Family-Friendly Activities (on the CHEAP)

Spending time as a family and interacting with your kids are crucial elements in developing strong family ties and close, trusting relationships with your children.

As the parents, you are in the driver's seat (most literally) in regards to when and how often your family unites. You never hear children complain that they wish their parents spent less time with them -- and how many parents look back on their child's youth wishing that they had spent more time at work?

Coming together as a family doesn't mean that you need to break your budget. In fact, there are plenty of FREE activities that your family can do that will bring you closer, relieve stress, and build lasting memories.

Here are 40 of my favorite family-friendly

(FREE and CHEAP) activities:

Play Board Games
Bake goodies for a sick friend or to cheer up a neighbor
Have a game of tug-o-war
Videotape eachother talking about your favorite memories or doing impressions
Clean out your closets and take donations to the shelter
Make a list of goals as individuals and as a family
Make a family collage with magazine cutouts
Go on an outdoor scavenger hunt
Learn a new skill or song together
Start a family blog
Organize a potluck party
Visit a free museum or other attraction nearby
Cook some freezer meals -- put everyone to work
Have a spelling or math bee (kids LOVE this!)
Play a game of soccer or football
Organize your old photo albums
Scrapbook new pictures
Have movie and popcorn night
Go for a bike ride (don't forget to wear those helmets!)
Help cleanup the neighborhood
Set up a lemonade stand
Read an interesting book together -- read your favorite parts of the Bible
Start a compost bin
Plant some new seeds and keep a growth journal/chart
Have a yard sale (and make some money!)
Pratice a foreign language
Make homemade Christmas cards
Set up an obstacle course (fun, fun)
Make Play-doh
Start a family prayer journal
Write letters to your future children/grandchildren
Make a time caspule (put letters inside) with momentos from this year -- bury in backyard
Make Christmas ornaments and calendars for next year
Plan a dream vacation (who knows, maybe one day you'll get to go!)
Go to the park and hit the playground
Play a game of Frisbee at the park or fly a kite
Have the kids pick out toys to donate to a younger child
Give compliments to eachother and lots of hugs
Send e-cards to friends and family
Pray with eachother - it cost nothing but time, and God's all ears! :)