Paint Your Playroom Together (meaning, with your kids)

You've heard the saying: "Don't try this at home." You would think that having your kids paint the house would fall under that category, but if your kids are big enough and can focus for a while, painting the playroom is a great family activity. If managed correctly, this project can turn a boring task into a fun day that will boost your kids' self-confidence and hand-eye coordination. Letting them help pick out the color is a great visualization exercise. Needless to say, we are talking about teenagers (or proto-teenagers) here. Make sure to have plenty of paint, brushes, rollers, pans, drop cloths, etc. and to protect anything that you don't want to be painted, preferably by moving it far away. Cover the floor. If you have carpet, make sure you're not too emotionally attached to it, and tape the drop cloth to the baseboards. Cut in the corners and around the trim work yourself, or assign the task to the kid with the steadiest hand. Show them how the paint is supposed to be applied to the wall, and then stand back and enjoy. Don't expect your kids to be professional painters, let them figure out the best way to get the paint on the walls - but be ready to referee any paint fights. Remember to reward a successful completion with pizza.