Today my tiny little baby turns 4 and a half – only 6 months away from 5, which feels like some sort of huge milestone. Five years we have shared together, five years which feel like they’ve been both incredibly long and unbelievably short. Five sees us really undeniably leave the baby and toddler stages behind, meaning I will be the proud mother of a proper little boy. For many children turning five means starting school, and entering a whole new huge chapter. When they are babies it’s so difficult to imagine them at any other age, so hard to think about what their little personalities might turn out to be. Now at nearly 5 I can hardly remember Dil any different to the way he is now; my perfect little opinionated, brave, boisterous, kind and considerate little boy.
Thinking about how fast the last 4.5 years has gone, and knowing how quickly the next 6 months will fly by, makes me want to really make the most of this special time. The time before he is more interested in computer games than spending time with me, the time before he will choose a day out with his friends over one with his Mama. I want to savour this time, while I’m still his whole world, because he will always be mine. I want to spend this time creating memories that will last a lifetime, memories than him and I will remember forever.
I already put together a list of 30 things I want to do before I turn 30 and now I’m thinking about all the things Dil can do and experience before entering the next stage. Childhood is such a magical thing, and there are so many things that I believe are essential parts of experiencing that magic. This list is much more about memories, fun and embracing childhood than it is about gathering things – and I think a childhood filled with even half of them would be a childhood well spent.
- Bake a cake – and lick the spoon
- Blow out candles on a birthday cake
- Bake cookies
- Build a sofa fort
- Build something with Lego
- Carry out a random act of kindness
- Choose your own outfit
- Dance around the room
- Decorate some biscuits
- Donate some old toys
- Dress up in a costume
- Drive a car (pretend to!)
- Eat breakfast in bed
- Eat ice cream for breakfast
- Explore a forest
- Feed a goat
- Feed the ducks
- Get a (temporary) tattoo
- Get messy
- Get your face painted
- Get your feet measured
- Give a gift
- Go down a big slide
- Go on a road trip
- Go to a museum
- Go to a party
- Go to the cinema
- Have a bubble bath
- Have a food fight
- Have a midnight feast
- Have a pillow fight
- Have a sleepover
- Have an indoor picnic
- Help cook dinner
- Hold a bug
- Jump on the sofa
- Learn about animals
- Learn about birds
- Learn about bugs
- Learn about dinosaurs
- Learn some words in a new language
- Look after a pet
- Make a bird feeder
- Make a bug hotel
- Make a new friend
- Make your own pizza
- Make pancakes
- Make popcorn
- Make something with clay
- Make up a funny song
- Meet a hero
- Paint a picture
- Perform a show
- Play hide and seek
- Play hopscotch
- Play tag
- Post a letter
- Pretend to be a robot
- Read loads of books
- Ride a bike
- Ride on a bus
- Ride on a plane
- Ride on a roller coaster
- Ride on a train
- See a full moon
- Send a postcard
- Sing along to the radio
- Sleep downstairs
- Spot a wild animal
- Spot shapes in the clouds
- Spot a constellation
- Start saving money
- Stay in a hotel
- Stay up late
- Swing as high as you can
- Take a dog for a walk
- Take a photograph
- Tell a joke
- Tell a story
- Try a new food
- Use a hammer
- Visit a castle
- Visit a farm
- Visit a funfair
- Visit an arcade
- Visit the circus
- Visit the zoo
- Watch movies in bed
- Watch the stars
- Watch the sunrise
- Watch the sunset
- Wear odd socks
- Wear pyjamas to the shop
- Wash the dishes
- Go on an Easter egg hunt
- Pick wild flowers
- Plant some seeds
- Play football with your friends
- Roll down a hill
- Run through a field
- See a rainbow
- Spot some baby animals
- Blow dandelion clocks
- Fly a kite
- Blow bubbles
- Bounce on a bouncy castle
- Build a den
- Build a sandcastle
- Catch a fish
- Climb a tree
- Collect sea shells on the beach
- Drink a milkshake
- Eat an ice cream sundae
- Eat fish and chips at the seaside
- Forage for berries
- Go on a boat
- Go on a bug hunt
- Go on a nature walk
- Go on a picnic
- Grow your own veg
- Have a barbeque
- Have a water fight
- Jump in the pool
- Jump on a trampoline
- Jump over waves in the sea
- Learn to swim
- Pick your own fruit
- Play on a beach
- Sleep under the stars
- Splash in a paddling pool
- Swim in a river
- Wash a car
- Carve a pumpkin
- Collect conkers
- Get covered in mud
- Go trick or treating
- Hold a sparkler
- Jump in a puddle
- Jump in leaves
- Make mud pies and magic potions
- Play in a mud kitchen
- Play in the rain
- Toast marshmallows on a campfire
- Watch fireworks
- Build a snow man
- Decorate a Christmas tree
- Drink hot chocolate
- Have a snow ball fight
- Leave a snack out for Father Christmas and his reindeer
- Make bird feeder’s
- Make snow angels
- Meet Father Christmas
- Send a Christmas card
- Send a Valentine’s Day Card
- Watch a Christmas movie
- Watch a pantomime
- Wrap a present
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That was a pretty elaborate list. But, saving money was my favorite one. If the kids don’t learn the value of money and the importance of saving it, at an early age, then there is a good chance that they will spend their life spending mindlessly. Have you read “Rich Dad Poor Dad”? If not, then you definitely should.