In South Africa and some areas of Canada, just a few days after Valentine’s Day, they celebrate Family Day. It’s a public holiday which gives families the chance to spend quality time together and show everyone in the family why they are loved. Whether Family Day is an official holiday where you live or not, designating one day of the year to make your special family day is a wonderful idea. While we show each other love and appreciation all year round, there is no reason why you can’t choose your own date each year, which means fun, celebration and togetherness.
If you are struggling for ideas, here are 7 simple but fun ways to celebrate a family day.
1. Prepare breakfast together
To start your family day, it’s a good idea to kick it off as you mean to go on. Find some simple breakfast recipes which you can make together as a family. For example, pancakes are perfect because you can measure out the ingredients, cook them to order in fun shapes and add your own toppings.
2. Give handmade cards
Whether you have the option of buying Family Day cards at the store or not, make it a group crafting activity on the day. Get all the cards, markers, glitter and stickers together and create your cards from scratch. You can then write your own personal messages which will mean so much more than any pre-printed message would.
3. Get outdoors
Getting outside in the sun and fresh air is good for your mind and body, and there’s plenty to do, whatever the weather. Build a snowman, fly a kite, plant some flowers or have a summer picnic. Even if it’s a cold and rainy day, a short walk outside with the dog, splashing in puddles, squelching in mud and kicking up leaves can be fun.
4. Take a family portrait
Get everyone dressed up in their best and head to a family photography session. It is a great way to spend a couple of hours posing, pulling faces, and being silly so the photographer can catch the natural moments of tenderness and laughter. At the end of it, you’ll have at least one or two photos which you can treasure for many years to come. If you have a new member of the family, this would be the perfect time to get photos taken by newborn baby photographers, either the day of or beforehand, so you can give out the prints as gifts to grandparents and other relatives on Family Day.
5. Watch your favorite movies
Everyone loves a movie marathon. Get some snacks together, get cozy, and enjoy either your favorite movies (choosing one each) or some home movies of previous trips, holidays or vacations.
6. Make a scrapbook
Most people use smartphones and tablets to take photos nowadays, and while they are useful for keeping hundreds of photos in one place, we rarely scroll back through them. Spend a few hours choosing your favorites, get them printed and create a scrapbook of memories. You can annotate each photo to note when and where it was taken and even what you loved most about the day or trip.
7. Make a time capsule
A time capsule is a wonderful project which you can all work on together. Find a shoebox and get everyone to bring something special to them, which reminds them of family, and will easily fit inside. You can then put the box away in the attic or a wardrobe and enjoy the memories together years later when it’s discovered.
