52 Easy & Fun Weekend Play Ideas For Kids!

Looking for something fun to do with your kids on the weekend that doesn’t involve a ton of time, money, or effort? We’ve got you covered! Here is a list of 52 easy family play ideas for the whole year! We included a mix of activities and ideas that can work whether you have a 2-year-old, 3-year-old, 4-year-old, 5-year-old, or older child! Think of these ideas as “sparks” — try one and see if it inspires even more ways to play!

DIY Activities for Family Fun!

Create a play calendar (Kids can draw pictures of how they played–or plan to play–each week)

Have an indoor campout

Make up a nonsense language and label items around the house

Put together a jigsaw puzzle

Have a “kickoff,” by kicking balls of different shapes and sizes

Make paper snowflakes

Host a family dance party

Create an indoor obstacle course

Create a gallery of kid art

Show kids how to play your favorite childhood game

Look for a 4-leaf clover

Go on a family bike ride

Fly a kite

Make paper airplanes

Create a pretend store, stock it, and shop it

Go on an A to Z scavenger hunt, looking for items that start with each letter

Have a fancy day – talk fancy, wear fancy clothes, eat fancy foods

Give kids assorted ingredients and challenge them to come up with a concoction

Make paper flower bouquets

Go on a nature walk and collect treasures to make a collage

Collect and paint rocks

Build a tiny town in the dirt or sandbox

Blow bubbles and chase them

Create a time capsule and bury it in the backyard

Paint with ice by first freezing washable paint in ice cube trays

Make firework designs by dipping a fork in washable paint and pressing the tines onto white paper in a circle

Start a collection (seashells, pretty pebbles, bottle caps)

Explore the night sky

Set up a lemonade stand (but sell something other than lemonade!)

Make art outside

Make paper boats and race them in a kiddie pool using a straw to blow them across the water

Set up an outdoor obstacle course with things to climb over, under, and around

Create a temporary outdoor playroom with a tent filled with toys, books, and stuffed animal friends

Make a sidewalk chalk mural

Play flashlight tag

Make handprint art to give to grandparents (e.g. Turn a handprint into a flower and write “Grandparents help us grow!”)

Transform a cardboard box

Cook a family meal together

Make homemade Halloween decorations

Visit a fire station and learn about its history

Have an indoor family picnic on a blanket

Create a leaf collection

Stock a dress-up bin, then see how many characters you can come up with

Make a blanket fort

Make personalized placemats for each family member

Create a family handshake

Create your own restaurant (complete with name, menu and decor)

Put on a puppet show

Make homemade holiday decorations

Create, color, and mail a greeting card

Do a blindfold smell test of different ingredients and spices

Create end-of-year “Best of” lists covering topics such as playgrounds, meals, toys, bedtime books!

Have fun! And don’t forget to share your take on our Weekend Play Idea on our Facebook and Instagram pages! #WeekendPlayIdea #CountlessWayToPlay

Source: melissaanddoug.com