Over the last year, we have spent a lot of family time at home, reinventing the wheel of ways to stay occupied and have fun. As we dive into the hustle and bustle of fall activities, returning to work, back to school, and full calendars, finding ways to reset and have fun with our core family may be the last thing on our minds.
We know weekends are for sleeping-in (that’s the dream at least), eating pancakes, and then rushing to the birthday parties, soccer games, and doing all the yard work. But that’s the only time we get to spend quality time with our children after a long work and school week. Let’s wisely choose how we spend time with them and plan family weekend activities in advance!
To make sure that you get this invaluable time with your family, pick a date and time and save it! Just like you schedule practice, schedule family time. It doesn’t need to be a whole day; it doesn’t even need to be more than an hour. Proactively making it part of your schedule will help ensure it becomes a priority, and you will thank yourself later.
Fun Family Activities to Try This Weekend
Fun family activities can be a real adventure for the whole family. Make some memories together and enjoy the time well spent with your loved ones! Find some of our ideas below:
Visit a Farmers Market
Farm-to-Table is all the trend right now, which makes finding a local farmers market even easier. Typically held in the evenings or early weekend mornings, finding one to explore with the family would be a fun outing to change up your Saturday mornings. Pick some local produce and talk about what you can make for dinner from it. The more children are involved in the prepping process, the more inclined they are to try a new dish. Bring the farm in your neighborhood right to your family table this weekend.
Play a Game
So cliché, but dusting off an old board game may be all your family needs to have some fun! There are so many new exciting games available, like Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese Pizza (yes, that is its name!). Trying an old-school Scrabble or Monopoly is not out of the question either. Have multiple age groups? Go Fish, Charades, and Old Maid are some family favorites that are good for all ages. It may be the activity your family looks forward to every Friday night and will spark a little healthy competition.
Meal Time Mix-Up
We all find ourselves in a rut when it comes to dinner options—rotating the same five dishes week after week. Making a fun mealtime theme is a great way to take a family favorite and make it exciting again. Taco Tuesdays are always a hit! Put on some music, pour some virgin margaritas, and have a fiesta! Switching up how food is presented can make a world of difference in everyone’s mood.
Have a Movie Night
Does anyone remember the good old days with TGIF on TV? Well, we may not have that anymore, but with all the streaming options now available, movie night has become so much more accessible. Having a family movie night and watching a classic is always a fun, inexpensive way to spice up the weekend. Want to take it to the next level? Get a projector and movie screen and watch it under the stars.
Make a Pancake Board
Pancakes have become a weekend tradition in your house. This fun twist on a traditional breakfast is an easy way to get everyone to doll up their short stack. Think cheese board, but with pancakes. Add syrup of different flavors, chocolate chips, whip cream, fruit toppings, and more to add to the excitement. Everyone then can custom make their own breakfast and have so much fun in the process, taking pancake mornings to a whole other level.
Go on a Scavenger Hunt
Sometimes we are so fast-paced as a family, and we do not take enough time to look at the world around us. Print out fun scavenger hunt cards and go searching throughout your neighborhood. It will amaze you with all the things you notice that you never saw before. Want to take it up a notch? Make some teams within the family to add to the race.
Go on a Drive or Walk
Pile on in the car or load up the wagon and go for a drive or walk. Turn up the radio and just enjoy the moment. We are so busy going here and there, wouldn’t it be nice just to have nowhere to be? Try it!
Take a Day Trip
It seems like these days that day trips are great ways of enjoying the part of the country you live in. Look up child-friendly events and places within two hours of your front door. Taking a mini-day trip may be all you and your family need to feel refreshed and like you did something fun for once!
Date Night
We are constantly scheduling, driving, working, and raising our families. Through all of that, it can be easy to forget about your partner. Prioritizing a date night once a week is so important for the entire family. This doesn’t mean you have to get all dressed up, get a babysitter, and make a reservation. “Date Night” can be a special meal you eat after the kids are in bed, a coffee date before everyone wakes up, or going out. Whatever way you celebrate date night in your house, be sure to keep it on the calendar so it doesn’t get moved to the bottom of the list of things to do. Make it the priority.
Individual Quality Time
When you have multiple children, it is easy to plan things as a whole unit. Sometimes, however, it is so special and nice if you do something one-on-one with each child. That individual quality time may be all they need to brighten their week. Do not overthink this one! Have one of them join you on your run to Target or go outside to throw a ball. This simple step of trying to bond individually with each child can change a child’s weekend in ways you can not even imagine. You might even learn something new about them, which is always fun as a parent.
Family weekends should be the best part of your week! Try one of these ideas to help spice up your weekend. Let us know which of these fun family activities is your favorite!
