Oklahoma City family fun is for kids of all ages, sometimes even in the same family, who can hopefully have a good time together.
My sons are 9, 4 and 1. Sam is in the middle of fourth grade, Isaac is in pre-K and Gabriel just started a preschool program.
"No Candy Land, no inflatables, no story time. I'm done with baby games," Sam said resolutely, arms folded with his best big kid stare. What to do with an hour on an unplanned Saturday is rarely a possibility much less a debate at our house.
The split in ages is starting to show at our house. That age gap, especially between Isaac and Sam, started as a crack and now it feels like a chasm some days.
"Okay. What do you want to do instead?" I asked.
Hide-and-seek was what we had time for and that, somehow, isn't considered a baby game even though all of us could play it.
Leaving the house and what to do outside of it hasn't become an issue yet but since inflatables and story time made the list, I know the day is coming that it'll narrow to activities uniquely suited to older kids.
Until then, we're able to enjoy a lot of venues as a family, not just a family with little kids or a family with a pre-teen.
Here are our favorite three local venues for multi-age appeal:
- Science Museum Oklahoma: There are excellent features for kids of all ages, including a separate area just for babies. Younger kids can climb, run and be active in a variety of settings like a tree house and circus grounds while older ones try their hand at applying scientific principles through experiences relevant to what they've seen in school. Click here for tips to visit.
- The Oklahoma City Philharmonic's Family Discovery Series: I could easily take all three of my children to Civic Center Music Hall and each would find something different to enjoy. Sam is too old now for the hands-on activities in the lobby before the show but Isaac and Gabriel would still find wonder in being there to touch instruments, try them out and have a professional guide them. The music is enjoyable at any age so I know we'd be happy to be there too. Here's a summary of our experience at a Family Discovery Series concert.
- Oklahoma History Center: The variety of things to see and do keeps everyone in our family entertained, whether we're attending a First Saturday event or visiting for a school project. Helpful staff can speak to each family member's level of understanding and the hands-on options at each exhibit make it relevant for our baby as well as our 9-going-on-19 year-old. Find out more about First Saturdays here.
We like our movie nights as a family for something fun to do inside, besides hide-and-seek.
Sam and I can go to iFly or play paintball or ride the Wheeler Distrtict's Ferris wheel without his brothers sometime. That's all good and well but sometimes the best part of free time is finding out how to share an experience as a family.
Have suggestions? Let us know! Our family just might go give them a try.
