Creative Family Fun

Your one-stop shop for kids activities and family fun

Family Fun

10 Fun Walk Ideas for Families

By

Going on a walk is not only good exercise, it’s also a lot of fun. And, it’s a easy and simple family fun idea.

In case you want to add a little variety to your neighborhood walk, here are 10 fun walk ideas for families.

So, let’s get outside, get moving, and have some fun with our family.

Family walks are a great way to get exercise and have fun together. Here are 10 fun walk ideas for families that will get you outside and having fun with your kids. Perfect for all ages..

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Fun Walk Ideas for Families

1. Go on a counting walk. Count the number of trees you see or count the parked cars. Come up with a few things you see routinely on your walks and have the kids count them.

2. Take binoculars and look at your neighborhood up close!

3. Make it a scavenger hunt. Look for something big, something tiny, something rough or something smooth like we did in our backyard scavenger hunt.

Family walks are a great way to get exercise and have fun together. Here are 10 fun walk ideas for families that will get you outside and having fun.

4. Play “I Spy” while you walk along. “I spy something brown and green and taller than a house.” Whoever guesses first gets to come up with the next clue.

5. Go on a color hunt. See how many different colors you can find.

6. Take your camera. Document all the things you see on your walk, then turn it into a book when you get home.

7. Bring a bag and look for nature treasures like we did when we went leaf collecting.

Family walks are a great way to get exercise and have fun together. Here are 10 fun walk ideas for families that will get you outside and having fun.

8. Go on a listening walk. How many different things do you hear on your walk. Here is a fun idea for a listening walk along with a printable checklist.

9. Stop and climb a tree. You can read about the benefits of climbing trees over at Childhood Beckons. If you don’t want to climb a tree, stop and examine a leaf, smell a flower, make a snow angel or jump in a puddle. In other words, enjoy and experience!

10. Find a new-to-you place to go for a hike. Your walk doesn’t have to be around the neighborhood! In case the idea of taking young children on a hike makes you nervous I have some simple tips to make it easy on everyone.

Family walks are a great way to get exercise and have fun together. Here are 10 fun walk ideas for families that will get you outside and having fun.

Even more fun:

Check out this article on finding the balance between outdoor safety and adventure from Teach Preschool. So, why not climb a hill and run back down it!

What is your favorite fun walk ideas for families?

Family walks are a great way to get exercise and have fun together. Here are 10 fun walk ideas for families that will get you outside and having fun.

If you enjoyed these fun walk ideas for families, the above photo is perfect for sharing on Facebook or you can save the photo below on Pinterest.

Family walks are a great way to get exercise and have fun together. Here are 10 fun walk ideas for families that will get you outside and having fun with your kids. Perfect for all ages..

You may also like one of these family fun ideas:

Go on a Family Adventure and Discover a “New To You” Park

June Simple Family Fun Ideas

Top 10 Simple Summer Field Trips

20 Ways to Enjoy a Day at the Pond from Edventures with Kids

Let’s Go On a Listening Walk

By

If you want to add a peaceful element to your next walk with your kids, go on a listening walk.

Take the time to enjoy the peace and quiet or even the hustle and bustle of your neighborhood with this fun walk idea for families.

Listen carefully… what do you hear?

Use your ears to go on a fun listening scavenger hunt while you walk around your neighborhood with this fun walk idea for families, a listening walk.

 

You can take an informal walk where the goal is to see just how many things you can hear.

Do you hear a cricket chirping? A car horn? Tweeting birds?

Emphasize quiet where the only time someone talks is when they want to share what they hear.

This is such a nice way to wind down together as a family at the end of a busy day. Or, it’s a fun morning activity to get the day started.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Use your ears to go on a fun listening scavenger hunt while you walk around your neighborhood with this fun walk idea for families, a listening walk.

You can also bring along a list of items to create a listening scavenger hunt.We keep a stack of lists on a small clipboard that’s easy to grab and take along outside. You can print out our list here or you can make your own lists.

Here are some ideas you can add to you listening walk list:

A dog barking
Cars driving by
An airplane flying overhead
Geese honking
People talking
Children giggling
The wind whispering
Buzzing bees
Crows cawing
A car door slamming

Use your ears to go on a fun listening scavenger hunt while you walk around your neighborhood with this fun walk idea for families.

When making your list, think about the sounds you often hear in your neighborhood. If you live in the country, add a lot of nature sounds. A city walk could include vehicle noises, people, or construction noises.

Print your list here. Prints in landscape format.

Listen and learn about your neighborhood! What sorts of noises would you hear on a walk around your town?

Use your ears to go on a fun listening scavenger hunt while you walk around your neighborhood with this fun walk idea for families, a listening walk.

You may also enjoy one of these outdoor family fun ideas:

Go Outside! Cards

Go Outside: Counting Walk

10 Ways to Make a Walk More Fun

My Five Senses Walk at Great Family Reads

Originally published 8/5/2013, updated March, 2018.

Easy to Play Card Games for Family Game Night

By

My family loves card games. Does yours?

We’ve acquired many fun card games over the years and we often pull them out for family game night.

Do you have any favorite easy to play card games for families? Here are some of our favorites that would be perfect for your next family game night.

Pick up one of these easy to play card games for your next family game night. Here are over 20 family card games that easy to learn and fun for all ages.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Easy to play card games that are fun for preschoolers

So many of our card games are perfect for older kids and tweens (ages 8 and up), but you can still find some fun and easy to play card games if you have younger kids. All of the ages mentioned are the manufacturer recommended age ranges.

One of the biggest struggles with card games for younger kids is that it’s so hard to hold onto the cards. We had a set of these Little Hands Playing Card Holders when my girls were younger which solved that problem for us.

Classic card games are a great place to start with younger kids. This set of card games from Melissa and Doug has Old Maid, Go Fish, and Rummy. (Ages 3 to 8)

This fun Animal Go Fish Card Games takes the traditional game and adds bright and beautiful animal pictures that makes it perfect for kids who aren’t reading yet. (Ages 3 and up)

The focus of this Untamed America 3-1 Classic Card Game are the fabulous North American animal illustrations, but I also love that you can play three different games with this one deck, Go Fish, Old Maid, and Animal Match. (Ages 4 to 9)

We had this fantastic version of Crazy 8 when my kids were younger. The rules of Crazy Faces are exactly the same as Crazy 8, but the illustrations on the cards are so much fun! (Ages 5 and up)

Pick up one of these easy to play card games for your next family game night. Here are over 20 family card games that easy to learn and fun for all ages.

Fun and easy to play card games for younger kids (ages 6 and 7)

Spot It! is a fun game of visual memory that is great for all ages. There are so many versions from Spot It! Jr. Animals (ages 4 to 6) to Spot It! Sports  and Spot It! Holidays (both ages 6 and up).

Rat-A-Tat Cat is a fun (and quick) game that combines strategy, memory building, and addition. It’s a great choice for when you only have a short amount of time. (Ages 6 and up)

Wig Out! A Wild and Hairy Card Game is another quick and fun choice that will have you racing against your opponents. My favorite part is all the fun illustrations! (Ages 6 and up)

Slamwich is fast, fun, and can be loud! It’s a great choice for family game night. (Ages 6 and up)

The Professor Noggin Card Games are part card game, part trivia games. I love that there are so many versions and that they cover specific topics such as the human body, reptiles and amphibians, and wonders of the world. (Ages 7 and up)

Have you played Exploding Kittens yet? Oh my goodness, this is probably the most hilarious game on the list and the one that shows up most often during family game night. (Ages 7 and up)

Skip-Bo is a classic game and it was one of my favorite games from childhood. This sequencing game is simple to play and so much fun. (Ages 7 and up)

Uno is another card game I played a lot while growing up. You can play with 2 players, but it’s more fun the more players you have. (Ages 7 ad up)

Phase 10 is a fun rummy style card game with a twist. It can be lengthy, but it’s great fun! (Ages 7 and up)

Pick up one of these easy to play card games for your next family game night. Here are over 20 family card games that easy to learn and fun for all ages.

Fun card games for older kids (ages 8 and up)

I love the idea that someone decided to create a card game inspired by sushi. Fun! Sushi Go! is a quick and easy to play card game that involves passing cards and creating sets. (Ages 8 and up)

Sleeping Queens is unlike any card game I’ve ever played before. And, it’s tons of fun (it’s one of my favorites on this list.) It’s a great game that uses strategy and a little bit of luck. (Ages 8 and up)

Despite that fact that Rack-O is over 50 years old, I hadn’t played it until recently. Boy, was I missing out! This is a fun game that involves sequencing. (Ages 8 and up)

The Scrambled States of America Game is fast and wild and tons of fun. It’s not the best for younger kids because you need to be able to read to play, but for older kids this geography game is tons of fun. (Ages 8 and up)

Card games on our wish list

Set: The Family Game of Visual Perception (ages 6 and up). This award winning game always comes highly recommended. I’m not sure why we don’t have it in our game collection yet!

Five Crowns. This is a fun rummy style game that also comes highly recommended. It’s high on my with list!

Zeus on the Loose. We’ve got several Gamewright games that we love. This mythology themed game looks like so much fun.

What other easy to play card games would you recommend for family game night?

Pick up one of these easy to play card games for your next family game night. Here are over 20 family card games that easy to learn and fun for all ages. #games #familygamenight #CreativeFamilyFun

You may also like one of these family fun ideas:

Top 10 Musicals for Family Fun Night

Volunteer as a Family – Support Your Local Food Bank

Simple Family Fun Ideas for May

Ten Creative Outdoor Games for Families at Pint-Sized Treasures

Gratitude Conversation Starters

By

How often do you talk about gratitude with your kids?

I try to make gratitude an ongoing conversation at our house. I don’t ever want my girls to take our wonderful life for granted. Even though we have had some trials and some not-so-good days, we are still very fortunate.

It’s not always easy to have that conversation and sometimes I’m at a loss. I don’t want to ask the same questions every day. That’s an easy way to get everyone to lose interest! I want to get my girls thinking and looking at all areas of their life. I want them to look at the little things, not just the big picture.

So, I started brainstorming and jotting down questions. When I was done, I had a set of Gratitude Conversation Starters to use to get us talking.

Get your kids started talking about gratitude with these printable Gratitude Conversation Starters that are perfect for family time.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Get the conversation started

I love conversation starters because they take all the awkwardness out of starting a conversation. Just grab a strip and read the question out loud.

Mom and Dad can ask the kids or the kids can ask the parents.

They give you things to talk about that you may not have thought about before.

Get your kids started talking about gratitude with these printable Gratitude Conversation Starters that are perfect for family time.

Gratitude Conversation Starters

Here are some examples of the questions your will find in this set of gratitude conversation starters:

What is your favorite part about your home? Why?

What abilities do you have that you are grateful for?

What is one of your favorite things to do? Why are you grateful for it?

What is something about your teacher that you are grateful for?

Who did something nice for you today? What was it?

What is something you love doing with your parents?

This is just a sample of the questions I came up with. In all, I have 20 questions covering the big and little things in life. Keep scrolling for a pdf you can download and print.

Get your kids started talking about gratitude with these printable Gratitude Conversation Starters that are perfect for family time.

How to use them:

Print off a set of conversations starters (it will take 2 pieces of paper). Cut the strips apart and find a fun way to display them.

You can put them in a jar like I did in the top picture or fold them up and put them in a bowl. Place one in front of everyone’s plate at dinner time. It really doesn’t matter. What’s important is the conversation that develops.

These are perfect for dinner time or even a long car trip. Pull out a strip and have everyone answer. Let the conversation flow. Remember all the little things and be grateful for your wonderful life with these gratitude conversation starters.

Incorporate your gratitude conversation starters into your dining room decor:

Store your conversations starters in a pretty container such as:

A pretty jar with a chalk label that you can personalize.

An elegant blessings bowl with gold accents.

A rustic “Count Your Blessing” ceramic gratitude jar.

Or use a simple and colorful gratitude coffee mug.


Get your kids started talking about gratitude with these printable Gratitude Conversation Starters that are perfect for family time. #Thanksgiving #gratitude #familytime #CreativeFamilyFun

For more gratitude posts, check out these great ideas from the 2nd Grade Crew:

You may also enjoy one of these fun Family Activities:

Acorn Gratitude Banner

Volunteer as a Family: Support Your Local Food Bank

Top 10 Musicals for Family Movie Night

30+ Thanksgiving Activities for Kids at The Artful Parent

Get your kids started talking about gratitude with these printable Gratitude Conversation Starters that are perfect for family dinner time.

Countdown to Christmas

If you’re anything like me, I know you’re looking for fun family activities to do this Christmas. But, not just anything. I’m not looking for elaborate and I’m definitely not looking for something that would require a million trips to the craft store.

That’s why I just love Countdown to Christmas – 24 Activities, Crafts, and Recipes to Countdown to Christmas by Cerys Parker from Rainy Day Mum. The activities are simple (you won’t find anything elaborate) and definitely fun. They’re perfect for families. And, they’re perfect for the advent season.

This fabulous resource for Christmas family fun can be purchased here. Take a peek, you’ll love it!

Are you looking for more activities?

Join our fun Facebook community, Creative Family Fun for Busy Families, for daily activities that are great for kids and families. We’ll chat, share, and have fun. It’s a safe and private place to share idea for family and kids activities.

I’d love for you to join me! Just click the link below, request to join, and answer the questions (they’re easy, I promise). Come join the fun! Join the Creative Family Fun for Busy Families community here.

Top 10 Family Halloween Movies

By

You know what would be a fun family activity for October? A Halloween family movie night!

Here are some fun family Halloween movies to choose from. Some of these are traditional Halloween choices and others are just a little bit of spooky fun. But, all would be perfect for a Halloween family movie night.

And, once Halloween is over, check out the rest of our recommended family friendly movies here.

Have a fun Halloween family movie night with one of these fun family Halloween movies for kids. They're a little spooky and a lot of fun!

To help you choose a movie, I’m including the age ratings I found on Common Sense Media, which is a great place to check for information about any movie (or book) you want to share with your kids.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Family Halloween movies for the little ones

These choices are perfect for your toddlers and preschoolers, but are enjoyable for all ages.

Room on the Broom (rated G): If you’re a fan of the book by Julia Donaldson, you’ll also love the movie. This is a fun and gentle movie that sticks true to the book. This is my number one choice if you have kids that scare easily with movies. It’s delightful and a little bit scary, but still stays gentle for young kids. Recommended for ages 3 and up. (Tip: This one is often streaming on Netflix!)

It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown (Unrated): This movie fills me with nostalgia because it was my favorite Halloween movie when I was a kid. Now, my kids love to watch it every year. This is another gentle choice that it not at all scary. Recommended for ages 4 and up.

Have a fun Halloween family movie night with one of these fun Halloween movies for kids and families. They're a little spooky and a lot of fun!

Kids Halloween movies for all ages

These family Halloween movies are perfect for elementary aged kids and be can enjoyed by everyone.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (rated PG): This quirky Tim Burton classic is both fun for Halloween and Christmas, although I’ve always thought it more suited for Halloween. Clocking in at just 76 minutes, it’s a good shorter choice for family movie night. Recommended for ages 7 and up.

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (rated G): If you’ve never watched a Wallace & Gromit show, you’re definitely missing out. They’re so funny and this Halloween choice will definitely get the family laughing. Suitable for ages 7 and up.

Casper (rated PG): Based on the classic cartoon, this choice has ghosts,  a haunted house, and is kid-friendly – definitely a fun choice for a Halloween family movie night. Suitable for ages 8 and up.

Coraline (rated PG): This movie, based off of the book by Neil Gaiman, is not necessarily a Halloween movie, but it’s spookiness makes it perfect for Halloween time. (And if you haven’t already, you should read the book first!) This one could be a little scary for younger kids. Suitable for ages 9 and up.

Have a fun Halloween family movie night with one of these fun Halloween movies for kids and families. They're a little spooky and a lot of fun!

Fun Halloween movies for tweens and teens

These family Halloween movies for tweens aren’t necessarily Halloween-specific, but they’re full of ghosts, monsters, and lots of spooky fun. Plus, they’re heavy on nostalgia that the adults will love!

The Goonies (rated PG): You know what’s fun to do on family movie night? Sharing a favorite movie from your childhood with your kids. The Goonies is a fun option for a Halloween family movie night. The tweens will love it and you get to watch a fun favorite from your youth. Suitable for ages 10 and up. (In case you forgot, there is a lot of swearing in the movie. So, if you’re uncomfortable with that, skip this choice.)

Frankenstein, 1931 version (Nonrated) There’s no better time than Halloween to grab a classic horror flick. Frankenstein is spooky but tame in the way that all the classic horror films are tame. It’s a lot of fun to watch. That being said, make sure you grab the 1931 version starring Boris Karloff and not one of the more recent versions! Suitable for ages 10 and up.

Hocus Pocus (rated PG): When I first started thinking about family Halloween movies, this was the first one that came to mind (even before Charlie Brown). This comedy about three witches will get the whole family laughing. Suitable for ages 11 and up.

Ghostbusters (rated PG): I have not seen the most recent version of this movie, so my recommendation is for the 1984 classic. It’s a fun option that both kids and parents will enjoy. And, if you don’t get to it for Halloween, it’s a fun movie choice to watch with your tweens anytime of the year. Suitable for ages 11 and up.

Did I miss any of your favorites? What is your favorite Halloween movie?

Have a fun Halloween family movie night with one of these fun family Halloween movies for kids. They're a little spooky and a lot of fun!

You may also like one of these Family Movie Night ideas:

Top Ten Musicals for a Family Movie Night

Yummy Popcorn Treats for Your Next Family Movie Night

Top Ten Sports Movies for Families

DIY Movie Night Popcorn Bar at Family Fresh Meals

Recommended Family Movie Night Resources:

If you’ve got Amazon Prime, it can be so easy to have a fun movie night. They’ve got so many family friendly movies available via streaming (in addition to other great benefits). You can sign up for Amazon Prime via this link.