This can be a great gift or just something you use for your family. You can print off the suggestions below and add some of your family favorites into the mix and have fun doing the activities. Some of these I got from a jar we received. Others are things I added that are favorites in our family.
Put a penny in the bottom of a cup. Fill the cup and pack it down with white flour. Tip the cup upside down on a plate. Each person cuts a little bit off the flour tower hoping to not be the one to knock the penny off or collapse the tower. Whoever makes the penny fall has to pull the penny out of the flour with their teeth. Do this activity outside and by the end everyone will look like a ghost. Make sure you have a camera handy!
Have a progressive room cleaning party (each others rooms)
“Heart Attack” someone’s home- Tape pa
per hears on shishkabob bamboo sticks and put them in their yard, sprinkle them up the walk etc. Make heart cookies and leave them on the doorstep, ring the bell and run.
Draw it out – Everyone picks a name of a family member and tells no one. Then they have to draw something about the person that will help others guess who it is.
Draw a picture and then let the next person draw something in a story line, the second person folds down the first picture and passes the paper, the third person draws a picture relating to the second picture then folds down the top picture. After about 10 turns, open the paper and look how the picture story changes. This can also be done with older kids using words. One writes a sentence, then, next continues it and then folds down the top sentence. The end result is a funny story with twists and turns.
Sack game- Bend over and pick up an opened paper sack with your teeth only and cut off ½ inch of the sack each round. Continue around cutting some off until someone can stay standing and pick it up when it is cut off the most.
Write letters to soldiers or missionaries serving from your local area or parish.
Start by playing, singing or saying a variety of different TV jingles or advertising slogans. Have the kids write down what product the slogan is advertising. Then, start a scripture and have the kids try to finish writing it down. Most will know most of the jingles but very few scriptures. This can lead to a discussion of the powerful influence of music and the media and how we need to be selective about what we choose to let into our minds.
The blanket game – Divide the group into two teams. Have each team gather on a blanket. They must, as a team, turn the blanket over without touching the floor, if they touch the floor, they must straighten out the blanket and start over. The first team to accomplish this wins. Size of blanket depends on the size of group. If it’s a smaller family use a crib blanket.
Have someone teach the family how to change a tire.
Make a family collage. Put things on it that have to do with your family. When you are finished have judging (the kids don’t know they are being judged.) The categories will be fun such as using up the most space on the page, the most creative etc.
Split up into groups, each group with their o
wn bag of props….ie. poster board, bandannas, newspaper, pillows, a silk flower, clothes pins, straws, crayons, tape, scissors… felt, etc. Each group chooses a nursery rhyme or a fairy talk and makes up a skit based on that… but with a religious twist, ie. The three blind mice who are spiritually blind and dear in 1ear… The farmers wife as the temptress… who lures mice over to her then chops their tails off, then have the spiritual part… where the mice and the farmers wife all turn to God.
Make a family quilt and donate it to a women’s shelter or a hospital etc.
Plan, plant and maintain a family garden. Pick up rocks that look like the veggies you will be planting and paint them using acrylic paint to look like the veggies and use them as markers to the veggies you plant.
Pass around a roll of toilet paper. Everyone tears off how ever much they want. For each square they tore off, they have to tell something for which they are grateful.
Eat dinner with weird utensils such as a measuring cup, spatula, strainer. Each person picks something out of a paper bag. What they get, they use to eat.
Eat spaghetti without hands off of long new paper table covering. Make sure everyone has a towel bib.
Start a love bucket—decorate a bucket and fill it with treats with a note attached calling it a love bucket. On the note, ask the receivers to pass it along by filling it and delivering it to someone else in the neighborhood.
Go plant flowers in someone’s yard when you can see they aren’t home so they come home to a nice surprise.
Have an ironing lesson. Start on sheets and towels for children.
Have an ancestor appreciation night. Have each person find an ancestor with an interesting story and have them come prepared to act out their ancestors story or experience through charades or drawing etc.
Hold a “no charge” car wash for neighbors and friends. Or plan a weekend when they block off the street and everyone helps wash each others cars.
Send out invites to a neighborhood water fight. Fill coolers with water balloons. Set up cardboard forts around the street with coolers as ammo in each. Each person can only throw one balloon from each fort each time they enter. Etc
Go online an
d find songs that were popular in the year your parents or grandparents graduated high school. Ask mom and dad or grandparents to teach everyone the dances that went with the songs.
Take your favorite family meal along with the recipe to someone who may need some TLC.
Have your kids gather the garbage cans from the neighbors as you use a broom and mop to wash them out and return them with an air freshener hanging from the handle.
Play crab soccer using 36-inch balloons. You can get them at the dollar store. You would have to play in a gym as the balloon would pop on the grass. Have spares in case they pop. Everybody gets on all fours with belly up. They can’t use their hands to hit the balloon, only their feet. If you want to make it fun, try several balloons.
Make seasonal pillowcases. ie. Halloween, Christmas, Valentines Day, etc and give them to a pediatric unit at a hospital for the kids to take home.
Movie Dinner Theme – Pick any movie with a dinner part in it and set it up to look just like it is on the movie. Cook what they do on the movie and decorate the table the same etc.
Organize a round robin letter to include extended family, college students, married siblings etc. Each family writes part of the letter and mails it on to the next family member to add to the letter.
Have a relay with three different teams. Each person has to run down to the end and put on an item representing a member of the family, then quickly take them off and run back. Each person will do this until one team wins. Make sure they each have similar items such as a tie and jacket for dad, dress for mom, diaper for baby etc in each group.
Put together a family recipe book. Each week, have a different person pick one recipe that you will try. Take a picture of it and your family eating it. If you like it, add it to the book. At the end of the year, you can give the book with a picture of you eating each recipe and a review and tips on making each for a gift.
Play FROLF (Frisbee golf) – Set up flags in a park and have the family see how may throws it takes to hit the flag on each hole with the Frisbee. It’s scored just like golf.
Interview family members, including grandparents about their personal history on video tape and make several copies for family members. (You can use the questions listed on this blog page under “Family history questions or Journal in a jar questions”
Bake a cake and put a new or bleached dollar or half dollar coin in the bottom of the pan before you bake it. (It needs to be large enough no one would eat it and choke on it) Whoever gets the piece with the coin gets to keep it.
“Heart Attack” someone’s home- Tape pa
per hears on shishkabob bamboo sticks and put them in their yard, sprinkle them up the walk etc. Make heart cookies and leave them on the doorstep, ring the bell and run.Draw it out – Everyone picks a name of a family member and tells no one. Then they have to draw something about the person that will help others guess who it is.
Draw a picture and then let the next person draw something in a story line, the second person folds down the first picture and passes the paper, the third person draws a picture relating to the second picture then folds down the top picture. After about 10 turns, open the paper and look how the picture story changes. This can also be done with older kids using words. One writes a sentence, then, next continues it and then folds down the top sentence. The end result is a funny story with twists and turns.
Sack game- Bend over and pick up an opened paper sack with your teeth only and cut off ½ inch of the sack each round. Continue around cutting some off until someone can stay standing and pick it up when it is cut off the most.
Write letters to soldiers or missionaries serving from your local area or parish.
Start by playing, singing or saying a variety of different TV jingles or advertising slogans. Have the kids write down what product the slogan is advertising. Then, start a scripture and have the kids try to finish writing it down. Most will know most of the jingles but very few scriptures. This can lead to a discussion of the powerful influence of music and the media and how we need to be selective about what we choose to let into our minds.
The blanket game – Divide the group into two teams. Have each team gather on a blanket. They must, as a team, turn the blanket over without touching the floor, if they touch the floor, they must straighten out the blanket and start over. The first team to accomplish this wins. Size of blanket depends on the size of group. If it’s a smaller family use a crib blanket.
Have someone teach the family how to change a tire.
Make a family collage. Put things on it that have to do with your family. When you are finished have judging (the kids don’t know they are being judged.) The categories will be fun such as using up the most space on the page, the most creative etc.
Split up into groups, each group with their o
wn bag of props….ie. poster board, bandannas, newspaper, pillows, a silk flower, clothes pins, straws, crayons, tape, scissors… felt, etc. Each group chooses a nursery rhyme or a fairy talk and makes up a skit based on that… but with a religious twist, ie. The three blind mice who are spiritually blind and dear in 1ear… The farmers wife as the temptress… who lures mice over to her then chops their tails off, then have the spiritual part… where the mice and the farmers wife all turn to God.Make a family quilt and donate it to a women’s shelter or a hospital etc.
Plan, plant and maintain a family garden. Pick up rocks that look like the veggies you will be planting and paint them using acrylic paint to look like the veggies and use them as markers to the veggies you plant.
Pass around a roll of toilet paper. Everyone tears off how ever much they want. For each square they tore off, they have to tell something for which they are grateful.
Eat dinner with weird utensils such as a measuring cup, spatula, strainer. Each person picks something out of a paper bag. What they get, they use to eat.
Eat spaghetti without hands off of long new paper table covering. Make sure everyone has a towel bib.
Start a love bucket—decorate a bucket and fill it with treats with a note attached calling it a love bucket. On the note, ask the receivers to pass it along by filling it and delivering it to someone else in the neighborhood.
Go plant flowers in someone’s yard when you can see they aren’t home so they come home to a nice surprise.
Have an ironing lesson. Start on sheets and towels for children.
Have an ancestor appreciation night. Have each person find an ancestor with an interesting story and have them come prepared to act out their ancestors story or experience through charades or drawing etc.
Hold a “no charge” car wash for neighbors and friends. Or plan a weekend when they block off the street and everyone helps wash each others cars.
Send out invites to a neighborhood water fight. Fill coolers with water balloons. Set up cardboard forts around the street with coolers as ammo in each. Each person can only throw one balloon from each fort each time they enter. Etc
Go online an
d find songs that were popular in the year your parents or grandparents graduated high school. Ask mom and dad or grandparents to teach everyone the dances that went with the songs.Take your favorite family meal along with the recipe to someone who may need some TLC.
Have your kids gather the garbage cans from the neighbors as you use a broom and mop to wash them out and return them with an air freshener hanging from the handle.
Play crab soccer using 36-inch balloons. You can get them at the dollar store. You would have to play in a gym as the balloon would pop on the grass. Have spares in case they pop. Everybody gets on all fours with belly up. They can’t use their hands to hit the balloon, only their feet. If you want to make it fun, try several balloons.
Make seasonal pillowcases. ie. Halloween, Christmas, Valentines Day, etc and give them to a pediatric unit at a hospital for the kids to take home.
Movie Dinner Theme – Pick any movie with a dinner part in it and set it up to look just like it is on the movie. Cook what they do on the movie and decorate the table the same etc.
Organize a round robin letter to include extended family, college students, married siblings etc. Each family writes part of the letter and mails it on to the next family member to add to the letter.
Have a relay with three different teams. Each person has to run down to the end and put on an item representing a member of the family, then quickly take them off and run back. Each person will do this until one team wins. Make sure they each have similar items such as a tie and jacket for dad, dress for mom, diaper for baby etc in each group.
Put together a family recipe book. Each week, have a different person pick one recipe that you will try. Take a picture of it and your family eating it. If you like it, add it to the book. At the end of the year, you can give the book with a picture of you eating each recipe and a review and tips on making each for a gift.
Play FROLF (Frisbee golf) – Set up flags in a park and have the family see how may throws it takes to hit the flag on each hole with the Frisbee. It’s scored just like golf.
Interview family members, including grandparents about their personal history on video tape and make several copies for family members. (You can use the questions listed on this blog page under “Family history questions or Journal in a jar questions”
Bake a cake and put a new or bleached dollar or half dollar coin in the bottom of the pan before you bake it. (It needs to be large enough no one would eat it and choke on it) Whoever gets the piece with the coin gets to keep it.
I hope your family has as much fun as ours has had with this!
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