Fun, Free Things to Do with Your Family

If your family night of pizza and board games is getting a little too predictable, then these fun ideas are sure to put a little more smile and a little less strain in your night of bonding! The best part? These ideas are great for almost any age, and they are free or wickedly cheap!

Remember those "I Spy" games as a kid? You'll love this more modern version! All you have to do is snap a few pictures on your cell phone or digital camera ahead of time, and then, on family night - get up, get out and take a walk! Challenge each family member to identify what you took a picture of (for example, a particular tree). Whoever finds the most wins, or just keep it fun and no pressure by taking turns! Then next week, let someone else take the pictures (of course accompanying any young children), you'll be surprised at just how much fun the kids have trying to "trick" their guessers!

If those family night walks turn into something you all enjoy, then why not step it up a notch? Find a hiking or walking trail near by! It's not as hard as you think when you use great sites like www.traillink.com, just type in your zip code and then point you in the right direction - you'll be amazed at all the trails you never knew were so close, and you're sure to find one suited to your family's needs.

If your family is more of an "indoors" sort of family, then why not try your hand at a pod quiz! Just as much fun as a board game, and it only takes about twenty minutes, for more info, click here!

Volunteering is always a great way to get active with your family, while re enforcing values - plus kids of any age kind find some way to help out! Young children can help pull weeds in a community garden, older kids and teens enjoy meeting new people! Need some ideas, or want to start your own project? Click here!

Last, but not least, why not try your hand at geocaching? It's like hide and seek on a grand scale and it's everywhere from New York City, and Las Vegas to the most remote, rural little towns and cities - you are almost sure to find at least one geocache nearby! I live in a town of under 3,000 people, and we have 17!

You find a hidden "cache" somewhere in the world, using exact GPS coordinates to find it! Most often it's merely a container with a journal in it, you sign the journal (and flip through it - you'll be amazed how many people came before you and from how far). Sometimes there are small treasures or trinkets inside, but the golden rule is - if you take something, leave something of equal or greater value behind! When you visit a site like www.geocaching.com, they will tell you not only where the cache is but also important information about it, like how hard it is to get there (they vary from easy, to very difficult), if it's appropriate
for children to go there etc. Always be sure to follow the guidelines for a positive, safe experience!

Once you get the hang of it, you and your family can take it a step further and plan your own cache, maybe even one for each family member! Kids will have fun deciding where they'd like to hide it, and what they will hide! Just make sure to get any permission, or permits you may need to hide your cache!

No matter what you do, even if you do stick with your popcorn and latest blockbuster, or a pizza and board games, the important part is to spend time with the people you love, and to create memories that will last you a life time!

　

Sources:

www.geocaching.com

www.podquiz.com

www.traillink.com

http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/common/pdfs/familyactivites.pdf