Most working moms, use the weekend for cleaning, arranging things, and keeping the house in order, especially if you don’t have a house chores help arrangement. Hence without a good plan, you may fail to take the kids out, see family or a friend, have dinner with your partner, or simply enjoy some “me time” to relax and re energize for the coming week.
Read: Balancing Family and Work
Create an interesting way of spending your weekends by creating a routine includes your kids, partner, family, friends, and self. Some family weekend fun ideas include Saturday morning run/GYM with spouse, swimming/gaming with kids, family breakfast, picnics, movie date, dinner date with friends, nature walk and church Sunday among others.
9 Fun Family Weekend Ideas/Things to Do
1. Saturday Morning Run/ GYM with Spouse
If you and your spouse are fitness enthusiasts, then you will have fun enjoying some form of exercise together during the weekend. While you may have gym or morning run or other exercises for other different days of the week, a planned workout routine on Saturday morning is better and more interesting.
A weekend routine that involves a morning run with your partner makes you more of a team overall even in other areas such as finances and parenting. As you work on your fitness, your bond as a couple is made stronger. Also exercising together with your partner on a set day also establishes accountability for both of you which enhance the activity as a weekend thing for you two.
Read: Fun Practical Hobbies for Working Moms
2. Swimming/ Gaming/ Art Classes with Kids
The weekends are probably the only time you get to spend more time with your kids. Just like with your partner, you also need to participate in recreational activities with your kids. While you may not necessarily be participating, simply taking your kids to these activities is very meaningful.
It cheers them on to pursue what they love doing because you are supporting them.Also, it becomes easier for your kids to relate to you and helps in building their confidence. The fun involved will have your kids looking forward to every weekend for this.
The activities can be swimming, playing soccer, martial arts, music classes, or any other kind of recreation. You can alternate the activities for different weekends or Saturdays and your kids will enjoy a spectrum of outdoor activities. Other Saturdays may involve educational trips such as going to the museum, or the park, or the pet store. For instance, from pet stores, the kids will see various animals such as fish, turtles, and critters among others.
3. Saturday Family Breakfast
A lazy mid-morning breakfast with your family on a weekend has become one of the favorite weekend traditions. It is doable because there is enough time to make your family their favorite breakfast and enjoy it together. For us, it ends up being a brunch given the time it takes to prepare it.
Make it more fun by asking your partner and kids to help in the preparation in whatever manner. Having everyone participate improves the team family spirit as everyone helps out and feels useful.
Also, the fact that everyone gets to eat their favorite meal on Saturday morning makes it a time to look forward to during the week. For my family, we make waffles, pancakes, omelets, or any breakfast that we typically do not have time to make during the weekdays. You can set up the breakfast in the yard if the weather allows you to get a more outdoor tone to the breakfast.
4. Saturday Family Picnics
A picnic can be an interesting way to spend the day with your family on a weekend that can include both your kids and your partner. A picnic allows a fresh breath of life as both you and your kids enjoy some outdoor time on the weekend. Choose an appropriate picnic site close by and have everyone approve it.
They also allow you to save on food and other things by allowing you to pack your snacks, lunch, and drinks. You can also carry some play items and toys for the kids to play with. Plan for things you will need, meals to prepare, and activities to do while there well ahead of the weekend.
However, some seasons are not great for picnics and you may have to look for a more convenient indoor activity to do. You need to be flexible and allow for emergencies. Be ready for any eventualities such as weather that may spoil your day plans. What is important is ensuring you make up for this time with another activity later in the day or some other time.
5. Dinner/Movie Date with Husband
You and your partner need some romantic time together and the weekend is the perfect time for it. A tradition specifically with your partner will keep your relationship fresh and love juices flowing. If you spend the better part of Saturday with the kids then the evening is a better time to spend with your partner.
Bonding is one of the importance of family traditions. The goal is to have some intimate time with your spouse without the presence of your kids or other family members to keep your marriage fire burning. You can take this time to have fun, unwind, catch up on things, and generally bond.
You are allowed to get creative. You can enjoy a fancy dinner at your favorite restaurant or even schedule a movie date to watch a movie together. If it is your lifestyle you can also have a night out together on one weekend and have some fun. You can do this weekly, twice, or at least once a month as a tradition.
You may want to arrange for child care or someone to watch your kids as you do so.
6. Evening Date With Friends
Your friends are also an important part of your social life. Just like you your kids and husband, you need to create some time for your friends during the weekend. You may not necessarily meet all your friends at one given time but you can make plans and priorities for your closest friends when need be.
Your evening will may depend on the particular friend you are having a date with and your common interests together. You can enjoy dinner or lunch together. Alternatively, you can watch a movie together, have a spa session together, and get hairdressing services together or simply go shopping together on some weekends.
Time with your friends away from family may give you a better perspective of your life as well as give you a little break from the home duties. You get to catch up with your friends and what they have been lately up to. You can also choose this moment to share things in your life such as the latest development at work or home among others if you choose to.
7. Church Sunday
For most believers, going to church is a must tradition for Sundays. This tradition may not apply to everyone but to those that it does, going together to church on Sunday as a family nourishes and strengthens them. It sets the tone for the rest of the day and the new week ahead.
If going to church on Sunday is your thing, you can make it more interesting by eating lunch out afterward. You can also use this time to visit a relative or family member living close by after church. You can also combine the trip back with some grocery or basic shopping in the mall.
8. Nature Walk/Dog Walking
Nature walks are one of the top couples and family tradition favorites for weekends. Other than being recreational it is also therapeutic and educational for the kids. Choose an interesting trail and allow the interesting magic of nature to work on you. Even though it may be a little exhausting if a long-distance is taken, you will have more fun along the way to cover up for it.
You can either tag your kids or your spouse along as you explore the neighborhood during the weekend. You can even walk the dog as you do so. The fun involved should make this part of your fun traditions as a family for weekends. A Sunday afternoon is perfect for this as the weekend winds up to allow for a new week.
9. Massage/Yoga/ Book Reading with Spouse
After having an activity-packed Saturday, many people want to have a relaxing Sunday. Most people may prefer to not have an outdoor activity and just stay indoors, relax and get ready for Monday. As such your weekend tradition for Sunday will lean more towards spending time at home/indoors.
Look around for easy and simple things you like doing and incorporate them on Sunday afternoon. You can get into a soothing bath and light up your favorite candle. You can do yoga or massage on each other with your partner. If both of you love reading, each can dive into their favorite books as you enjoy your favorite snacks.
Read: The Importance of a Self-Care Plan
Making Weekend Family Time Fun
With the ideas above you should think of starting your family traditions for weekends and incorporating them. However remember that even after planning for a weekend routine or tradition, it may end not being fun at all.
This may depend on the activity taken, the involvement of all members concerned, and other factors. To ensure that the traditions don’t become boring and everyone involved is happy, the following tips are helpful:
- Avoid monotony; always add something interesting every time
- Take advantage of close by facilities e.g. if you live near an airstrip watch the planes take off, hot air balloons taking off, skydivers landing, etc. together with your kids.
- You can take a walk to the beach if you’re close by or to the museum or the park. It is a fun way of winding down a cool weekend afternoon
- Take turns in picking events, venues, games movies, etc. to get everyone involved. A good family tradition considers the needs of every family member.
- Always have the weekend planned ahead to get everyone prepared. It avoids inconveniencing others hence become more fulfilling and fun
- Have a budget as some activities will require significant spending. Doing so will not limit you on the fun activities you want to incorporate into your family weekend routine
- Be flexible; adjust your plan accordingly when and if needed. You will be able to accommodate the needs of others this way and make the weekend tradition activities more fun.
- Some events fit weekly, others bi-weekly, and other monthly
- Always make time for your plan. Your schedule may be tight but your routines are equally important
Read: Making Time for Yourself
