31 Days of Fun Things to Do with Family at Home

If you’re looking for fun things to do with family at home, I’ve got ya covered!

Because in a world that’s been taken over by technology, we probably spend a lot more time looking at screens than we’d care to admit — instead of interacting in meaningful ways.

Which is why we NEED to make family time a priority.

In fact, studies have shown that the simple act of having a nightly family dinner does wonders for kids’ emotional, academic, and even physical development.

Just imagine how much more we could achieve with regular, fun family activities! That’s why I’m challenging you to complete the below 31 Days of Family Activities.

Let’s start bonding over the next thirty-one days with these fun things to do at home with the family.

Day 1 – Baking

The first day is all about baking. Let everyone choose something to bake together as a family.

Cookies, cake pops, muffins, pastries — anything yummy and bake-able goes! Then, everyone works together to gather ingredients and make something super delicious that everyone will be proud of.

Got a big family? Try a different baking project every other day until everyone has gotten a chance to bake something of their choice.

Day 2 – Gardening

Gardening is not only a useful life skill, but it can be a lot of fun, as well. In fact, this is our third summer growing a veggie garden together!

Consider starting a vegetable, herb, or flower garden (depending on how much space you have). You could even build a small container garden if you’re really limited on space.

And if you have lots of space? Let everyone choose their own little plot to grow anything of their choosing!

An enchanted fairy garden, adorned with figurines, tiny trees, flowers, mushrooms, and fairy furnishings, is sure to delight younger kiddos. They can create a fairy garden in a potted plant, in the yard, or anywhere.

Gardening is a wonderful way to teach your kiddos the value of patience, hard work, and perseverance.

Day 3 – Story Time

Rather than simply reading a story, get everyone involved: act it out instead!

This way, everyone gets to become a part of the story, and you’ll have some beautiful memories to look back on. You could even listen to audio books, and act out the story while someone else narrates.

Bonus points if you go all in with costumes, funny voices, and homemade props….

If you use my link, you can try Audible free for 30 days AND get two free downloads.

Day 4 – Board Games

A relaxing day of playing board games can be a great way to pass the time and bond with your family.

A few family favorites:

• Race to the Treasure (a collaborative board game)
• Let’s Go Fishin’ — perfect for very small children!
• Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

Want to add something extra? Try making up your own rules or changing up the same ol’ games to make them a little more interesting!

You could create your own games, as well, like themed charades or scavenger hunts.

Unleash your creative side. Play by your own rules. 😉

Day 5 – Craft Day

Some fun craft ideas include coloring, collages, slime making, painting, and so on.

Art can be really therapeutic, so make this a positive experience. There are no bad ideas, so no critiques allowed!

Everyone has their own art style, so there’s no wrong way to be creative. The only requirement is that you have fun with it.

Check out Pinterest for some great ideas, or these articles might help you get started:

Easy Spring & Easter Crafts for Kids

Easy Christmas Crafts for Toddlers to Make at Home

Fun Winter Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Day 6 – Pizza Night

Gather up your dough, toppings, sauce, and have your very own family pizzeria!

Give everyone their own dough to make a personal sized pizza, and let them top it however they want. Simply bake and enjoy.

This idea takes “personal pan” to a whole new level. Plus, it’s a great family bonding experience.

Day 7 – Pillow Fort

While one person can make a pretty cool pillow fort, a whole family can make one epic pillow CASTLE! Use cardboard boxes, blankets, couch cushions, pillows, and whatever else you can find to create a huge pillow fort.

Then, of course, you’ll need to hang out together in it.

Day 8 – Movie Marathon

If you can manage to leave the pillow fort up for a whole day, get comfy and watch a movie (or series of movies) in it on Day 8.

You’ll of course need lots of snacks and finger foods. For extra coziness and a truly memorable experience, everyone should get into their pajamas for the movie marathon.

Day 9 – Learn Sign Language

Sign language is both useful to know and fun to learn. Use books or online tutorials to learn some of the most common signs, practice together, and try going an entire day communicating with just sign.

Learn more about sign language here.

Day 10 – Film for a Day

Document the entire day with your phone (or an old camcorder, perhaps?). Then watch it later and edit it into a fun family movie.

In the years to come, you’ll love looking back and remembering what a fun day you had!

Day 11 – Dance Party

Put together a playlist of everyone’s favorite songs, then have a big dance party.

Have a blast shaking out all your troubles! (You’ll get a great workout while you’re at it.)

Day 12 – Yoga/Pilates

Speaking of workouts, Pilates and Yoga are awesome ways to improve flexibility and fitness. Start out with beginner positions, practicing daily until everyone is comfortable with learning more complex positions.

Of course, you should never overdo it, but these exercises are a fantastic way to promote a healthy body and mind.

You might find this yoga basics site helpful if you’re a beginner, or check out Cosmic Kids Yoga on YouTube. They have lots of fun videos to follow!

Day 13 – Picnic

It can be either indoors or out, depending on where you’re at (and which season you’re in). But pack up some delicious picnic food, drinks, snacks, and a blanket.

Then set up a nice little picnic area in either your house or back yard.

Picnics are so much fun, and way more relaxing than a formal meal at the dining room table.

Day 14 – Make Cards/Write Letters

Letters and cards mean SO much to both the elderly in nursing homes and troops overseas.

Make some handmade cards with positive messages, or write letters of kindness, and send them out to whomever you choose.

What a wonderful way to boost morale and spread love to people who might be lonely and discouraged!

Use these links to send your cards

https://supportourtroops.org/cards-letters

https://www.operationgratitude.com/express-your-thanks/write-letters

Day 15 – Fashion Show

Put together the craziest outfits you can come up with, using old clothes from your closet or thrift store finds. Then put on a fashion show, awarding prizes to each of the kids for the most creative, wackiest, and so on.

Day 16 – Write a Story

You could take this one a number of directions.

Use a white/chalk board to add words while everyone takes turns adding one word at a time. Or, write a story together and put it down on paper, binding it together into a homemade book.

This even works with filling in mad-libs if you need some help getting the creativity rolling!

Day 17 – Tie Dye

Tie dye is a fun outlet for creativity! You can tie dye almost any piece of clothing, not to mention the numerous ways to tie and dye them.

You can grab an entire tie dye kit on Amazon, along with some white t-shirts — or whatever you want to try dyeing.

And once you’re all done, you’ll have a great memory every time you wear it! 

Day 18 – Learn to Sew

Sewing is one of those skills that will come in handy at one time or another.

Even if you simply know how to sew on a button, it can mean the difference between an awkward situation and a quick fix without fuss. Simple stitches are also good to know if you’re to happen upon a future fashion emergency.

Grab a couple sewing kits like this one to get started.

Day 19 – Build Models

Order a model airplane, building, robot, car — or whatever floats your boat — and build it together as a family.

Model building is an awesome way to learn about how things go together, how to work together as a team, and it could simply end up being one of the most fun things you do with your family at home.

Day 20 – Family Video Games

A lot of modern day video games and gaming systems have awesome multiplayer options, making family fun super easy!

The Nintendo Wii in particular has some of the best games and features for this purpose, but you could really use any system and take turns playing one single player game.

Keep it pressure-free, and have fun! Games are meant to be played for FUN — not just for winning.

Day 21 – Check Out Old Photo Albums

Learning about family history is the perfect way to keep memories and traditions of past generations alive.

Plus, Great-Grandma’s special cookie recipe will mean SO much more if your children can see the face that goes with the stories.

Pictures are worth a thousand words, and they help preserve memories past.

Day 22 – Make a Scrapbook With New Photos

To create your own memories for the family’s future, you’ll first need to take pictures, then add them to a new album. Try out scrapbooking to make it even more meaningful!

Never scrapbooked before? Check out these scrapbooking kits on Amazon.

Let everyone fill out a page in their own signature style, writing little notes next to each picture.

Day 23 – Life Sized Drawings

Place a large sheet of crafting paper on the floor and have someone lay down on it. Trace around their body to use as a template.

Once that’s complete, everyone can work together to fill in the template, creating a life sized drawing of the family member.

Day 24 – Karaoke

Karaoke is a fun, family affair that’s sure to get lots of laughs! You could even hold a competition for silliest song and voice combo. (Bonus points for interpretive dance!)

Day 25 – Look for Four Leaf Clovers

Clovers that have four or more leaves are incredibly rare, and looking for them in the backyard is a fun way to pass the time. Finding them can be so rewarding.

Alternatively, think of something else to hunt for, such as mole hills, spider webs, dandelions, etc.

Day 26 – Make a Critter House

A birdhouse is great for birds, but they’re not the only critters that might enjoy this type of home.

Chipmunks, squirrels, mice, and a variety of other small mammals would enjoy making a birdhouse their home.

Making a critter house is a great way to keep the little guys warm in the winter or dry when it’s raining.

Day 27 – Follow an Online Tutorial

This could be anything: cake decorating, wreath making, or even knitting a scarf. Whatever your family thinks might be cool to learn (as long as you have the required supplies) — give it a try.

It could be a lot of fun to see how your finished product compares with that on the video.

And it could be a team effort on one big project, or each family member could work on something smaller of their won. An awesome way to see how each person does it differently!

This is a great opportunity to teach your kids about individuality, and to show them that everyone is different in a number of ways.

Day 28 – Play in the Rain

While rain is typically an excuse to stay inside, why not have fun stomping in puddles and playing in the mud? Just as long as it’s not too cold out, and there’s no lightning nearby.

No rain? No worries, simply getting outside together could be a fun thing for your family to do at home.

Day 29 – Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunts are a fun way to get the brain AND body moving. Not to mention all the ways you could set it up. Choose a theme by color, size, room, or whatever.

Set a time limit for older kids; for younger kids, allow them to have fun without the pressure of winning. Because, after all, family days are all about having FUN!

Day 30 – Paint Rocks

Have everyone head outside to find a cool rock, then use your imaginations to see a shape of something specific in each rock.

Once you’ve figured it out, paint the rocks to turn them into those things! (Grab a package of paint pens from Amazon for ultimate precision.)

For example, a lumpy rock might look like a toad, so you’ll paint legs, eyes, and spots on it to make it look like a real toad.

Day 31 – Quiet Time

Quiet time is a great way to get kids to think, play independently, and most of all, give mom and dad a break.

A few ideas to try for quiet time:

1. Puzzles
2. Word search
3. Reading
4. Educational worksheets
5. Crafting

Fun Things to Do with Family at Home

These fun things to do at home with the family provide a wonderful opportunity to bond and create new memories. It should go without saying, but always be sure that everyone can enjoy themselves without feeling like they’re in a competition.

Just have fun with it! This is going to be a wonderful thirty-one days of family activities that the WHOLE family will love.

Read more:

Guide to a Successful Photography Session with Small Children

10 Effortless Healthy Eating Tips for the Whole Family

25 Magical Christmas Eve Traditions to Start This Year