A character from an old movie once said, “Ninety-nine percent of your time and effort goes into three basic things: your house, your work, and your family. And all three of them pull on you in different directions. If you put all of them together, the three of them want more than you’ve got to give. Your family is human, so you think you can get some leeway. You think they’ll bend.”
When life is demanding, we have a tendency to give our loved ones our leftovers rather than our best. But whatever it is that may pull you away from your family, make sure you’re scheduling family activities over the weekend. Doing things together creates opportunities to bond and share deeper thoughts about life. To get you started, here are 101 things to do this weekend with your family.
1. Take family bike rides.
2. Have a game night.
3. Take neighborhood walks.
4. Create an obstacle course.
5. Do yard work together.
6. Make paint.
7. Volunteer in the community.
8. Have a family movie night.
9. Read a book together. Talk to your librarian for book recs based on your child’s interests and grade.
10. Wash the cars.
11. Have a family slumber party.
12. Create a scrapbook.
13. Create a family tree.
14. Have a garage sale.
15. Walk (if possible) to a local ice cream shop.
16. Attend church together.
17. Go rollerblading.
18. Create “busy bags” for the kids to play with on road trips.
19. Create an at-home version of a popular game show.
20. Walk the dog or the neighbor’s dog.
21. Bake cookies.
22. Make Christmas ornaments.
23. Play flag football.
24. Have a video game tournament—parents have to play, too!
25. Create homemade birthday or holiday cards.
26. Take a dance class on YouTube.
27. Plan an imaginary trip.
28. Search for constellations/stars.
29. Go on a family picnic.
30. Have a family barbecue
31. Create emergency plans (fire escape).
32. Create a first aid kit.
33. Take an etiquette class. Here’s a great visual reminder of proper table manners.
34. Set up a lemonade stand.
35. Create a history timeline.
36. Create and practice a family play.
37. Test drive cars.
38. Put on a stand-up comedy routine.
39. Create a family recipe book.
40. Learn a home repair.
41. Start a collection (coins, rocks, beads, etc.).
42. Make a grocery list and shop together.
43. Create a family cookbook.
44. Have a scavenger hunt.
45. Have a Soul Train line.
46. Work on a puzzle.
47. Play miniature golf.
48. Create a list of local “kids eat free” locations and days and eat at one.
49. Create a family handshake.
50. Create a family mission statement.
51. Complete a science project.
52. Label all the things in your house with a new language you want to learn.
53. Have a bubble blowing contest.
54. Have a water balloon fight.
55. Have a push-up contest (Dad has child on his back to level the playing field).
56. Watch a movie and critique it like professional critics.
57. Take a local mission trip (visit homeless shelters and give meals).
58. Camp in the back yard.
59. Play laser tag.
60. Have an at-home “professional” photo shoot (kids act as the “professionals”).
61. Write a family song or rap.
62. Have a rap battle.
63. Watch reruns of old shows that were popular when you were young.
64. Go to a museum.
65. Visit a local splash park.
66. Have a karaoke night.
67. Have a treasure hunt.
68. Visit the library.
69. Go ice skating.
70. Go to the barbershop together.
71. Play hide-and-seek.
72. Create a time capsule and bury it in the back yard.
73. Interview the grandparents to learn about your family history.
74. Clip pictures of a dream home.
75. Perform magic tricks.
76. Collect and paint rocks.
77. Visit a fire station.
78. Try some tricky tongue twisters.
79. Collect leaves.
80. Play foursquare.
81. Video chat with out of town family.
82. Play capture the flag.
83. Have a family dinner out.
84. Start a garden.
85. Cook a themed dinner together.
86. Play Family Olympics.
87. Go shopping (non-grocery).
88. Take donations to Goodwill.
89. Have a formal dinner at home (complete with servers, menu, dressing up, etc.).
90. Play Uno.
91. Go on a nature hike.
92. Collect seashells.
93. Go fishing.
94. Hang pictures in the house.
95. Paint a bedroom.
96. Listen to old school music (and invite the kids to sing and dance along).
97. Have a family house party (kids play family DJ).
98. Watch old/classic movies.
99. Fly kites.
100. Set up recycle bins and recycling system.
101. Make snow angels.
Bonus: Create your own list of 100+ things to do this weekend with your family
Tell us! What is on your “things to do this weekend” list?
