Family Fun

Top 10 Disney Classic Live Action Movies for Families

October 22, 2018 By Terri Thompson

Even though they were made before my time, I grew up watching a lot of Disney classic live action movies for families.

When I was young, we got our first VCR and movie rental stores were popular. We’d stop by almost every weekend and rent a few movies to enjoy over the weekend. We often picked up one of these Disney classics. I watched all of these movies growing up and have now shared most of them with my own two kids. (There’s still a few that we still need to watch together.)

For your next movie night, try one of these fun choices. They’re fun for the whole family!

And if you enjoy family movie nights, I’ve got so many fun options of Family Friendly Movies you’ll enjoy at this link.

Sometimes old movies are the best for family movie night. These top 10 Disney Classic Live Action Movies for families are great kid-friendly choices.

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.

There have been so many great live action Disney movies made over the years, but for this list I only included movies made before 1970.

As with any movie, they are reflections of the time period in which they are made. You’ll sometimes find stereotypes of its day and the movies can feel dated at times. But, that is the case with any old movie.

These Disney classic live action movies for families are all fun and kid-friendly, old-fashioned and tame, and great choices to share with your kids.

Note: I pulled the age suggestions from Common Sense Media. These suggestions are just that – a suggestion. You know your kids better than anyone and can best make the decision as to what movies are best for your family.

Best Disney Classic Live Action Movies for Families

Pollyanna (ages 6+, NR- nonrated) – If you’re looking for a movie full of old-fashioned fun, look no further than Pollyanna. It’s a fun story of a young orphan girl who brings sunshine and happiness to a small town. It’s fun and sweet and the book it’s based on is also a great family read.

The Parent Trap (ages 6+, rated G) – This is the first of a few movies on this list that were updated and remade. And, while the remake was great, you should definitely treat your self to the 1961 version of The Parent Trap starring Hayley Mills. It’s a fun story of identical twins who were separated as babies when their parents divorced. Watch to see what happens when the girls meet and plot to get their parents back together.

The Love Bug (ages 6+, rated G) – Herbie, the race car with a mind of its own, brings so many laughs to this fun Disney classic. It’s a fun, rollicking adventure! If you enjoy this choice, there are three other Herbie movies to watch.

The Absent Minded Professor (ages 6+, rated G) – Have you ever heard of flubber? This is the movie where it came from. There have been a few remakes of this story of a professor who invents an anti-gravity substance, but I love the 1961 version for it’s old-fashioned silliness. It’s a great choice if you’re looking for a funny movie to share with your family.

The Shaggy Dog (ages 6+, rated G) – This is another movie on this list that’s been updated, but you really need to take the time to watch the original. It’s the fun adventures of a family whose teenage son turns into a big sheepdog after finding a magic ring. It’s fun, silly, and sure to get everyone laughing.

Fun Disney Classic Live Action Movies for Families

Pete’s Dragon (ages 7+, rated G) – This fun movie about a boy and his dragon is a mix of live action and animation. It’s full of fun action, silliness, and great music. This story of friendship is one of my favorites and one I’ve loved sharing with my kids.

Treasure Island (ages 7+. rated G) – Treasure Island, based off the book by Robert Louis Stevenson offers action, adventure, and… pirates! If you’re looking for a great adventure story, this classic is a good kid-friendly choice.

The Apple Dumpling Gang (ages 7+, rated G) – This fun western about a couple of bumbling outlaws is full of laughs, after all it stars two hilarious actors, Don Knotts and Tim Conway. This is a fun, and very funny choice, for family movie night.

Old Yeller (ages 8+, rated G) – I almost didn’t include this one on the list, because I haven’t shown it to my own kids yet. But, it is a classic and it is an excellent movie. It’s a great story about the love of a boy and his dog and you’ll cry for sure. So, my advice, is to know what your kids can handle before showing them this movie. (I’ve got one child who would have a difficult time with this choice). The Common Sense Media review here can help you determine if this movie is a good fit for your family.

Swiss Family Robinson (ages 8+, rated G) – Swiss Family Robinson, the story of a family that is shipwrecked on a deserted island, is another great adventure story for kids. It’s got wild animals, pirates, lots of adventure, but nothing too scary for kids. It’s great fun!

Which of these Disney classic live action movies for families are you going to watch for your next movie night?

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, including many of these Disney classic live action movies for families available via streaming (in addition to other great benefits). You can sign up for Amazon Prime via this link.

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 Sports Movies for Families

October 3, 2018 By Terri Thompson

I’m not a big sports fan, but I love a good sports movie.

They’re full of feel-good moments, stories of teamwork, and underdog stories. And, these characteristics are exactly why they’re perfect for a family movie night.

So, grab the family and get ready to cheer with our Top 10 Sports Movies for Families! You’ll have a fun night!

And, when you’re ready to plan another movie night, check out all of our recommended family friendly movies here.

Settle in for a fun family movie night with your kids to watch one of these awesome choices from the Top 10 Sports Movies for families.

Sports Movies for Families with Kids under 10

Air Bud (ages 6+, rated PG) Usually, I try to find movies that appeal to both kids and parents, but I’ll confess that this choice is much more appealing to kids. But, it’s a cute movie for kids who love dogs – and sports. Plus, it’s the sports movie that best appeals to the younger kids.

The Rookie (ages 7+, rated G) The Rookie is the story of a high school baseball coach who promises his team that if they’ll win the division title, he’ll try out for the major leagues. This movie is great for families, but may not be as appealing to younger kids because the movie revolves around an adult and not kids.

Cool Runnings (ages 8+, rated PG) Cool Runnings is a funny and positive movie inspired by the Jamaican bobsled team’s appearance at the 1988 Winter Olympic Games. It’s a fun choice if you love underdog stories.

Miracle (ages 8+, rated PG) If you’ve got hockey fans, this movie about the United States hockey teams’ unlikely gold medal victory in the 1980 Winter Olympic Games. And even if you’re not hockey fans, you’ll enjoy this movie and will be cheering along the whole time.

The Sandlot (ages 8+, rated PG) This story about shenanigans of a pick-up neighborhood baseball team in the 1950’s. This movie is full of nostalgia and is a family favorite at our house. This movie does include swearing, including by some of the kids, so if that bothers you, you may want to pre-screen it.

Sports Movies for Families with Kids ages 10 and up

A League of Their Own (ages 10+, rated PG) A League of Their Own is a classic sports movie based on the All-American Girls Professional Girls Baseball League from the 1940’s. It’s full of positive female role models with a good message about teamwork.

Invincible (ages 10+, rated PG) I love this underdog movie about a 30-year-old down on his luck man who goes to open try-outs for the Philadelphia Eagles and makes the team. It’s a great movie that shows the power of dreams and that it’s never to late to chase them.

Little Giants (ages 10+, rated PG) What happens when you don’t make a peewee football team because you’re a girl? Well, hopefully your dad volunteers to coach your own rag-tag football team. This movie is full of potty-humor and has some swearing, but overall it’s a fun and positive choice.

Mighty Ducks (ages 11+, rated PG) The Mighty Ducks is the story of a ragtag hockey team and their coach, who doesn’t even want to be coaching but has to because of a community service violation. This is a fun and positive movie about teamwork and the joy of sports. But, like a few other choices here, there is some swearing which makes it more suitable for older kids than for younger ones.

Rudy (ages 11+, rated PG) I will confess that Rudy is one of my all-time favorite movies (and I’m not even a football fan). It’s based on the true-story of an underdog who overcomes great odds to play football for Notre Dame. You cheer, you’ll cry, and you’ll have a great time watching this with your family.

Which one of these sports movies for families are you going to watch for your next family movie night? Do you have a favorite that didn’t make the list?

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.

Fall Bucket List for Toddlers

September 24, 2018 By Terri Thompson

Are you looking for some fun ideas to do this fall with your toddler? Have you thought about making a fall bucket list?

This fun fall bucket list for toddlers is full of can’t miss, fun activities to do with your little one this season. But, don’t worry, it’s not too full and overwhelming.

Here are 10 great must-do fall activities that will engage all five senses. Have fun and explore fall together with your family.

Fall Bucket List for Toddlers

1. Explore your sense of taste by eating an apple snack.

You can keep it simple and snack on a sliced apple or a bowl of apple sauce. Or you can get creative in the kitchen and try one of these delicious apple snacks for kids.

2. Hunt for acorns and practice counting.

Take a walk or a short drive to find a place to collect acorns. Bring along a small bag if you’d like to bring some home for a future activity.

Use the acorns to practice counting. Point and count – 1 acorn, 2, 3. Or, gather the acorns into small groups, for example a group of 2 or a group of 3. Keep it simple and have some fun learning!

This activity explores your sense of touch and your sense of sight.

3. Go on a leaf color hunt.

Explore with your eyes to find different colors of leaves.

Walk through your neighborhood or a nearby park. Can your toddler find a red leaf, a yellow leaf, or a brown leaf?

Look for the different colors and point them out as you go on a simple walk.

Make pretty autumn leaves and learn shapes with this fun fine motor craft for toddlers and preschoolers, a simple Leaf Shape Collage.

4. Do a leaf craft.

Continue exploring leaves with a leaf craft.

You can keep it simple by letting your toddler glue leaves to a large sheet of paper or stick them onto clear Contact Paper.

Or try this fun Leaf Shape Collage to make a fun and pretty fall decoration.

5. Shop for pumpkins and paint a pumpkin.

Take your toddler to a pumpkin patch, a farm stand, or even your local grocery store to shop for a pumpkin. Let them explore the pumpkins and pick out the one they like best.

Once they have a pumpkin picked out, let them paint the pumpkin. Spread out some newspaper, find an old shirt for a smock, and get out the paint and brushes. Let the explore and paint whatever they want on the pumpkin. The results will be beautiful!

6. Play in the fallen leaves.

Run, crunch, and jump in the fallen leaves!

Take your toddler outside and let them play. They can toss the leaves, roll in the leaves, or jump in a pile.

Get in there with them and play. You’ll have so much fun!

7. Make apple prints.

When I think of fall art projects, one of the first things to come to mind are apple prints. And, they are a perfect art project for toddlers.

You don’t have to get fancy, just let your child make prints. Here’s how we did it when my girls were little – try our trick to make the apples easier to hold.

8. Read a fall book.

Have a fall story time with a few good book. If it’s a pretty day, grab a blanket and have story time outside!

Try an apple-themed book from our list here. Or, check out this list of fall books from My Bored Toddler. There are so many great ones to choose from.

9. Play with a fall-scented play dough.

Engage your toddlers sense of smell and touch with a fun fall-scented play dough.

You can try this fun pumpkin play dough from Natural Beach Living or this apple pie play dough from The Imagination Tree. They would both be fun to play with and your toddler explores their sense of touch and smell.

10. Go on a fall nature hike.

Toddlers aren’t too young for a fun hike. They key is to keep it simple and keep it short.

Find a pretty spot to walk and explore nature. Check out all of our tips for hiking with young children before you go head out.

Get out and explore fall with your little one!

This fall bucket list for toddlers is a fun way to explore all the senses while enjoying autumn.

Explore your sense of smell with some fall-scented play dough, your sense of taste with an apple snack, your sense of touch when you hunt for acorns, your sense of hearing when you play in the fallen leaves, and your sense of sight on a leaf color hunt.

Have fun exploring the season with our fall bucket list for toddlers!

If you enjoyed our Fall Bucket List for Toddlers, the above photo is perfect for sharing on Facebook of saving to Pinterest.

You may also enjoy one of these fun toddler activities:

Backyard Color Match Movement Game

Water Play Ideas for Toddlers

Shape Hopscotch

Exploring Fall Toddler Process Art at Teaching 2’s and 3’s.

And you can find all of our toddler activities here: Simple and Fun Activities for Toddlers

Family Fun in Edinburgh, Scotland

August 15, 2018 By Terri Thompson

Family fun can happen anywhere. You can find adventure at home, in your community, and even when you travel.

We’re going to be highlighting some ideas for family adventure all over the globe, starting with family fun in Edinburgh, Scotland.

MaryAnne from the awesome blog Mama Smiles – Joyful Parenting recently spent some time there with her family and she’s here sharing some fun ideas with us.

There are so many places to explore if you're looking for family fun in Edinburgh, like these places to see and tips for traveling with kids.

Let’s travel to Edinburgh, Scotland!

This summer, my husband and I took our four kids to Scotland for the summer. For four weeks!

It was our second time making the trip (DH takes students over to study), and I wasn’t sure how it would go. The kids had loved Edinburgh at 3, 6, 8, and 10 years old. What would they think of the city at 5, 8, 10, and 12 years old? We’d already spend four weeks there; would they want to revisit the same sites again? Would they be open to exploring new places?

I needn’t have worried. Edinburgh is an incredible place for families to travel. Our four weeks in 2016 flew by, and the same was even more true of our four weeks in 2018.

Family Fun in Edinburgh

As the capital of Scotland, Edinburgh is full of exciting things to do. From the free museums my children adore to two castles (the well-known Edinburgh Castle and lesser-known but not-to-be-missed Craigmillar Castle) and a palace, the city is bustling with exciting things to do. You can even tour the Scottish Parliament! There is usually a bagpiper playing along the Royal Mile, along with other street performers. This summer the kids also enjoyed a sand artist who was there every time we visited.

We always stay near the Meadows, a free public park with lovely expanses of green grass and two fun playgrounds the kids love. Hike to the top of the nearby Arthur’s Seat for stunning views of the entire city.

Travel to the edges of the city for sandy Portobello beach and sightings of Highland Coos.

The city is surprisingly compact; you can walk to many sites (a large number are found along the Royal Mile). We always take Edinburgh public transport – even to out of the way sites. My kids enjoy seeing how many people they can wave to and convince to wave back when we ride the buses.

Tips for Visiting Edinburgh with Kids

Edinburgh is one of those cities where you can experience all four seasons in a single day. You’ll definitely want to pack layers, including some that can handle being out in the rain. This summer it only rained twice, which is highly unusual. Two years ago we had only one day when it didn’t rain!

We brought a collapsible backpack along this year, which proved really useful for carrying extra layers when the sun suddenly decided to show up. The buses are not air conditioned, which can be uncomfortable on those rare occasions (like this past summer) when the weather is warm.

If you have the time, don’t be afraid to venture to cities outside of Edinburgh! Trains to Glasgow run frequently, and there are affordable buses to cities throughout Scotland. We took the train down to London this past summer, and the kids enjoyed the five-hour journey.

Thanks MaryAnne for all these fabulous tips for family fun in Edinburgh!

More tips for traveling with kids from Mama Smiles

Tips for Taking Kids on Long Flights

Packing for Trips with Kids

From San Francisco to Edinburgh via London

About MaryAnne

MaryAnne lives in California with her husband Mike and their four kids: Emma, Johnny, Lily, and Anna. She blogs about parenting, education, crafts, and family travel at https://www.mamasmiles.com/. Follow her family’s daily adventures on Instagram. Find book recommendations at Great Family Reads, and toy recommendations at Top Toy Finds.

If you enjoyed these ideas for family fun in Edinburgh, the above photo is perfect for saving on Pinterest.

July Simple Family Fun Ideas

July 9, 2018 By Terri Thompson

Ahhh July. Summer is here, the kids are out of school, and it’s time for a few simple family adventures.

But, what to do? There’s always swimming, camping, or visiting a playground. Those ideas are always fun, but it’s probably something you’ve already got on the schedule.

If you’re looking for something new, here are 10 ideas for some July simple family fun. These fun and frugal ideas will get you out of the house for a fun adventure and some will help you find adventure indoors.

Print out your July Family Adventures, pick out a couple of fun things, jot them on the calendar, and have some fun!

Have some adventures with your family when you try one of these great July Simple Family Fun Ideas. The ideas are frugal, easy, and so much fun!

July Outdoor Adventures

Challenge the family to a backyard track meet. Have foot races, relay races, or a long jump competition. Or, you can go bigger with a fun Family Olympics!

Do bark rubbing and try to identify the trees in your neighborhood or a local park. If you don’t have a tree field guide, you can borrow one from your local library.

Make a simple meal and have a picnic dinner outside.

Go on a pattern hunt. See how many patterns you can find outside. You can even bring this challenge inside to find patterns around the house or even your favorite store.

July Indoor Family Adventures

Have a popcorn annd movie night. Treat your kids to a favorite movie from your childhood. Do you need suggestions? Here are our favorite musicals for family movie night.

Make collaborative drawings. Start a picture and pass it on to the next person. Keep passing until everyone has contributed.

Play charades or another old-fashioned game. It you want to take it outside, you could play Red Light, Green Light or Mother May I.

Start a gratitude journal. Have each family member record things that make them grateful every day or once a week. You could buy a pretty journal or use our tutorial to create your own simple gratitude journal.

Make a simple DIY Gratitude Journal. This little journal is a great place to encourage kids to write about all that they are thankful for.

Finger Paint! As adults, we usually stand back and let the kids have all the fun. But, for this challenge, dig in and get your hands dirty too. It’s so much fun!

Have a joke-off. Learn a few new jokes and make each other laugh. You can find new jokes from a fun book or this great post from Frugal Fun for Boys & Girls.

Print out your July Simple Family Fun Ideas

You can grab a copy of your July Family Fun Ideas here. Just download and print. It all prints on one sheet of paper. Hang it up and use it to inspire the family all month long.

Choose a few ideas now and save a few for later. Even though these are July Family Fun ideas, you can do these anytime of the year.

Get your printable July Family Adventures here.

Which of these July simple family fun ideas are your going to try?

Family Fun

Top 10 Disney Classic Live Action Movies for Families

Best Disney Classic Live Action Movies for Families

Fun Disney Classic Live Action Movies for Families

You may also like one of these family movie night ideas: