26 Free Things to Do This Weekend as a Family
May 2, 2008 by Deborah Ng
Filed under Easy Entertainment, Fun Stuff, Kid Stuff, Simple Pleasures, Simpler Thinking, free stuff
What are your plans for the weekend? My family has been staying close to home lately since we’re doing all the work outside, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a good time. If you’re stuck for ideas, here are a few things you can do this weekend without having to reach into your wallet:
- Go for a bike ride.
- Visit the park.
- Go for a hike.
- Visit the library
- Take out movies from the library to watch as a family
- Have family game night (ours is always Saturday night)
- Read together
- Do a craft projects with items found in the house
- Do some gardening
- Bake
- Have a family barbecue
- Talk
- Have a sing a long
- Go bird watching
- Visit a free concert in the park
- Visit a street fair
- Listen to music
- Watch the sunrise or sunset together
- Check out the stars
- Watch a parade
- Visit a free museum
- Tour a factory
- Play a family game of kickball, badminton or some other fun sport
- Turn off the lights and tell ghost stories
- Do a jigsaw puzzle together
- Have a picnic
Image: AllPosters.com
We’re visiting my parents but coming back in time for a Cuatro de Mayo fiesta! It’s so much fun when all of our friends get together for a potluck. We try to do it about once a month to remind ourselves the blessings we have in each other. We like to give our kids the experience of big family gatherings since a lot of people don’t have them any more.
Hi Deborah! Thank you so much for sharing this … we seem to have a lot in common as these are just the sort of things i enjoy doing with my girls!
Would you mind if I passed on your list in a post on my blog? Will obviously tell everyone they are your fab ideas!
It’s so nice to be reminded that it’s the small things in life that are the most important and so nice to be able to share your ideas. I thought maybe I could add one or two (if I can think of any you haven’t already listed!), and suggest people add their own and pass it on?
Unfortunately some of those things require filling up the gas tank, depending on how close you are to places like the library, park, and museum.
I’d like to add, have a family reading night. Either everyone reads independently at the same time, or take turns reading aloud to everyone. You can even act out the story after you read it. The Three Billy Goats Gruff comes to mind as a good story that would be fun to act out.
@DramaMama What a lovely way to remind ourselves!
@Stephanie We did that, but the Three Little Pigs! We rewrote it first then acted it out. You’re right, it’s great fun!
Deborah, I’ve written in a Friday feelgood post about your lovely list, though not included any specific ideas, so people will hopefully call over to have a look and add their ideas to your comments.
You inspired me to think of a few more (though it wasn’t easy, your list is excellent!)
Starting a nature journal needn’t cost anything, and it’s a lovely time of year to do it … whichever hemisphere we’re in, the season is beautiful! (I put another couple of ideas on my post but won’t include them here and take up more of your comments space.)
Thank you again for a great post!
Dianne, your nature journal made me think of a nature scavenger hunt. Kids can look for a pine cone, an acorn, a roly poly (pill bug), etc.
Or a neighborhood digital camera scavenger hunt. Kids can search for and take pictures of the number 3, a window with green shutters, a red door, a yellow car, etc.
When I was young we would do a neighborhood scavenger hunt where we knocked on doors and asked for a paper clip, a pencil, things like that, but you have to be comfortable with your neighbors, I guess, to do that.
We also do scavenger hunts in the house. We take one item, a small, plastic toy, maybe, and hide it. Then we divide a sheet of paper into several small slips of paper and write clues on them. ‘Look near something that is cold,’ could be one, and the next clue would be hidden by the refrigerator. To save paper, and to challenge ourselves, we use the same clues over but find different hiding places. The next cold place could be the air conditioner. The kids love it and want to do it over and over again. Great reading and writing practice for younger kids.
@ Stephanie Great ideas, I love the digital camera one!
And you reminded me (it’s great how that happens!) about the matchbox game. We used to be given an empty matchbox and a letter and we had to fill the matchbox with as many things beginning with that letter as we could … oh, joyful memories of simple childhood things!
Something else I was reminded of by my youngest daughter earlier, is rock-pooling, for those of us lucky enough to live by the sea. In fact, we had a lovely family conversation about this earlier, thank you again, Deborah!
Another one from youngest daughter … helping out on a local farm during lambing season. Hard work but very educational and great fun.
Great ideas. The time is now more than ever to draw your family closer and spend more time together with them. Keep up the great blog.
Peapod Mom