Photo by Robert Collins on Unsplash
Weekends are tricky for parents as you want to have a rest but also need to keep your kids entertained and stimulated. It’s tempting to just sit back and let them run around the house or play video games for 48 hours straight, but you know that’s not a good idea.
Instead, you could make weekends more enjoyable by doing some activities together as a family. One day can be dedicated to doing an activity or two, while the other is there for you to all chill-out. With that in mind, here are some fun weekend activities that are suitable for families:
Escape Rooms
They sound scary, but escape rooms are suitable for children of all ages and they aren’t frightening in the slightest. As you can see you the Escape Ops website, most escape rooms involve a scenario of sorts. You and your family are “trapped” in a room and need to find the way out by completing a series of clues.
It’s a fun game for everyone as both you and your kids work together to get out. This is also a great one for stimulating their brain on the weekend, so they’re still learning stuff and developing. If you really want to spice things up, you and your partner can do an escape room alone and then the kids do the same one by themselves. Compete to see who does it the fastest!
Scavenger Hunts
You’ll be surprised how popular scavenger hunt games are these days. There are multiple providers who will basically put together a scavenger hunt across cities. Most of these events take place on mobile apps where you’re told where to go, what to look at, and are given lots of questions to answer.
It’s up to you and your kids to answer all the questions and make it to the final destination. If you have to collect things – like physical objects or photos of landmarks – you need to ensure they’re all ticked off before you end. The cool thing about this activity is that it lets you spend time with your kids outdoors. You’re enjoying the great weather while exploring your home city in a new way. Plus, most of these scavenger hunt things will have leaderboards on the app so you can compete with other people or families!
Science Experiments
This is a fun one to try if you fancy staying home over the weekend. Google “at-home science experiments for kids” and you’ll find hundreds of ideas. From the classic Coke and Mentos experiment to loads of other quirky ones – there are so many things to do.
In fact, here’s one idea below that lets you create a lava lamp at home with just a few ingredients:
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Stuff like this is wonderful for kids as it keeps them entertained while teaching them cool new scientific things. Also, parents are guaranteed to learn new stuff as well! You’ll act like you knew what was happening in the experiments, but internally you’re freaking out at how cool they are.
As an extra bonus, science experiments are perfect for rainy days when you can’t go out and try some of the other activities on this list.
Bike Rides & Walks
You can’t go wrong with a family bike ride. Kids love an excuse to get on their bikes, so why don’t you join them? Look for family-friendly bike trails in your area and give one of them a go. Pack a little picnic while you’re at it so you can stop for a bite to eat while enjoying the open air.
If there are no bike trails near you, you could plan a bike ride to a local park or somewhere else. Just make sure there’s a safe route so your kids don’t have to ride on scary roads. Also, if you don’t have bikes, or would rather walk, then go for it. There are probably loads of walking routes or hiking paths near you to try. You could even drive to a local National Park and then proceed on foot for a fun family day out.
And on that note, you’ve come to the end of this post. As evidenced by the activities above, there are many ways to have fun on weekends with your kids. You’ll no longer be cooped up inside with children running around everywhere and can finally enjoy this time as a family.
