Today is family day here in BC – a day to relax and enjoy time with your loved ones. It’s a fairly new holiday with this being our fourth. It’s so much more meaningful now with our squirrelly babe, and this is the first year that we can do some family activities that he’ll enjoy, but we have to be smart about finances. Whether or not you officially celebrate family day, here are 50 fun family activities on a budget. *note, some affiliate links used.
 

FOOD PARTIES

1. Have a pancake breakfast buffet! Have kids customize their pancakes with various fillings and toppings to add to individual bowls of batter.
2. Throw a cookie party. Make a large batch of basic dough, or a few batches of various doughs such as plain, oatmeal, and peanut butter. Go shopping for all sorts of treats (chocolate chips, m&m’s, craisins, shredded coconut, gummy bears). Divide the batter evenly amongst the kids and let them explore and make their own cookie creations.
3. Have a pizza party with individual pizza dough and various toppings for kids to choose from.
4. Invent a popcorn mix. Grab a bunch of different toppings and filler (chocolate chips, pretzels, raisins, melted chocolate, honeyed almonds) and create a new family favourite together.
5. Ice cream sundae party. You know the drill – vanilla ice cream with a bunch of toppings to choose from!
6. Rainbow meal/snack: make it a mission together to create a meal/snack with food from every colour of the rainbow.
7. Pick a country and create a feast with food from that location. Kick it up a notch and decorate your home and/or wear clothes in the style of your chosen country.
8. Have a “murder mystery dinner”, except you’ll have to adapt it to make it family friendly
9. Create a pasta making bar
10. Melt some cheese and have a fondue party. Have melted chocolate and fruit for dessert.
11. Put together cocoa mix and various toppings to create a hot cocoa bar

 

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

12. Photo scavenger hunt. Not only a ton of fun but you come away with life long memories and photos.
13. Plant a tree (or a garden!).
14. Go for a hike. Talk about what you see and how it feels to be out in the woods.
15. Make a scavenger hunt collage – hunt for various leaves, twigs, acorns, pebbles etc. Glue them on a page to create a collage.
16. Bingo walk – create bingo cards with various items that you would find outside (“a red car”, “a squirrel”). Go for a walk and let the fun begin.
17. Go on a road trip – it doesn’t have to be far or for long. The point is that you’re getting away together.
18. City Bus adventure – let the kids decide when you get off and which bus you get on next – within reason of course.
19. Visit 5 new playgrounds, one after the other. Rate them together.
20. Backyard camping trip.
21. Plant Walk – collect plant specimens and press them in heavy books when you get home.
22. Thrift Store Gift Exchange – like a secret santa, give each child $5 (or have them spend their own $ if discussed in advance) and go to a thrift store to shop for each other.
23. Buy or make a little treasure and go geocaching.
24. Create a labyrinth with sidewalk chalk.
25. Throw a snowball fight. If you don’t have snow, make some pom pom snowballs.
26. Spend the day learning about constellations and creating star crafts, then go star gazing at night.
27. Create seed mix and go feed the ducks.

 

INDOOR ACTIVITIES

28. Camp in the living room: let the kids make the forts and have a pajama party, falling asleep under the bed sheets propped up by cushions.
29. Create a movie using your tablet or phone. Together you can write the script (or adapt a family favourite) and create the costumes and props.
30. Family movie night, complete with popcorn and snacks.
31. Grab some cardboard, markers, and imagination to create your own board game.
32. Make a time capsule. This could be a fun activity to do every year and open after 5 years. You could do one each year and that way in 5 years, you’ll have one to open together every year.
33. Become scientists/engineers. Grab the recycling bin, tape, marshmallows and toothpicks or whatever you have handy and see what structures you can build.
34. Create a book together. Let the kids draw and tell you the story while you scribe.
35. Make and play laundry basket skee ball.
36. Dress each other and put on a fashion show.
37. Have a family talent show.
38. Make and play family jenga.
39. Build care packs to donate to shelters.
40. Grab some instruments (or make them) and put on a family concert in your living room.
41. Create a laser maze.
42. Put on a karaoke night.

 

Arts and Crafts

43. Make your own play dough and create a play dough village together.
44. Make bird feeders and hang them in trees around the neighbourhood.
45. Grab some fabric markers and decorate plain white t-shirts.
46. Make your own paint and create together.
47. Get your hands dirty by making this ABC handprint poster.
48. Make some puppets (like these unicorn ones) and put on a puppet show.
49. Get some plain pottery mugs, one for each family member, and create your own mugs.
50. Create and play your own foosball table

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