As I travel down the road of deliberate parenting, I’ve thought a great deal about my childhood and what I want for my own children. So many things find their home on my childhood essentials list, and yet so many things are strangely absent. A few of the items on my list are big things that we may only do once or twice, others are daily rituals or seasonal activities each year.
I’m taking this next week off from blogging, so I’ll leave you with my picture-heavy list of Childhood Essentials and a few questions.
Childhood Essentials
Loads of Outdoor Free Playtime
Camping (Tent!), Fishing, Boat Rides, Hikes in Gorgeous Nature
Frolicing in the Ocean/Building a Sandcastle
Roasting Marshmallows (and S’mores, of course)
Swinging (tire preferably!)
Water Play in the Yard (Hose/Sprinkler/Swimming Pool)
Biking, Swimming!
Rustic Playhouse, Treehouse, or Fort 
Berry Picking, Growing Vegetables
Playdough (or other molding clay) and Craft Supplies Simple, Open-Ended Toys
Playing Games
Music (Listening/Live Performances/Making/Learning)
Books, Books, and More Books 
Building a Snowman 
Celebrating Holidays
Baking in the Kitchen
Family Meals (New, Interesting Foods!)
Eating Homemade Cookies
Doing Chores 
A Trip to Disneyland
Road Trip Vacations
What is on your list?
Ride a Horse
Summer Camp
Own a Pet
Visit the County Fair
Go on a Carnival Ride
Visit a Foreign Country
Take a Train Ride
Playing Catch
Visiting Museums
I am quite aware that another family’s list might look very different than ours. I suppose it depends on a host of variables. Location. Budget. Number of Children. Values. Background.
A family living near a tropical beach might frolic in the waves and build sandcastles weekly, while building a snowman might be a once in a life-time experience.
This list skips the bare essentials such as nurishing food, shelter, clothing, nurturing adults, family and friends.
I also realize that this list covers mostly play and experiences. Education, moral training, life skills all deserve their own focus.
Do you try to recreate the atmosphere of your own childhood? Are you putting your energy into giving your children a childhood that hopefully looks nothing like your own? Is it a combination of the best of your childhood and the things that you feel you missed out on or are newly available?
I have incredible memories of going to Disneyland with my family and grandparents. Our trips to California were the ‘big vacations’ that my family took.
Our childhood summers revolved around a log cabin playhouse that my dad built for us. It was large enough for a full-sized couch and other furniture, and could sleep all three of us in the loft. It had a front porch and a flower-bed with daffodils and roses. It had a tire swing. It was secluded. It was ours. Even into high school.
Disneyland and a playhouse/treehouse/fort are the two remaining items on our list that we look forward to introducing to our boys.
This list covers early childhood and my mind is spinning when I consider what I want to provide for my children in their late childhood and teens. (Yep, you’ll probably see the list soon…)
A few things on my list could be a post in themselves. I might revisit them in the future.
Toys, for instance. What toys around your home do you and your children love the most? What toys do you remember from your childhood?