As I scroll on Tiktok these days, I come across more and more videos reminding me about how I’m getting older. Far away are those days of carefree playing with my favourite toys, getting back home from school to an afternoon snack made by my mum and looking forward to hanging out at a friend’s place on a non-school night. The videos that really hit me are the ones that bring forward the nostalgia of those special moments. As I’m feeling bittersweet looking back at these moments, I’m also excited about what life has to offer at this age. However, why not re-live a bit of that childhood magic with these six activity ideas!
Throw a themed party
Every year I would look forward to mine or my sister’s birthdays when we could start planning a birthday party and invite all our friends. There would be the party games like pass a parcel, yummy ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins and the goodie bags with fun things like this:
Why not throw a nostalgic party for your next birthday or just have a party for the sake of it! You can make it even more fun by picking a theme that you would have loved as a kid such as princesses, superheroes, pirates or even your favourite movie (Howl’s Moving Castle party anyone?).
Things you can incorporate in to make it an all-rounded party:
Send out fun invites that match your theme (you can use Canva or even Google slides!).
Decorate your venue with themed decorations, they don’t have to be expensive too! Print out pictures, create your own bunting and get some balloons from the dollar store.
Get everyone to come dressed in fun costumes or clothes with a running theme for those insta worthy photos.
Plan games and activities from your childhood like pin the tail on the donkey, treasure hunts, trivia and musical chairs.
Serve nostalgic snacks and treats that evoke childhood memories, like cotton candy, popcorn, cupcakes and if you want to go one step extra, print out some cake toppers to match.
Take on a craft project
In school, I would get so excited when it was time for a craft activity or if I was at home I would be excited to try creating something with the materials I had like a doll made from a spoon or a board game from a piece of paper and some colour pencils! Why not get back into getting creative with a fun craft project? As we get older, we tend to approach these kinds of activities with the idea that we want to build something that looks really good and perfect. However, I encourage you to try out a craft with the intention of just having fun.
Check out these websites to find a craft activity to try out:
Search ‘Fun and Easy Craft Activities’ on Pinterest
Lots of fun and easy activities that anyone would be able to do
Paper crafts where all you need is a printer, scissors and some glue
Build a blanket fort
How some chairs, blankets, sheets and cushions could immediately transform our living room into a fun and magical place is such a highlight for many childhood memories I’m sure! For your next movie night, date night, friend chillout or weekend activity, try building a blanket fort in your home for a cozy hangout spot.
Make it an activity with your date and friend, see what materials you can gather around your house to build an imaginative fort
Experiment with different fort structures, such as using chairs, furniture, or clothes lines as support
Customize the interior with comfortable seating and lighting to create a cozy and magical hideaway
Grab some yummy takeout, or whip up some nibbles and enjoy some netflix or games in your blanket fort
Create a reverse time capsule
As I saw more nostalgic content on social media and started looking around on Pinterest for this month’s throwback to childhood, I saw so many things that I used to love that I had forgotten about. I created a Pinterest board just for Nostalgia to pin these things so I don’t forget them again! You can do the same by creating your own time capsule that captures your favourite things and memories from the past. Here are some ideas to get your started:
Create your own board on Pinterest and search for images such as toys you used to play with, websites you used to visit, games you used to play etc. and pin it to a board
You can also gather photos from your childhood. This is a great time to get back into your parents’ photo albums and reminisce about those times from long ago!
Create a digital collage or board of these images on a website such as these https://www.julybabystudio.com/post/free-digital-moodboard-creators or in your digital journals;
Or you can even get crafty and create a physical collage on a large poster board
Take it a step further and add captions or descriptions to provide context and reflect on the significance of each item.
Explore games you used to play
One of the activities I looked forward to was getting some computer time as a kid. I remember taking turns with my sister just to play some games on Neopets to try and buy food and cool things for our pets. Or remember those flash games on brand sites like Barbie, Polly Pocket, Disney, Nickelodeon would put out? Revisit some of those games for a throwback straight to childhood.
Anyone spent lots of time on Sims 2? If you haven’t touched the game since those days, why not download it and give it a go again, even better, Sims 4 is now free to play!
Adopt a virtual pet again with Neopets
Search for you like My Scene makeover or Papa’s Scooperia on this website
Go back to those Gameboy days with emulators
Host a slumber party
Begging my parents to let us have a sleepover was something that needed to be carefully planned with friends on what we were going to say before we brought them that proposal. And when they said yes it was so exciting to plan what we were going to do for that night. Well, if you’re now much much older (like me!), and don’t have to ask your parents anymore, why not invite your friends for a classic childhood slumber party.
Some things you might want to include:
Sleeping bags, pajamas (even matching ones perhaps?) and lots of pillows!
Prepare a lineup of activities like watching your favourite childhood movies, playing games, engaging in beauty self-care like facemasks or manicures or even try out some crafts
Provide a variety of snacks and treats for the night, such as pizza, ice cream, or if you want to elevate it, a DIY dessert bar or a nice charcuterie and cheese board
Share scary stories or for those faint of heart, share your favourite childhood memories and tales
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