Top Ten List of Things to Do at Home with Kids- 1. Dance Party!

"The therapists advised us to keep (our son) moving, so we put on fifties rock ' roll and dropped our butts. "Dance party!" we'd call out after dinner, and head for the living room. Chubby Checker entered the pantheon, displaced Raffi, made "Splish Splash" our favorite song.. We twirled around, did flailing jumping jacks and somersaults, danced the twist, the swim, and the pony. What began as therapy for a three-year-old turned into play for a family, a nightly ritual of music and movement and fun. And slowly, almost imperceptibly, our anxiety over our son's issues and problems was transformed..." Katrina Kenison, The Gift of an Ordinary Day

I have to admit, dance parties feel like they should be impromptu and spontaneous, but usually if I'm not thinking about them or making a teensy bit of effort to plan them, like Katrina Kenison, they just don't happen. And a day with a dance party is a good day because you can't dance without smiling really big. At least we can't. Short, sweet, no mess, no special ingredients, no arguing... just a few minutes of laughter and silliness to pick up our spirits and have fun together. Our favorite songs are Tonight's Going to be a Good Night by Black Eyed Peas and Let's Dance by Lady Gaga. Also Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard by Paul Simon.
I'm coming up with quite a list I work off when I'm scheduling our days. Will post a sample soon.