1. Amusement Park
Take your family to an amusement park or water park.

3. Basketball
Get the family out to shoot some hoops. Play a half-court game, around the world, or h-o-r-s-e.

4. Bike Ride ~ See our article on "Family Bike Ride: Health & Safety" ~
Take your family on a bike ride. Try out biking trails if you can to avoid traffic. Always think of safety first.

5. Boat Ride
Go canoeing, rafting, or ride on a foot-peddle boat. Other fun boating ideas are riding a chartered boat, water skiing, jet skis, or white water rafting. Some of these boats can be rented at reasonable cost. Always remember water safety.

6. Bowling
Take your family bowling. Bowling is always as fun as you make it. Let the little ones send the ball down the lane too. Don't take any game too seriously. Make it fun for everyone.

7. Broom Hockey
Use old brooms for sticks and a squishy ball for a puck. Wrap the broom bristles with duct tape to make the bottom stiff enough to hit the ball. Set up some upside down buckets in the yard for goals and you're ready to go. Be careful not to hit anyone with the brooms.

8. Bubble Catching Contest
Get a small bottle of bubbles for each member of the family. Let everyone blow bubbles until they fill the sky. Now let everyone try to catch them with the round part of the bubble blowing sticks. This makes a lot of bubbles and a lot of fun.

9. Build a Family Scrapbook
Build a book of decorative memories (and make sure Dad participates too).

10. Bury a Family Treasure
Fill a box or sealable bottle with special personal items. Seal up the container well with plastic and bury it for someone to dig up in the future. Whether you dig it up later or someone else finds it, it will assure that a history of your family is passed on to the future.

11. Camping at Home
Put up a small tent indoors or out in the backyard. Cook your food on the barbeque and simulate all of the experiences of a real campout.

12. Camping Trip ~ See our article on Family Camping Trips ~
Take your family on a camping trip and rough it as much as you can(unless you prefer the "house on wheels"). Let your family experience the wonders and splendor of the great outdoors.

13. Captured Sounds
Use a tape recorder or digital audio recorder to capture several unusual sounds. Then play them back for your family to hear. See how many of the sounds your family can guess correctly.

14. Collage
Use old magazines, leaves, construction paper, and anything pretty to build a work of art composed of small pieces. Add family pictures and memoirs signifying family achievements to the collage. Consider framing the collage when it is completed and try to make it fit in a standard frame size.

15. Compass Excursions
Pick a destination on a map. Drive the car while the rest of the family uses a compass and the map to direct you to the location. Have your family direct you where to turn by telling you to head north, east, south, or west. Make them point to the the correct direction. This can help your kids learn their directions and get them familiar with a map and compass.

16. Compliement Night
Sometimes it is easy to forget to compliment one another in a family. Give everyone in the family a piece of paper and have them write 3 nice things about everyone in the family. When the compliment writing is finished, take turns reading the compliments about each member of the family.

17. Create Family Holidays & Traditions For Significant Family Events
In addition to the normal holidays we celebrate, it can be fun to add a few holidays to celebrate significant occasions for the family. Celebrate accomplishments, happy times, and other remarkable family occasions. Mark these family holidays on your calendar and celebrate them as you would other holidays. Add your own traditions to make the new holidays memorable.

18. Home Dinner & Movie Night (Pizza, Popcorn, & Soda are great)
Pick one night out of the week to watch movies and eat favorite movie foods. This is a fun tradition that the kids especially love. If you are daring enough, set a blanket on the floor and allow the kids to eat dinner and snacks in the family room while watching the movie. The blanket will offer the floor some protection and can be picked up quickly if someone has a spill.

19. Dollar Store or Yard Sale Treasure Hunt
Blow a few bucks once in a while and take the family on an inexpensive treasure hunt. You will be surprised at the treasures you can bring back from dollar stores and yard sales. The kids will feel rewarded and everyone will bring home something they didn't have before!

20. Emergency Plan Drill
Prepare an emergency plan for your household that includes what to do and where everyone should meet if an emergency should happen. Practicing the emergency plan will offer your family something entertaining and it will show you how well your plan works, and what may need improvement. Try this at least once every six months.