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Make the Most of Family Day With These 5 Activities

Family Day is celebrating its fourth anniversary this year, and although we all enjoy a long weekend, there are still many of us who haven’t quite figured out how to celebrate the occasion.

This year, why not approach the day in the spirit it was intended by spending that free time bonding with the people that matter most in your life?

We’ve given you a head start by providing a few unique ideas for how to have fun with your family this February 21st – or any other day of the year, for that matter!

Spend Time with Grandparents

Family day isn’t just about the immediate family. How about a trip to Grandma and Grandpa’s place? Find ways to get the kids excited about the visit by planning an activity so that they don’t end up snoozing while the adults chat. Suggest they bring their favourite book and have them read it with their grandparents. Or, get the entire family involved in an arts & crafts project – try making a modern day quilt, no sewing required! Have each person draw on their own square piece of paper, then tape them all together once everyone’s done to create a fun and memorable addition to your fridge.

Make a Splash

The weather is slowly getting warmer, but you still won’t be wearing shorts anytime soon. That doesn’t mean you can’t go for a swim though! The East York Community Centre is opening up their indoor pool facilities from 2-5PM on February 21 for a special Family Day Leisure Swim. Pack your towels and swimsuits and head down to 1081 ½ Pape Avenue.

Help Another Family

This Family Day, consider donating to a family in need. Though there are limited volunteer options for young children, FamilyCares is an organization with great ideas for teaching kids about giving to the less fortunate. Try making a Charity Chest by following their easy steps below, and visit the FamilyCares website for more fun projects that will help the needy and involve the whole family.

(1) Find a box that will fit in the corner of your kitchen

(2) With your kids, decorate the box however you wish. The more creative, the better!

(3) Whenever a family member feels inspired to contribute something they can place it in the box. Canned food, used clothing that is in good condition, toys, and books are all great ideas.

(4) Hold monthly meetings to decide where your family wants to contribute the items.

Bring Back Family Game Night

We could all use a break from computers, game consoles, and television sets. Turn all those gadgets off, grab some chips or popcorn, and bring out the board games! You’ll be surprised how much fun you can have. Pictionary, Clue, Snakes & Ladders, Candy Land, The Game of Life, Jenga, and Twister are usually crowd pleasers for a variety of ages.

Cook Together

Involving kids in the making of a meal – from planning the menu to shopping and preparing the food – can be a great learning experience. It can also take some of the pressure off Mom and Dad for a change!

Doug DiPasquale, a nutritionist at the Big Carrot, recommends one-pot meals, which are easy to make with children of any age. They also allow you to take advantage of the few local produce options that can be found on the shelves this time of year, such as root vegetables. “Something like sweet potatoes are great in a stew,” says DiPasquale.

Try this recipe for Chicken & Sweet Potato Stew.

3 Comments

  • Mike

    Fantastic Article! Definitely some good ideas. Especially family games night. I remember years ago when we had the odd power outage. We’d always break out the candles and make it a games night…

    We need some sort of secret government conspiracy (don’t tell us about it!) to bring back power outages!

  • Brittney wirtz

    Great article and fabulous ideas. A very good point, how do you celebrate family day? I have always been on reading week around this holiday, so I haven’t actually had to think about it yet. I love the idea of “game night” ill put that one on the list for next year!

    Thanks!

  • Dino Nunno

    Really good ideas. I like the help a family in need. The box in the corner of the kitchen to allow everyone in the family to contribute is a great idea, that I will start in our home.

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