Activities for days off
Lucky you, you’ve got the day off! What’s on the agenda?
Here are 10 suggestions for activities that cost little to nothing and promise fun for the entire family, rain or shine!
1. Hold a board game tournament
We’ve got a great board game collection at our house, and it’s always fun when everyone gathers round the table to play. A lot of board games are great for helping kids review and practise math- or language-related concepts.
If you don’t have any board games at home, here are a couple of alternatives:
- Look into whether your local library has any board games for loan
- Check to see if there’s a toy library in your neighbourhood
2. Organize a book club
In a book club, the members get together to discuss books that they’ve all read over the same period. Why not try something similar at home? Let your kids pick what books to read. You’ll have some great family discussions!
- Who was your favourite character?
- What do you think would happen in a sequel?
- Can you think of a different ending to the story?
3. Build a model of something inspired by your child’s interests
Is your child fascinated with dinosaurs?
Volcanoes?
The human body?
Video games?
Whatever they’re interested in, you can turn it into a fun craft project! To build an accurate model, you’ll need to do a bit of research together and measure everything carefully. This activity is a great way to bond with your child.
4. Plan a themed day
Think of something your child loves and make it the theme for an entire day. You can incorporate it into everything from meals and decorations to costumes and family activities. This is another terrific research project to organize together!
5. Spend the day in the kitchen
We sometimes forget how much fun it can be to cook with our kids, not to mention how valuable it is for them to learn their way around a kitchen. Why not ask your child to choose a few recipes from a cookbook? You can pick up the ingredients together at the grocery store, then team up for a culinary adventure!
6. Create a comic book from scratch
Kids have wonderful imaginations. You can help your child create their very own comic book with just a pencil, some paper, and their boundless creativity! While they write and illustrate the story, you can be in charge of stapling the pages together and making a cardboard front cover. Your child will be so proud to show their book to their friends and relatives!
7. Make costumes
Every year, less than a week before Halloween, my eldest asks me to make him a costume that can’t be found in stores (or that’s out of our price range). A few days is never enough time to get it done. But if you get started a couple of months early, you can whip up a one-of-a-kind costume with time to spare. Best of all, your child can help you make it. I bet they’ll want to wear it more than once a year!
8. Hold a career day
No matter how old your child is, they probably have some idea of what they want to be when they grow up. By planning a career day, you can learn more about your child’s dream job. In some cases—if your child wants to be a chef, photographer, YouTuber, or illustrator, for instance—you can even try out some of the skills they’ll need. With other professions, you can simply look up articles or videos to get a sense of what they’re like.
9. Create a work of art from recyclables
Grab some glue, scissors, and a few items from the recycling bin, and prepare to create a masterpiece! In addition to getting every member of the family involved, this activity is the perfect opportunity to teach your child about recycling, consumption, and waste—all while spending quality time together.
10. Have an all-day pyjama party
Sometimes, less is more: instead of overthinking things, why not throw a good old-fashioned pyjama party? Serve breakfast food at every meal and plan activities best enjoyed in a cozy pair of pj’s, like curling up with a good book, watching movies, sharing funny stories, and simply appreciating each other’s company.
Give one of these activities a try on your next day off to enjoy some quality time with your family!