Back when Aaron and I were only a family of two, we went out a lot. Movies, dinners, gaming conventions, haunted houses in October, renaissance faires, amusement parks, you name it. At home, we played video games and watched TV together. We liked to have a good time, and we liked to do it together.

Now that we have kids, we still like to have fun together, but many of our old activities aren’t feasible at the moment. A movie would be fun for us, but Cordy doesn’t have the attention span. Haunted houses would just be cruel, and both girls are still a little young to enjoy an amusement park ride.

At the moment we don’t have any video games that Cordy would enjoy as well, so that leaves watching TV or going out. On the weekends, I’m usually itching to get out of the house, and Aaron also doesn’t want to spend all weekend cooped up. But what can we do that the entire family will have fun with?

They say that play is a child’s work, right? It’s how they learn, it’s how they explore their world. Well, we’re happy to “work” right along with Cordy by spending our free time visiting playgrounds, children’s museums, and other places designed for children.

Obviously Cordy has a blast with climbing toys, slides and swings, but she’s not the only one. Going to a playground gives us permission to act like kids, too. We can go down the slide with her, swing as high as possible, and chase her around the playground while she squeals with laughter. And seeing her having fun is a reward in itself.

We’ve been to many different places, and had a great time playing as a family at each one. Some highlights from the past year:

Even Puppy gets in on the fun at this playground

Daddy assists for some sliding fun at COSI

Graeter’s has a great playground – Cordy loves the balls.

Who can resist a petting zoo? Come here, little goat.

Water tables are awesome, especially when rain coats are provided.

Another playground with multiple slides.

Driving a car at a children’s museum in Chicago

Having fun together as family is very important to us, and we’ll continue to make time for activities that involve all of us. If we don’t have fun with our kids, we’re nothing more than mean adults who tell them what to do and couldn’t care less about their interests, right? And that’s not us, because we love watching Cordy (and now Mira) grow and change through play, and the best part is getting to play right along with her.

This post is brought to you in conjunction with Parent Bloggers Network & EA’s Wii-Boogie, a family gaming experience. Shake it. Sing it. Create it.

Want to join in? Even though I really want to win that Nintendo Wii and copy of Wii-Boogie for myself, it’s only fair to spread the word: you have until midnight to put up your own post on the topic of what your family does together for fun. Details can be found here.