Fun Family Activities for Each Season of the Year

Spending quality time with your kids only strengthens the relationships you have with them and makes wonderful memories. For most of us, everyday life can be hectic. It is of the utmost importance to give enough attention to your children. It is the most important investment of your time. There are many educational, fun, and memory making activities you can share with your kids during each season of the year.

New life, beautiful weather, lake, beach or park picnics at sunset, long walks in the woods to see new spring blooms. You have so many fun opportunities to laugh and learn together.

• Mardi Gras, held in February is a wonderful cultural experience for the whole family. Although it is still winter, it sure kicks off the spring season of parties, and fun family get-togethers. It originated in Paris, France and is celebrated in the high population of French descendents in Louisiana, among other places in the United States.
• St Patrick's Day - make glittery green ornaments, like shamrocks, pots of gold, funny hats and leprechauns, and exchange facts about the holiday while making the decorations. Share the story of St. Patrick and all he did for Ireland.
• Good Friday – provides a great opportunity to discuss the meaning of this day. The dialog will be different depending on the age of the child. This is a good day to make personalized and special Easter decorations. Ask each child to make something meaningful to them and explain why. This is also a great day to color Easter eggs. If the day is warm and beautiful, spend some time at the local pool, beach or lake for some exercise. Water games are the best. You can encourage participation in swimming races, chicken fights, water volleyball, or diving for pennies.
• Easter – provides an opportunity to teach your children the true meaning of this holiday. Again, the conversation will vary depending on the age of the child. Playing an Easter Trivia game or just sharing the Easter story while on a picnic in the park makes for a great time, especially after the Easter egg hunt is over. Be sure to use props if possible. Children learn best when they have the opportunity to use all of their senses.
• May Day - volunteer to learn about, and build a Maypole for your children, and the neighborhood kids. There are songs and dances that the children will enjoy, and it’s a bit out of the ordinary for the American neighborhood. The Maypole is a great European tradition to teach our children.
• Cinco DeMayo - enjoy making homemade tacos (kids love to make their own creations of tacos, so have plenty of choices. sour cream, guacamole, salsa, con Queso, shredded cheese, lettuce, spinach, tomato, onion, rice, re-fried beans, seasoned beef.) and learn to Salsa! Wear sombreros all day (if possible) and tell the true story of the reason for celebration in Mexico.
• Memorial Day – make homemade treats, home drawn pictures, and personally written letters to our troops overseas. Finger painted American flags is always a big morale booster also.
• Spring brings gardening. Plant flowers together as a family, and teach your children about different plants, flowers, annuals, perennials, photosynthesis, how plants breathe and help us breath, and other science experiments.

• Summer sports are a great way to keep your kids, and yourself, active and in a team setting. Whether it is little league baseball, hockey, football, soccer or dance, active kids are healthy, well rounded kids who usually manage to stay out of trouble.
• There are numerous summer camps for kids as well. Nature camps, Marine life camps, Native American camps, and other sports, arts and music, and various talent camps are usually available. A family camping trip can create wonderful memories for all. However, many of these summer activities can be quite expensive. If you find yourself in a position hindering you from sending your children to a camp, or able to offer a sport to play, there are other ways to enjoy this season.
• During the summer, water play seems to be one of the most popular activities. Slip-n-slide and other water games are great to have for a short cooling off period in the yard. Simply playing in the sprinklers can be fun for kids and adults. It is highly recommended that goggles, water shoes and sun block be worn for safety purposes.
• If the day is warm and beautiful, spend some time away from home at the local pool, beach or lake for some exercise. Water games are the best. You can encourage participation in swimming races, chicken fights, water volleyball, or diving for pennies.
• On rainy days or days that are sweltering and outside activities are not appealing, movies, bowling, skating, museums, musical concert or a classic play may be fun for the children as well as the parents.
• Again, if finances are an issue, a picnic in the living room under a tent made out of sheets can be an exciting adventure for younger children. You can host slumber parties with themes; a few examples would be a Hawaiian them, a princess theme, a video game theme, etc. Scavenger hunts are always fun at slumber parties also. For breakfast, pancakes are extremely inexpensive, taste yummy, and fill lots of bellies.
• Decorate for summer, by making stained glass ornaments, create a bouquet of sun flowers, proudly display your American Flag for the annual Independence Day celebration on July 4h, and be creative by using your own ideas for decorating.

• Just the relief from the summer heat inspires us all to welcome in the autumn season with open arms. This time of year is when the holidays, parties, and family reunions all take place. This is the time where friends and family gather around a toasty fireplace, telling ghost stories, reminiscing about years before, making new memories, and laughing often.
• One holiday always guaranteed to be great fun is Halloween! Sure it’s easy to buy costumes for the event, or various Harvest celebrations and parties you plan to attend. But one would think that making costumes could become a family affair, and a new tradition. Be creative. Make matching costumes, themed costumes, or everyone design their own individual costume. This will take some planning so be sure to have all your supplies before you schedule a costume creation day. Don’t forget the haunted house visits and pumpkin carving contests!
• Another wonderful family holiday is Thanksgiving. Regardless of your reason for the celebration, the important part is that you share how thankful you are with your loved ones. Many families have their own traditions, but here are a few tips to keep things going smoothly. Work as a team. The host or hostess designates the cooking team, allowing each person to bring their best homemade dish. Then there is the cleanup crew, again, working as a team to share the burden of putting the house back together. At this point all can relax, have dessert, watch football, toast marshmallows in the fire place or take a nap (my personal favorite).
• Because this season is such a time of fellowship with friends and family, elders have the opportunity to tell old family stories, teach the younger generations how to sew, knit, crochet, quilt, and make crafts. These are the memories youngsters treasure for the rest of their lives. Board games and card games are usually a tremendous amount of fun as well.
• Gathering in the kitchen to make hot cocoa or hot apple cider with real cinnamon sticks is a memory to be cherished, especially if making gingerbread men to go with the warm, tasty beverages. What a terrific treat after a beautiful hike.
• As the holidays approach, shopping in groups or pairs makes the dreadful task of holiday shopping much more desirable for two reasons. First, you have a buddy or group of loved ones to laugh with and enjoy their company. Secondly, if you are out before the Thanksgiving holiday, you are early and can beat the crowds. Keep in mind, however, you may not be given the opportunity to take advantage of some of the great holiday sales.
• And, of course, decorating for fall is always a great time! Use hay, scare crows, Indian corn, pumpkins and others in the squash family. After all, it is the season for harvest. Halloween decorations can vary from fun to scary; and simple to an all out haunted house. That is entirely up to you and your decorating committee to decide.

• Ah, winter! This season is similar to autumn regarding the interaction a family can have regarding sports, games, holidays, food, laughter and memories. The younger generations can all go sledding, snow skiing or snowboarding, and hiking. Just as in the summer, it is extremely important to keep yourself clothed appropriately. Layering your clothes is usually the best way to stay comfortable under many circumstances. For example, a t-shirt, under a thermal or flannel with a down jacket works nicely together. Scarves, hats and gloves are an absolute must, as are warm close toed shoes or boots. Depending on the climate in your area, you may want to add or eliminate some of the items mentioned above.
• For the youngest group, snow angels, snowball fights, and building snow men can make a cold, frosty morning or afternoon a fun time to remember.
• As in the summer, indoor activities are good to be prepared for as well. Making hot cider or cocoa, and sipping on your yummy sweet warm beverage while watching holiday movies, all snuggled under blankets or from a living room fort made out of sheets is a ton of fun.
• Of course family games are always a good time during any season. You can play games with a holiday theme, or be creative and come up with some new games.
• Obviously, this is the season where decorating, baking and the spirit of giving and kindness are predominant. This can all be so much fun making memory after memory. However, this time of year, and the other seasons as well, please consider behaving the same benevolent way toward your fellow man. Let’s continue the kindness and generosity throughout the year!

Thank you for your interest in my writing. I certainly hope the read was helpful and entertaining. Please feel free to say what you would like in the comments section.

"Be kind to one another" ~ Ellen

God Bless You ~ Margaret Sullivan