150+ Family Bonding Activities

Many parents involved in the sustainable community worry about their family bonding activities. How can we connect with our kids while living according to our earth-friendly values?

While we may think it's important to instill eco-consciousness in our children, it's even more important to wholeheartedly support our children's interests, facilitating for them and getting involved in their lives.

Because nothing is more sustainable than strong family connections, having fun with one another and making choices together that make the whole family feel good.

But sometimes we might feel disconnected from one another, or stuck in a rut. Maybe our family bonding activities don't feel all that bonding, or aren't even enjoyed by the whole family. Maybe they are too expensive or put too much focus on "stuff" versus connection.

That's why we created this list with our son of fun, inexpensive, and even eco-friendly family bonding activities that we wanted to share with you.

Use it as inspiration, to try new things or get yourself thinking outside the box, to find what your family might love to do.

Our Favorite Family Bonding Activities

The most important aspect of any family bonding activities is that it's not forced and it's something everyone is interested in trying.

If you're kids don't seem interested, that's okay! Just hang out with them doing what they love, whether it's TV (try muting during the commercials and discusing the show) or video games (learn how to play) or their favorite toy (follow their lead in how to play).

Here are some more ideas to get you started:

1. Declare it a "Playing Hookie" day from anything work-related
2. Hike your nearby national and state parks or trails
3. Read together
4. Storytell while you drive
5. Start round robin storytelling - take turns adding to the story!
6. Juggle! - This is a family favorite!
7. Fish for your dinner
8. Hula hoop - you can make your own hoops from scrap tubing
9. Make a timeline up the stairs
10. Backyard bird watch - find a used birding book on www.freecycle.com
11. Play video games together
12. Get good board games - find them for free or cheap at yard sales or Craigslist
13. Play card games - we love Uno
14. Start movie marathons - We like to play critic afterwards
15. Compare the movies to books and find the differences
16. Bike ride
17. Watch funny videos together on YouTube
18. Create recipes together
19. Tag, hide-and-go-seek or Sardines, especially fun in large groups!
20. Fly a kite
21. Take cookies to a nursing home
22. Organize a neighborhood cleanup
23. Make a sincere offer to help them with chores or tasks
24. Walk the dog (or cat!) together or going to the dog park
25. Make meals for the homeless
26. Play charades
27. Build a solar oven from a box and aluminum foil
28. Plant sunflower seeds and chart their growth
29. Build an indoor fort
30. Make a compost pile and look for worms
31. Build a tree house
32. Build a bike ramp
33. Go to a pick-your-own farm
34. Visit animals at the shelter
35. Volunteer time at a nearby organic farm
36. Prank call easy-going friends and family
37. Make a tree swing
38. Make bow and arrows from found objects
39. Play 20 Questions
40. Play I Spy
41. Paint fun things on the walls in washable paints
42. Play catch
43. Throw a frisbee
44. Start a lemonade stand
45. Plant a veggie garden
46. Go caroling together
47. Check out the activity calendar at your local community center
48. Show interest in and ask genuine questions of their interests
49. Take a short road trip to nearby sights
50. Organize a car wash
51. Learn an instrument together
52. Go indoor rock climbing
53. Go to a game tournament together
54. Make homemade toys together
55. Plop down with snacks and hang out with them in front of the TV
56. Make natural bird feeders from nutbutters, seeds and pinecones



57. Play blindfold Pictionary games
58. Find local concerts or movies in the park
59. Build a snowman
60. Build a snow fort
61. Go ice skating
62. Help them to drive down a dirt road or in an empty parking lot
63. Learn to ski or snowboard together
64. Organize a neighborhood snowball fight
65. Hold an ethnic food sampling night
66. Hold an ethnic candy sampling night
67. Schedule an at-home Spa Night
68. Ask them what they'd love to do together, then do it
69. Play dress-up complete with crazy makeup
70. Face paint each other's faces
71. Try to guess the stories of people you see
72. Play Rock, Paper, Scissor or Thumb Wars
73. Teach them to play poker with nuts, popcorn and other snacks
74. Head to the roller rink
75. Ask them to teach you something they are good at, then stick to learning it from them
76. Create paper airplanes then see which one flies the best
77. Create a time capsule together
78. Check your local museums or galleries for family free days
79. Plan a camping trip
80. Start a vacation fund and brainstorm fundraising ideas
81. Make sock puppets and put on a puppet show
82. Leave gifts at your neighbor's doorstep and hide to watch their response
83. Get involved in local marches and political campaigns
84. Drive out to the country and count satelites that pass by
85. Plan to catch the next meteor shower
86. Find a local foraging book and forage for wild food
87. Leave your work at work
88. Make funny home videos or stop motion videos to share
89. Build a website together
90. Make ornaments
91. Plan breakfast in bed for the whole family to share
92. Geocache or treasure map together!
93. Learn magic tricks
94. Invite them to jump on the trampoline
95. Have a picnic in the park or even in the living room
96. Start a pillow fight
97. Build sand castles
98. Build fairy or gnome houses out of wood, leaves acorns, etc
99. Create a scavenger hunt
100. Make mazes on paper or out of rocks outside
101. Create a meditation spiral together
102. Setup a puzzle on the table
103. Google and play Zahada together
104. Go to the zoo
105. Make a trip to the library
106. Scavenge a thrift store or antique store
107. Start a scrapbook of your family bonding activities!
108. Fingerpaint with soap paints on the windows
109. Make homemade play dough
110. Write letters or postcards
111. Find a fun science experiment book to try
112. Create a "My Life" scrapbook
113. Go tide pooling or snorkeling
114. Create an obstacle course
115. Roast marshmallows (over a candle!)
116. Have a Dance-Off and record it
117. Surprise them with a water balloon fight
118. Write your own list of your favorite family bonding activities!
119. Start a foam dart gun fight
120. Dress up and visit your local Ren Faire
121. Organize a fancy tea party
122. Read comic books then watch the movies
123. Make your own comic books



124. Make soap bubbles, then find different objects to use as bubble wands
125. Have an epic Harry Potter wand fight
126. Tell ghost stories with a flashlight
127. Build LEGO together
128. Start a water gun fight
129. Build a rocket or water rocket
130. Mix Mentos and diet soda
131. Send a message in a bottle
132. Share your family bonding activities with friends for group fun
133. Collect beach glass and make a mosaic
134. Whittle utensils, toys etc from found wood
135. Make and decorate gingerbread houses
136. Carve pumpkins together
137. Count the satellites that pass in the night sky
138. Bake and decorate a cake
139. Raise backyard chickens or goats as pets
140. Start an ant farm
141. Hatch and release butterflies or praying mantis
142. Start a new sustainable hobby, like organic soap or candle making
143. Make holiday and birthday gifts for one another and other friends and family
144. Share your favorite music
145. Play with the family pet, or teach them new tricks together
146. Race and dodge the waves on the beach
147. Go sledding
148. Bob for apples
149. Check out Earth Day Crafts and Earth Day Activities
150. Start a Nature journal for sketches, flower pressing, etc
151. Discover the endless opportunities of sidewalk chalk
152. Take your kids on an official date

Obviously this is just to get you started!

Add your favorite family bonding activities to the comments below!

Ready To Take More Sustainable Baby Steps?

There is nothing more sustainable than strong relationships and families. But along with family bonding activities, keeping them and your home healthy is important too.

When you're ready for a few more steps check out the articles below.

Whatever step you take, remember to have fun!