With work, school and other priorities, days easily become chaotic. Families spending quality time together is not always the easiest task, but it is necessary for creating memories and bonding. Spending time together as a family strengthens ties. After all, it’s about making time for one another and enjoying each other’s company. Family time is a combination of the happy, sad, chaotic, embarrassing and even irritating moments, and it’s in these moments when families become closer. Here are some ideas for fun family time activities. These activities are a sure fire way to have some fun together as a family (and make some great memories!).
Weekend Fun
Family weekend activities can vary depending on the location, season and time. However, imagination is the limit to what families can do to spend time together over this period. To start, do your research and find out what the top 20 weekend family activities are. Options could include collecting leaves during the fall, going to a museum, amusement park, waterpark, an art gallery or merely going out for brunch on a Saturday. If it’s summertime, families could go camping together, or rent a cabin if indoor plumbing is more your family’s style!
During winter, skiing or grabbing some ice or hockey skates and hitting the ice rink could be fun for active and sport-oriented families.
Game Night
Put your phone down because it’s time to bring out the snacks! From board games to VR, everyone loves a good game night. Bring out the classics like Monopoly and gather around the living room table to see which family member will champion game night. For those families that are more tech-savvy, there are plenty of games with multiple console options.
Karaoke
Belting it out to your favorite song does not need to be limited to long car rides and showers. Buy karaoke equipment or go to a studio and have fun singing as a family. You don’t even need to be an excellent singer, although if you are, kudos to you! Your singing skills will either be appreciated or made fun of (all in good nature). However, if you have the voice of an angel and can sing Amazing Grace without missing a single note, you’ve won karaoke night. If you are wondering what to choose for your turn in the spotlight, view here for more music to your ears.
Gardening
Gardening is a great source of exercise and family time activity. Gardening together as a family introduces the importance of a healthy lifestyle to everyone. It is an educational family activity since kids can learn more about their environment and the harvest by planting seeds and picking fruits and vegetables.
Cooking
Do a search on the web for creative or fun recipes and cook something together as a family. A popular example is making the gingerbread house during the Holiday season. Cook something festive for whatever holiday is coming up, or simply make some chocolate chip cookies. After all, who doesn’t love kneading dough together?
Paint Night
Get creative with family paint night. This activity can go several ways. For instance, you can choose one painting, and everyone in the family must replicate it. The one who does the best job replicating it wins paint night. Another option could be tasking everyone to paint an abstract piece. Once again, at the end of the night, there can be a vote as to which family members get the honor of being known as the artist for the night.
Hiking
Hiking is a beloved pastime of adventurous folk. Families that value the importance of physical activity should hike together. This activity keeps kids moving and further teaches them about the importance of a healthy lifestyle and wellbeing, depending on how many hikes they enjoy. Everyone in the family will appreciate nature more while hiking and it will definitely improve their stamina.
Volunteer
Volunteering together as a family is a great teaching moment. Children will learn about the community and the importance of helping others. There are endless volunteer opportunities out there from helping in a nursing home, cleaning up national parks, food pantries, museums, animal shelters and more. Families can pick their volunteer activity based on their common interests. This achieves both family bonding and helps the community. It’s a win-win situation.
Movie Night
Get ready to make the popcorn because movie night is a classic family activity! Head to your local movie theatre or your living room to watch a movie that the whole family is excited to see. If you are staying within the comforts of your home to watch the movie, consider making movie night a Friday night ritual. This way, everyone has a turn to choose what movie the family will watch together.
Vacation
Keep active and go on vacation together as a family. Adventure and explore different parts of the world with your family. Research some of the best family vacation destinations and pick one depending on your family’s interests. Put it to a vote! If a plane destination is too big of a commitment, take off a weekend and go someplace local. Play some classic car tunes and embark on a family road trip together.
With all the activities listed, there isn’t a shortage of family bonding time to choose from. You can choose from indoor, outdoor, daytime or nighttime activities. The sky is the limit! Depending on whether your family is artistic, adventurous or even physically active, family time activities can be tailored to that interest. There is something for everyone.
There are moments when life gets hectic for everyone, and that is why planning family activities are beneficial. It serves as a form of relaxation, and family communication improves after these bonding moments. There is sometimes a discrepancy between children and parents when communicating. This bubbles up into frustration where neither party understands what the other means. Time spent together allows for both parties to listen and understand one another. Family bonding time does not even necessarily require a time set-aside for it. Bonding can occur on a regular basis, even during something as simple as dinnertime. If everyone is together, talking and not arguing (too much!), it’s family time.