Lately, I've been thinking about how chaotic our family life can get—work, school, and all that craziness can consume us, right? So, what if we had a fun family activity calendar to help us reconnect and actually enjoy each other’s company? I mean, how many times have we said, "Let's do something fun this weekend," only to end up binge-watching another series on the couch? Just the other day, I caught my daughter laughing at some silly photo from last summer’s picnic, and it hit me: we need more of those moments! Can you remember the last time we all played a board game without someone distracted by their phone? I really want to change that. Let's create a calendar filled with all sorts of silly, adventurous, and joyful things—who's in?!
Items You’ll Need
- Board games
- Art supplies (paints, brushes, canvases)
- Sports equipment (soccer ball, basketball, frisbee)
- Camping gear (tent, sleeping bags, lanterns)
- Cooking utensils (oven mitts, measuring cups, mixing bowls)
- Puzzle sets
- Gardening tools (shovel, trowel, watering can)
- Camera for family photos
- Bike and helmets
- Outdoor games (cornhole, badminton, bocce ball)
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Gather Your Equipment
First, I gathered all my equipment for family activities: board games, art supplies, sports equipment, camping gear, cooking utensils, puzzle sets, gardening tools, a camera, bikes with helmets, and outdoor games. Laying everything out helps me visualize what fun activities we can plan.
Step 2: Brainstorm Activities
Next, I sat down with my family and brainstormed possible activities that we could do with the equipment I gathered. We came up with ideas like game nights, art days, camping trips, cooking sessions, and family bike rides.
Step 3: Create a Calendar Template
I took a blank calendar (either a printable one or a digital one) and started marking out the days of the month. I left some slots empty for activities we wanted to plan.
Step 4: Choose Dates for Activities
I went through our list of brainstormed activities and began assigning them to specific dates on our calendar. For example, we could have 'Board Game Night' on the first Friday and 'Art Day' on Sunday.
Step 5: Balance Indoor and Outdoor Activities
As I filled out the calendar, I made sure to balance indoor and outdoor activities. We have sports on nice days, but also plan for game nights or puzzles when it rains. This keeps things interesting!
Step 6: Include Family Favorites
I also made sure to ask each family member what their favorite activity is, and I included at least one of their suggestions in the calendar. This makes everyone feel involved and excited.
Step 7: Add Special Events
I looked at our family calendar to see if there are any special events (like birthdays or holidays) coming up. I added these events to our activity calendar to make sure we celebrate together.
Step 8: Decorate the Calendar
To make the calendar more fun, I grabbed some of the art supplies and decorated it with drawings, color coding the activities based on whether they are indoor (blue), outdoor (green), or special events (red).
Step 9: Share with the Family
Once I finished the calendar, I printed a copy and hung it on the fridge. I also shared a digital version with everyone through our family group chat so everyone is reminded of our fun plans!
Step 10: Stay Flexible and Have Fun
Finally, I reminded everyone that we may need to stay flexible with our plans, and that's okay. The goal is to have fun together as a family, no matter what activity we end up doing!