Today, I could tell the girls were feeling restless. The same toys, the same routines- everything felt a little stale. I get it. I feel that way, too, sometimes.
My first instinct was to think, Where can I take them? What can I do to make the day more exciting? But before I let that thought run too far, I caught myself. I don’t want them to grow up thinking that fun and creativity always have to come from something new—a new toy, a new place, a new activity. Instead, I want them to learn how to find excitement in what’s already around them, to stretch their imaginations and create something fresh from the familiar.
So instead of going somewhere, we stayed. Instead of buying something, we built something.
We made a zoo.
We gathered every stuffed animal we could find and arranged them in little enclosures all over the sunroom. My daughter pushed her baby doll in her stroller, visiting each “habitat” and talking about the animals as we went. We played zookeeper, ticket collector, and visitor. We made signs, assigned each animal a name, and imagined the sounds they would make. It was simple. It was free. And it was one of the most fun things we’ve done in a while.
It reminded me that creativity isn’t about having more—it’s about seeing more in what you already have. And maybe that’s the lesson I needed today just as much as my girls did.
So if you’re feeling the restlessness creep in, if your kids are looking for something new to do, maybe the answer isn’t outside your home. Maybe it’s just waiting for you to imagine it.