Fun Activities to Do With Your Family This (and Every Other) Week
Happy National Families Week! Here’s how you can celebrate the week-long event with your loved ones
Did you know that May 15 marks the start of National Families Week? Now in its 17th year, the event – which, fittingly, kicks off on the United Nation’s International Day of Families – is all about celebrating family life and shining a spotlight on the important role families play in our community.
So, what will you be doing to celebrate this week-long family love fest? If you’re stumped for ideas, here are some fun, all-age appropriate activities that you might like to put on the agenda. And if they’re a hit with the family, you can always incorporate them into your weekly routine once National Families Week wraps up for another year.
So, what will you be doing to celebrate this week-long family love fest? If you’re stumped for ideas, here are some fun, all-age appropriate activities that you might like to put on the agenda. And if they’re a hit with the family, you can always incorporate them into your weekly routine once National Families Week wraps up for another year.
Watch movies all day (or night) long
Why not have a movie marathon over the weekend? You might like to choose a theme for your all-day film fest (like classic family flicks, movies about superheros or animated films) or allow each member of the family to include their favourite flick in the viewing schedule.
More: Movies at Home: Small Screens Hit the Big Time
Why not have a movie marathon over the weekend? You might like to choose a theme for your all-day film fest (like classic family flicks, movies about superheros or animated films) or allow each member of the family to include their favourite flick in the viewing schedule.
More: Movies at Home: Small Screens Hit the Big Time
Camp out in your backyard
Camping in your backyard has its perks. While it may not deliver a true, roughing-it-in-wilderness camping experience, you and your family will still be able to sleep under the stars, toast marshmallows and enjoy all those other popular camping pastimes, but without the hassle of travelling to a campsite, or having to live without common creature comforts, like an indoor toilet, hot shower and stocked-up fridge.
More: Gone Camping: 10 Irresistible Tented Havens for Kids
Camping in your backyard has its perks. While it may not deliver a true, roughing-it-in-wilderness camping experience, you and your family will still be able to sleep under the stars, toast marshmallows and enjoy all those other popular camping pastimes, but without the hassle of travelling to a campsite, or having to live without common creature comforts, like an indoor toilet, hot shower and stocked-up fridge.
More: Gone Camping: 10 Irresistible Tented Havens for Kids
Is it too cold or rainy to camp out in your backyard? Pitch a tent, put up an indoor teepee or build a fort inside so the whole family can still enjoy a camping adventure, but out of the elements.
Connect with your loved ones
What better way to celebrate National Families Week than by touching base with loved ones who live interstate, overseas or even in the next suburb over. Plan a family Skype date, give your relatives a call or bring the clan together by hosting a barbecue or casual dinner at your home.
What better way to celebrate National Families Week than by touching base with loved ones who live interstate, overseas or even in the next suburb over. Plan a family Skype date, give your relatives a call or bring the clan together by hosting a barbecue or casual dinner at your home.
Head out on a road trip
Love exploring new places? Why not pack up the car, belt everyone in and head off on a road trip? When choosing your destination, you might like to select a spot that you’ve always wanted to explore but have never gotten the chance to visit. Or if you want a true adventure, let one of your family members close their eyes and point to a spot on a map and – voila! – you’ve got your destination sorted!
Love exploring new places? Why not pack up the car, belt everyone in and head off on a road trip? When choosing your destination, you might like to select a spot that you’ve always wanted to explore but have never gotten the chance to visit. Or if you want a true adventure, let one of your family members close their eyes and point to a spot on a map and – voila! – you’ve got your destination sorted!
Have a crafternoon
Give your little ones some coloured pencils, paint, glitter, glue, pompoms, coloured pipe cleaners, cardboard and other craft-time essentials and they’ll be entertained for hours. And there’s no reason why you can’t roll up your sleeves and get in on the creative fun, too.
Give your little ones some coloured pencils, paint, glitter, glue, pompoms, coloured pipe cleaners, cardboard and other craft-time essentials and they’ll be entertained for hours. And there’s no reason why you can’t roll up your sleeves and get in on the creative fun, too.
Challenge your family to a game tournament
Is someone in your family a card shark? Monopoly master? Or pro table tennis player? Then it sounds like an all-day games tournament might be right up your alley. Choose a selection of indoor and outdoor games that are suitable for young and old alike. You can’t go wrong with classic classic card and board games, like Snap or Guess Who, or family-friendly video games such as Super Mario Bros. When it’s time to move the tournament outdoors, little ones will love playing stuck in the mud or hide-and-seek, while bigger kids will get a kick out of playing a game of backyard cricket or touch footy.
More: Let’s Play! Reconnect the Family With Indoor Games
Is someone in your family a card shark? Monopoly master? Or pro table tennis player? Then it sounds like an all-day games tournament might be right up your alley. Choose a selection of indoor and outdoor games that are suitable for young and old alike. You can’t go wrong with classic classic card and board games, like Snap or Guess Who, or family-friendly video games such as Super Mario Bros. When it’s time to move the tournament outdoors, little ones will love playing stuck in the mud or hide-and-seek, while bigger kids will get a kick out of playing a game of backyard cricket or touch footy.
More: Let’s Play! Reconnect the Family With Indoor Games
Take up a fun, family-friendly hobby
Another great way to spend quality time with your family, while having loads of fun with them at the same time, is to find a new hobby that everyone, young and old, will enjoy. Some ideas including creating a family blog, going fishing or taking up photography. If the whole clan agrees on becoming hobby photographers, there’s no need to invest in fancy camera equipment – just use your smartphone, which most youngsters can even operate, instead.
Another great way to spend quality time with your family, while having loads of fun with them at the same time, is to find a new hobby that everyone, young and old, will enjoy. Some ideas including creating a family blog, going fishing or taking up photography. If the whole clan agrees on becoming hobby photographers, there’s no need to invest in fancy camera equipment – just use your smartphone, which most youngsters can even operate, instead.
Donate your time to a worthy cause
Why not dedicate some time during (and after) National Families Week to giving back to your community? Choose a cause that is worthy and, by lending them a helping hand, will bring you and your family joy. You might like to consider volunteering at your local community centre, helping your elderly neighbours or visiting an animal shelter to help care for abandoned dogs and cats who, unlike this happy hound, don’t have loving families or places to call home.
Why not dedicate some time during (and after) National Families Week to giving back to your community? Choose a cause that is worthy and, by lending them a helping hand, will bring you and your family joy. You might like to consider volunteering at your local community centre, helping your elderly neighbours or visiting an animal shelter to help care for abandoned dogs and cats who, unlike this happy hound, don’t have loving families or places to call home.
TELL US
What fun activities do you like to do with your family? We’d love to know, so tell us in the Comments.
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What fun activities do you like to do with your family? We’d love to know, so tell us in the Comments.
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Child’s Play: 18 Cool Ideas for Kids’ Spaces That Will Keep Them Busy
Kids love whipping up cakes, biscuits and other culinary delights in the kitchen – I know I did when I was younger! Though, what I loved most about my childhood kitchen adventures was not mixing, measuring or kneading the ingredients, but licking the cake batter or eating the leftover cookie dough from the bowl after the hard work was done!
More: Now You’re Cooking: Building Kitchen Confidence for Little Folk