How to Be a Fun Mom (Without Faking It)

Ever feel guilty that you’re not as fun as you should be? Wish you could loosen up, laugh more, and be more playful with your kids?

Maybe your partner is the one who plays the backyard games, wrestles on the floor, or takes them for spontaneous fast-food trips. That’s definitely how it works in our house.

I started motherhood as the hero—pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, the whole nine yards. I was their everything. But as my kids grew, the snuggles and soothing turned into tag and trampoline battles. My husband, a former camp counselor, stepped up as the “fun one” while I became… the one managing schedules, meals, and laundry.

It didn’t feel fair. I wanted to at least be a kinda fun mom.

Step 1: Find Your Version of Fun

Here’s what I realized: I’ll never be the mom who invents obstacle courses or goes all-in on a Pokémon hunt. That’s just not me—and that’s okay.

Instead, I focused on the things I genuinely enjoy and can share with my kids naturally:

• Play games together – H.O.R.S.E., board games, or Never Have I Ever
• Get creative – Try water color painting or origami.
• Tell jokes and riddles – Here are some clever What Am I Riddles and Funny Jokes For Kids
• Cook & bake – Banana bread, DIY pizza night, or a silly pancake challenge
• Have an impromptu dance party – No rules, just fun
• Play a harmless prank – These harmless pranks for kids and parents will get everyone laughing.
• Go on mini adventures – Bike rides, nature walks, or a spontaneous ice cream run
• Read together – Classic novels at bedtime or a fun trivia night
• Be playful – Tickle fights, silly voices, or making up funny handshakes

🦷 Brushing Teeth

• Race the clock – “Can you finish brushing before I count to 30?”
• Use a silly voice – Let the toothbrush “talk” like a robot or a monster.
• Sing a song – Try the Mission Impossible theme while they brush.
• Make it a game – “Let’s see if we can get every sugar bug out of there!”
• Race the clock – “Can you finish brushing before I count to 30?”
• Funny mirror faces – Make silly faces together in the mirror before rinsing.
• Toothbrush hide-and-seek – Hide the toothbrush somewhere fun (within reach).
• Storytime brushing – Tell a short adventure story while they brush.

🌙 Bedtime

• Do a “sleepy stretch” contest – Who can stretch the slowest like a sloth?
• Turn off the lights with ‘magic’ – Clap, snap, or say a magic word to make it fun.
• Switch roles – Let them tuck you in for a change.
• Flashlight shadows – Make shadow animals on the wall with your hands.
• The “one more” game – They get to pick one extra hug, story page, or song.
• Bedtime lotto – Draw a slip of paper with a fun bedtime twist (e.g., “Tonight’s bedtime story is in a whisper voice”).

🍳 Making Breakfast

• Give foods silly names – Scrambled eggs become “Dinosaur Brains.”
• Let them be the chef – Ask, “How should we decorate our pancakes today?”
• Make a breakfast dance – A little wiggle while flipping pancakes never hurts.
• Use a breakfast “magic spell” – “ABRACADABRA… toast is DONE!”
• Blindfold taste test – Let them guess different breakfast ingredients.
• The breakfast menu game – Pretend it’s a restaurant and let them “order.”
• Pancake art challenge – Try making shapes, letters, or smiley faces.

🚗 School Pickup

• Make up a handshake – A secret handshake for pick-up makes it special.
• Have a daily question – “What was the funniest thing that happened today?”
• Play ‘guess what I’m thinking’ – Give hints about an object or animal.
• Surprise snack – Hide a treat in their backpack for them to find.
• Turn the ride into a DJ battle – Let them pick a song, then you pick one.
• The “backseat challenge” – Set a fun challenge (e.g., “Tell me three weird things you saw today”).
• Traffic light game – Make up rules (e.g., Every red light = say a joke).

🛒 Grocery Shopping

• Supermarket scavenger hunt – Give them easy things to “find” (e.g., “Can you spot something red?”).
• Grocery store detective – “Let’s find the best deal on cereal!”
• Pick a mystery ingredient – Let them pick one new fruit or veggie to try.
• Play ‘Guess the Total’ – Have them guess how much the groceries will cost.
• Create a shopping mission – “Your job is to find the best bananas!”
• The aisle race – Who can find the milk first? (Within reason!)
• Grocery bingo – Make a quick list (e.g., ‘Find something frozen’).

🧺 Cleaning Up & Chores

• Set a timer – “Let’s see if we can clean up in under 2 minutes!”
• Turn it into a competition – “Who can pick up the most LEGOs?”
• Dance break cleaning – Dance for 10 seconds after every task.
• The floor is lava – Hop around while tidying up.
• Mystery item clean-up – “I’m thinking of an item… whoever finds and puts it away first wins!”
• The ‘wrong way’ challenge – Fold clothes terribly first, then fix them.
• Magic cleanup wand – Use a “magic” pointer to direct clean-up missions.

🚿 Bathtime

• Color-changing water – Drop in bath tablets or use glow sticks.
• Sing a silly bath song – “Rubber Ducky” remix, anyone?
• Bubble beard contest – Who can make the best beard out of bubbles?
• Sinking vs. floating – Predict which toys will sink or float.
• Surprise toy rescue – Hide a toy in the bubbles for them to find.

💡Quick Playful Moments

• While Getting Dressed: “Pick a superpower for the day!”
• While Walking Somewhere: Hop like a frog or tiptoe like a spy.
• While Packing Lunches: Stick a silly note or riddle inside. Here are funny Lunchbox Jokes For Kids!
• While Waiting in Line: Play a quick round of Would You Rather with these Would You Rather Questions For Kids.

Step 3: Quality Over Quantity

Being a fun mom doesn’t mean doing it all—it means finding moments of joy that feel natural to you.

✔ You don’t have to be the loudest or silliest parent.
✔ You don’t have to plan elaborate surprises or wild adventures.
✔ You just have to be present and enjoy the things you love—with your kids.

They’ll remember the connection, not the quantity of activities.

Step 4: Let Go of Mom Guilt

You bring something special to the table, even if you’re not the “fun one.” Your version of fun might look different, but that doesn’t make it any less meaningful.

And if you ever need an instant fun boost?

• Pull up a Most Likely To game
• Surprise them with a fun challenge (Who can make the best funny face? Who can build the tallest Lego tower in 2 minutes?)
• Play Never Have I Ever with them! Here are some good Never Have I Ever Questions For Kids.

Final Thought

If you want to be a fun mom, be yourself—and share what you enjoy. That’s where the real fun begins.

It’s easy to feel guilty when you don’t fit the mold of the “fun parent,” but the truth is, every parent brings something special to the table.

If you want to know how to be a fun mom, the answer is simple: be yourself, and share the activities that you genuinely enjoy with your kids. That’s where the real fun begins.

Having a personal mission statement for parenting can also be helpful. If you haven’t yet created one, check out my article on crafting a personal mission statement for parenting to help anchor your parenting journey in what matters most.