The chill in the air can energize and invigorate you. Make sure that everyone is bundled up with warm coats, stocking caps, gloves, and scarves. Then plan family fun time that you will be out in the weather and where you will go (such as a park or the lake or simply a walk around the block). When you arrive back home make some hot chocolate with marshmellows and sit in front of the fire with a family book to warm bodies into and out. During a family winter walk around the frozen lake don't forget to bring bread to feed the ducks!
Family Fun Snow Play
After the first big snow of the season plan a family night (or day) to play in the snow. Sledding is fun for the whole family and is great exercise walking back up the hil again, again, and again. Have a family snowball fight, make snow angels, make paths in the freshly fallen snow, build a snowman, or surprise the kids with a squirt gun art contest. Simply fill your plastic water guns with colored water and "shoot" the guns to create an original masterpiece in the snow.
Camp out at home
Set up the tent in the backyard. Grill out and eat outdoors and play some outdoor family games. Then have an astronomy lesson. Study up on the constellations that are visible during the time of year when you are camping then lay out under the stars and see how many of them the family can identify.
Indoor Family Fun Night
There are times of the year when it is not practical to have an outdoor family night. Due to the rain or winter weather it may be impossible to plan an outdoor activity. Surprise the kids with an INDOOR active game night. Here are a few ideas:
We found a new family card game this weekend. It is called "Loot" and it is a pirate game using merchant ships, pirates, pirate captains, and an admiral. We played it with our 12 and 6 year old boys and they caught on quickly and we had a lot of family fun laughing together. This is a frugal family fun game. It sells for under $10.00 new. You may also be able to find a used copy at Amazon.com, just click on the picture of the game to the right.
Plan an indoor scavenger hunt. Plant clues throughout the house and a special prize for the winner.
Make an indoor obstacle course. Use chairs, couch's, pillows, and walls to make a course that requires jumping, twisting, sliding, and turning.
Have an old fashioned pillow fight. Dad and Mom get in the middle of it. Your kids will love it!
Play an active game such as Cranium HullaBaloo. This is a game designed for the preschooler, but is appropriate for all ages to participate.
Plan a Karaoke family fun night. Jazz up the evening by turning it into an American Idol type of friendly competition. Use a Karaoke machine with microphone or a gaming system game such as the Playstation II American Idol or Karaoke Revolution Volume 2 - complete package.
Surprise the family with an indoor picnic basket complete with fried chicken, sandwiches, and dessert. Lay out a blanket in a room you would not normally eat in, such as a bedroom or the family room, and eat on the floor.
Take advantage of the time together to do a family devotion. This would also be the perfect time to read a short story or chapter in the book the family is reading together. Plan several indoor games or activities to complete the indoor picnic event.
The contents of this site are intended for parents, grandparents, and other family members who want to spend more time with their children and make memories that last a lifetime. Starting a family fun night and other traditions is simple. It just takes a little organization, ingenuity, and a heart willing to have fun!
