Do you feel like you’re stuck in a rut with your family activities? Are you running out of ideas for the family to do together? It’s understandable and sometimes unavoidable that we fall into the boredom realm. But never fear, new ideas for fun activities are here. Here are a few ideas that will have the whole family entertained.

Travel the World Through Food

Traveling is a great way for a family to learn about one another and the world around them, but you don’t necessarily need to hop on a plane to explore different cultures. Why not tour the world through food? As a family, choose a place on the map of the world, research the country of choice, and create a menu based on its traditional dishes. Once you have the menu, look up the recipes and work together as a family to prepare the dishes. You can decorate the table and room with photos of the country, dress up in something similar to their traditional apparel, create cards with trivia about the country, and enjoy the meal that you have created together. Place a sticker on the map of each country you tour through food so that perhaps one day you’ll be inspired to travel there in person.

Have a Spa Day

We all love a good pampering every once in a while, so why not do a spa day at home with the family? Have everyone participate to make a face mask concoction from fresh ingredients and assist one another to apply them. Give each other manicures and pedicures, foot rubs, and shoulder rubs. Do some family yoga in the backyard or roll around in a large mud puddle and have a run through the sprinklers afterwards. It certainly isn’t going to be a five star salon or day spa experience, but it’ll be a fun and rewarding memory for your family. 

Create a Scrapbook

Dig out those boxes of photos that you have wedged back in the closet and start a family scrapbooking project. Work together to categorize the photos by date, age, family vacations, etc. Allow the children to decorate the pages by painting, coloring, drawing, with stickers – you name it, go wild. Once the pages are dry, adhere the photos and bind them together into a book. Not only is your scrapbook full of memories past, you’ve created new memories in making it.

Make a Family Video

These days, anyone can make a video on their smartphone or laptop, and family videos are fun to watch as well as look back on down the road. Why not expand your family videos into a family documentary? Have each family member prepare questions for one another to ask in a live video. You can extend this activity to extended family via video chat as well. This is a great tool for the children to learn more about their family history and take interest in getting to know one another all while practicing their social skills. Be prepared for some pretty entertaining questions.

Make a Family Tree

Now that you’ve sparked an interest in your family history, work together as a family to construct a family tree. You can choose your medium for the actual tree, a wall in the family room, a piece of poster board, or a large piece of butcher paper. Allow the kids to paint the base of the tree with grass, clouds, animals, whatever they’d like. You can draw lines to show the family connections and either write in their names or add photos if you have them. Feel free to connect with extended family during this project to find information about additional family members, where they lived, when they were born, etc. This is a fun and creative way for the whole family to delve into their history.

The words “I’m bored” can send any parent into a panic, but these activities will create lifelong memories for you and your family. Enjoy one another and keep on smiling!