Having spent a full week dedicated to twins on our other site, RookieMoms.com, I kept thinking about one piece of advice that was repeated over and over again amongst the comments there: to plan one-on-one activities for siblings — same aged or not.
The same week, my 4-year old daughter pointed out to me that while her 6-year old brother goes on fun, day-long adventures with me when his school is closed, she has never had a “date with Mommy”. She was right. Typically if she has a day off, we do things around our house and neighborhood, perhaps a leftover inclination I have from when her day was planned around naptimes. And so last week, I took her on the BART to San Francisco where we saw her first big-screen movie: Winnie The Pooh.
With August coming quickly and many preschools and camps being closed, it seemed like a good time to brainstorm special date opportunities for parents and kids who might have some downtime together. Here are some activities that I’ve done with my own son. (Sorry, little sis!) I look forward to hearing your favorites.These are in order by the age we did them.
- Studio Grow followed by pancakes for lunch at Jimmy Beans. If Studio Grow is already in your regular rotation, try Play Cafe in Oakland. Both are great for one- to three-year olds.
- Super Franks in Pleasanton for a two- to four-year old who likes to be active. Read our review.
- Post breakfast hot chocolate at Caffe 817 in Oakland while waiting for MOCHA to open for some messy art time. Best for 3- to 6-year olds, but toddlers are welcome.
- Transportation extravaganza. Take BART to Powell Street, then cable car over the city to Fisherman’s Wharf, and THEN one of the historical MUNI streetcars around Embarcadero to the Ferry Building. And finally BART back home to the East Bay. I did this with just a daypack and no stroller when my son was four and he loved it.
- Yerba Buena attractions: Zeum, carousel and adjacent playground. Bring food or get burritos in the Metreon. Read about my Zeum experience.
- Head over to San Francisco in the car after traffic dies down and then drive down Lombard Street, the crookedest street in the world. Park and take the stairs up and down the street. Head over to the Exploratorium if you have time. I did this last month.
On my hit list for my son’s next special days: Pinball Museum in Alameda, surprise day trip to Santa Cruz boardwalk, Go Go Craft class (mobile craft workshops), House of Air, walking over the Golden Gate bridge, and Antioch Water Park. How about you?
