Top 20 Family Fun Activities

Check out our Top 20 Family Fun Activities. They cost little but will bring lots of fun and creativity to your family. If you're looking for rainy day games for everyone, or simple indoor games for kids, regardless of the weather, you'll find that and more on this list.

1. Draw. Color. Paint. Whether you use blank paper or you print our exclusive free kids coloring pages, coloring with your kids can be a relaxing family fun activity. You can also strike up some great conversations over some crayons and paper.

2. Do a Puzzle. My kids have been doing puzzles since they were big enough to pick up those big chunky wooden pieces. Now we all sit together and do more complicated puzzles as a family. Have each person seek out particular pieces by color and help each other put it all together. More intricate puzzles can be an ongoing family project.

5. Play some Indoor Games. We have a lot of fun playing indoor games together, but the best are the kind that only take a few minutes to learn and everyone can play, no matter their age. Classic board games are some of our favorite indoor games for kids. There are also some totally free games for kids that we play a lot using not much more than pencil and paper.

6. Bake Together. Most kids love to help in the kitchen and baking tonight's dessert can be a great thing to do together. Try our potato chip cookie recipe. It's totally yummy and the kids will love crushing the potato chips and mixing the batter.

7. Have a Movie Marathon. This is our favorite lazy day family fun activity. Whether you're renting or picking from your own collection. Let everyone choose a movie then watch them all back to back. Don't forget the popcorn! :-)

8. Have a Living Room Picnic. You can do this on its own, or at the same time you have your movie marathon and it's that much more fun. Pack a real picnic and spread your cloth right on the floor. You'll have all the fun without the pesky ants.

9. Check out the Local Happenings. Family fun activities may be closer than you think. Here are some places to start looking for some local family fun.

10. Start a Collection. Seashells, rocks, old keys, fancy pencils, matchbox cars, beads, Dora dolls, Poohs (as in, "Winnie the...") and blue nail polishes are just a few of the things my family collects. --I won't tell you which collections are mine. :-) -- But starting a collection is a lot of fun, especially if you can start with things you already own or can find easily. Deciding on a family collection that everyone adds items to gives everyone a fun common mission.

11. Go for a Family Bike Ride. Even in cooler weather this is a great family fun activity. Get fresh air, sunshine and exercise as a family. If your kids are like mine, they won't believe you can actually ride a bike until they see you do it.

12. Have a World Day. Pick a country and go to the library and the internet to learn about that country's customs and traditions. Learn a few words in that language, cook a traditional meal and spend the day pretending to live in your "new" country. We like Mexico. We already speak Spanish, and the food is good. Try some chicken enchiladas. They're fast and easy. Don't forget the Pinata!

15. Have a Family Photo Shoot Pull out your digital camera and take some family snapshots. Use silly costumes or unusual poses and take turns taking pictures of each other. Download and print the ones you like making sure everyone gets a copy of their favorite. Don't forget to print some off for the next fun activity.

16. Make Some Family Scrapbook Pages. Go through the family photo boxes and work together to create some new scrapbooking pages for the family scrapbook. This family fun activity doesn't have to cost much. Check here to learn how to make your own low cost scrapbooking beginner kit.

17. Learn Face Painting. You don't have to be an artist to paint some really neat face painting designs. We wanted to learn this and I found the best way was to get the Klutz Face Painting Book. It had clear instructions with enough paint for us all to practice on each other with plenty to spare. Not exactly a free family fun activity, but in my opinion, it was well worth the money. Take a look at these face painting examples.

18. Family Fire Escape Plan. This probably doesn't sound like a fun family activity, but when my kids brought this home from school as homework we took it really seriously and actually had a lot of fun with it! Start with a sketch of your homes floor plan. Plan two escape paths from each room. Agree on a meeting place outside, then have a drill. Don't forget to make sure your smoke alarms have batteries and are in good working order. Click here for an Escape Plan Worksheet. If you want even more fire safety info for parents and kids click here.

19. Write to Your Pen Pals. Yes. I'm talking pen and paper letters to an honest-to-goodness pen pal. I had a pen pal when I was a kid and it was always exciting to get those letters in the mailbox. Email just isn't the same. Click here for more info on snail mailing pen pals.

20. Join The Toy Society. It's totally free, feel good fun! This clever family fun activity was started in Australia as an art project and has caught on all over the world. Simply make a handmade toy and leave it, with a note, someplace where a child will find it. With any luck, that fact that your toy has been found and is now being loved will be posted on the Toy Society Blog and the chain will continue. This is a great endeavor to take on as a family because you can all make a toy, or chip in on making the toy then decide where to leave it. Get all the information you need to get started with The Toy Society here.