Discuss your past & experiences.
• Go to the movies, or rent one. (be sure to check the movie rating or get parent’s permission)
• Go to a museum. Check out the Oshkosh Public Museum, Milwaukee Public Museum or Neville Public Museum in Green Bay.
• Visit antique, costume or second-hand stores and brainstorm ideas for Halloween costumes.
• Go rock climbing at a local climbing gym.
• Teach courtesy, respect for others, values. Talk about ways to handle different issues. Use “What if” Scenarios.
• Teach personal hygiene-personal cleanliness, eye, teeth, hair and body care.
• Make up new lyrics to a song—maybe even about your match. Bonus: create dance moves to go with it.
• Learn life skills like how to wash and iron clothes.
• Learn to meal plan and shop for groceries together.
• Make your own t-shirts with fabric markers and colored glue or tie-dye!
• Talk about dream vacations. Create a Pinterest board together!
• Build a bird house or feeder.
• Learn a foreign language together or study another culture.
• Teach your Little good phone etiquette, how to leave messages, and how to use emergency phone numbers
• Attend a City Council meeting or a school board meeting.
• Research your family trees together – the library and internet are great resources!
• Learn about where community resources are and how to obtain them.
• Take a life-saving course together.
• Build a fort
• Write and send letters in the mail to each other, or get pen pals. (Maybe another BBBS match?!)
• Go bowling
• Play a musical instrument or learn one together.
• Carve a pumpkin together – don’t forget to roast the seeds!
• Talk about life.
• Fill out a job application.
• Write a letter to your Little on your match anniversary telling what you’ve noticed about him/her in the last year. Ex: positive changes, growth or maturity.

Outdoor Activities

• Try all kinds of sports: football, basketball, boxing, jogging, karate, etc.
• Go for a hike. Hobbs Woods is a local favorite!
• Go fishing.
• Visit the local farmers market: http://downtownfdl.com/farmers-market.html
• Blow bubbles.
• Play Frisbee Golf at Adelaide Park: https://www.discgolfscene.com/courses/Adelaide_Park
• Make an obstacle course in your yard or local park and time each other.
• Watch a community parade
• Take a bike ride together (make sure you both wear your helmets!)
• Toss a Frisbee or fly a kite.
• Jog or sprint around a local track, field or park. Learn to use a stopwatch.
• Go roller-skating, roller -blading, or ice-skating. If you don’t know how, learn together.
• Paint a fence or a room
• Rent a canoe (Make sure everyone wears life preservers and is able to swim).
• Take dancing, music, swimming or tennis lessons.
• Go to an amusement park.
• Rake leaves or do other yard work together. Jumping into the pile when you’re finished—optional!
• Go horseback riding.
• Go swimming or even play with the water hose or sprinkler in the backyard (make sure you and your Little both have privacy for changing).
• Play tag.
• Watch a fireworks show
• Play Hide-And-Go-Seek.
• Teach him/her how to build a campfire.
• Go rock hunting. Glue your rocks together and paint them to make sculptures.
• Make and fly paper airplanes.
• Let your Little drive….at a go-cart track! like Fondy Sports Park: http://fondysportspark.com/
• Pack a blanket & some snacks and just hang out in nature.
• Play catch with football or baseball.
• Plant a tree or a shrub.
• Play cards or a board game outside.
• Teach yourselves to juggle.
• Take a walk and take photos of interesting objects/sights you see along the way
• Climb a tree (be careful!).
• Have a water-balloon fight.
• Play golf or putt-putt, or just hit golf balls at a driving range.
• Go to a garage sale or browse through a flea market.
• Build a tree house.
• Wash your car.
• Mow the lawn.
• Visit the Menomonee Park Zoo in Oshkosh, petting zoo at Lakeside Park, NEW Zoo near Green Bay, Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison, or Milwaukee County Zoo.
• Visit a State Park.
• Check out Shalom Wildlife near West Bend: https://www.shalomwildlife.com/
• Cut your own Christmas tree.
• Visit the Humane Society/ SPCA and learn how to care for pets.
• Read outside.
• Build a snowman/woman.
• Have a picnic.
• Look at cloud shapes.
• Clean up litter together.
• Visit Barlow Planetarium in Menasha: https://uwosh.edu/barlow/
• Look for 4-leafed clovers.
• Pick some fruit at a local farm. Try different recipes with your produce.
• People-watch.
• Catch frogs or bugs
• Try to skip rocks on a pond.
• Build a snow fort. Have a friendly snowball fight!
• Create your own awesome ‘grafitti’ with sidewalk chalk
• Go sledding at Buttermilk Creek Park or hills near UW-Fond du Lac
• Try snow-shoeing
• Go snow tubing at Sunburst: https://skisunburst.com/
• Come to the Big Brothers Big Sisters fishing and sailing outings, or other outdoor event. Make sure you join our Bigs Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/fdlcoBIGs/ or check your email regularly, to learn about these opportunities.
• Make lemonade. Set up a lemonade stand, talk about running a business, donate the money to a charity
• Fix-up a bicycle.
• Feed some ducks.
• Go Christmas caroling
• Pick wildflowers.
• Walk a dog you know.
• Go on a camera scavenger hunt—Make a list of the places/things you want pics of before you go and let your Little take the pictures.
• Visit a college campus and walk around. Talk about your own post-high school educational experience.
• Go bargain hunting.
• Go out for dinner together.
• Go geo-caching. Don’t know what it is? Take a look at this website: https://www.geocaching.com/play
• Go holiday shopping.
• Go to a house of worship. (Check your Little’s comfort level and ask for parents’ OK before you do)
• Visit your local cider mill for fresh cider and baked goods.
• Check your local parks and recreation department to learn more about their activities: https://fdlrecdept.recdesk.com/Community/Page?pageId=3930
• Check local college and high school sports schedules and choose an event to attend.
• Check out lesser-known sports such as field hockey, rugby or curling. Some colleges may have youth days or special activities through their athletic departments for community members.
• Visit your city’s web site for a list of free summer activities like concerts or plays in the park, festivals and fairs: https://www.fdl.com/
• Pretend you are tourists in your own city. Visit historical sites and other points of interest.
• Go to a baseball game, like the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders! https://northwoodsleague.com/fond-du-lac-dock-spiders/
• Visit your state or county fair.
• Volunteer together to mow an elderly or disabled person’s yard.
• Visit a “You Pick it Farm”, to pick the latest vegetables and fruits.
• Learn beginner’s auto mechanics. Fix a flat tire or change the oil in your car.
• Learn to read a road map, use an atlas, a globe, GPS or a compass to find someplace you have never been.
• Go to an auto show, boat show, tractor pull or stock car races.
• Start a garden. Learn about soil and plants, vegetables and fruits.
• Attend your Little’s school play or sporting event to cheer him/her on!
• Field trips: historical places, police and fire departments
• Cultural Events: attend a play, art show, ballet, symphony, or concert.
• Explore Horicon Marsh! https://www.horiconmarsh.org/
• Visit the Wade House Historic Site: https://wadehouse.wisconsinhistory.org/
• Spend the day at the beach. Build a sand castle. Kettle Moraine Lake (Tiki Beach) and Mauthe Lake are local favorites!
• Take a day-trip to the shores of Lake Michigan.
• Go to the airport and watch planes take off.
• Learn how to use jumper cables.
• Use a telescope, camera, microscope together
• Study the stars.
• Go to a dog show, cat show, horse show, etc.
• Roast marshmallows, make s’mores.
• Call a local nursing home and see if you and your Little can come play Bingo with the residents.
• Go bird watching
• Get involved in special events together, like: walk-a-thons, community fairs, Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl For Kids’ Sake, Special Olympics, etc.
• Enter a “fun-run”, fishing tournament, or bike race.
• Collect fall leaves and identify the trees they fell from. Make leaf rubbings.
• Talk to other Bigs and Littles about their favorite activities.
• Make a Time Capsule and bury it in your yard so that the people who find it will know a little about you and the current events at this time.