Life is fast these days. Most families are two-income families meaning that both Mom and Dad leave the house every day. And kids are busy, too. Evenings many times consist of racing to pick up the kids, before feeding them quickly and whisking them off to some activity.
Do you remember the phrase, “Take time to smell the roses”? Sometimes we need this gentle reminder to slow down and enjoy the life. To me, Family Fun Month is just that reminder. I need to take a few minutes to slow down and enjoy my family, just like we all do.
Family Fun Month is truly celebrating having fun with our families and enjoying being with the people we love. It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you do it together. And one more thing; put the devices down and be engaged in each other. It won’t be long before your children are off to college or have families of their own.
Here are some great suggestions for celebrating Family Fun Month at every price level:
- Visit an Amusement Park – What kid doesn’t have memories of their favorite amusement park ride. Make some memories riding or sliding. Whether you have a family of roller-coaster-riding dare-devils or the tamer sort that prefers the carousel, this is truly a great place for family fun!
- Host a Living Room Dance Party – You heard that right! Move the furniture out, dim the lights and turn on your favorite dance music and have a blast dancing with your family. It’s great exercise, too!
- Beach Day – Take the family for a day at the beach. What family wouldn’t enjoy a day playing in the waves, building sand castles and soaking up the sun?! Even if you’re land-locked like my fam, there are plenty of beautiful and clean lake beaches to take advantage of.
- Go Camping – Take a drive out to a state park in your area and set up your family tent. After a day spent fishing or camping, gather around the campfire for some s’mores and story telling.
- Scavenger Hunt – Choose a location for a family hike – could be your neighborhood or a local hiking trail. Make up a list ahead of time of things you know you’ll find. Have the children check off the items during your hike.
- Miniature Golf – Visit a local miniature golf course and play a round. You can play the traditional version outdoors with the windmills and such, or try one of the indoor cosmic courses under the blacklights.
- Water Balloon Fight – Fill up a tub full of water balloons and set it up in the middle of the backyard. Ready, set, go!
- Go on a Picnic – This doesn’t have to be anything spectacular. Just pack up your lunch, some paper dishes, a blanket and you’re off! You can have your picnic in the backyard, a local park or just about anywhere that you enjoy.
- Go on a Bike Ride – What a great way to spend time with your family and get some great exercise, too. Start out slow with a trip around the block. For the more adventurous sort, you can go much further.
- Family Game Night – Pop some popcorn and pull out a classic board game or puzzle. Keep the TV off and spend time playing with your family.
SmartKnitKIDS wants to help you with your first Family Fun Month activity. Guess the number of puzzle pieces in the jar below. The closest guesser to answer soonest wins the puzzle (we promise all the pieces are there) AND a $40 gift card to purchase some family games at Fat Brain Toys (www.fatbraintoys.com).
Bugsley's Blog 
Family fun to me has always meant swimming! I have the best pool service in Fisco, so you know we’re all out there during the hot summer days splashing away! Seriously though, we can’t always swim, so for those off-days, it’s nice to have some fun suggestions! Thanks for the post!