It’s a Week of Encouragement on The Morning Thing. Today (8/27), we took the encouragement to the family.

We shared some fun family activities you can try out on a weekend.
We all know that this school year is going to be different.
We hope that these ideas can help you plan some special weekend activities to keep your family encouraged throughout the week.  

Check out these 14 Fun Weekend Family Activities from imom.com
Click HERE to see the list. Some of these activities will have restrictions because of Covid-19.

1. High School Sporting Event

Go to a local high school football, basketball or any other game. Games will usually cost anywhere up to $5 and are sometimes even free for kids! To make this even more fun, collect plastic bottles and any cardboard/poster board to make signs and noisemakers to cheer your team on.

2. Mystery Trip

Take the kids on a mystery trip. Give them clues about your destination as you get closer. It can be something as simple as an ice cream shop or a playground, or a trip to a museum or amusement park. The possible destinations are endless—just make it a surprise!

3. Family Theater

Put your child in the spotlight and put on a family play. You can make this as simple or detailed as you want by creating costumes, props, tickets, and maybe even some yummy refreshments. This is also a great opportunity to record a home video!

4. The Family Restaurant

Let your children prepare a meal and serve it to you and your husband restaurant style. This is a great way for them to have fun in the kitchen and a memorable experience for everyone!

5. Gardening 101

Plant flowers (indoors in a flower pot or outside). Let your child pick out what kind of flower he or she wants to plant and teach them how to take care of it.

6. Be Our Guest

Get to know the family of one of your child’s friends by having the family over for a cookout.

7. Picture Perfect

Let your kids take photos, print them, and make a photo album—then have the kids think of captions. Photo albums are easy, fun, and serve as a great keepsake!

8. Scavenger Hunt

Have a fun, free scavenger hunt. You can make up fun clues and even have a prize at the end! If you aren’t too sure where to start, look up some ideas on the internet to get you going.

9. Bike Ride

Go on a bike ride that ends with a picnic. Map your route before you leave, choosing new and interesting destinations each week. This day will be full of fun, food, and great exercise!

10. Spa Day (girls only!)

Have a spa hour—paint each other’s nails, do your hair, and let them put makeup on you. To make your spa day even better, wear bathrobes and put on some soothing tunes!

11. Obstacle Course

Build an obstacle course and let each family member compete for the best time. You can even make certificates or medals for everyone.

12. Garage Sale

Have a garage sale and let your kids decide how to spend the proceeds on a family day. Who says you can’t have fun and tidy up the garage at the same time?

13. Secret Serving

Plan a secret surprise for someone in need. For example, cook a meal for someone or mow their lawn without them knowing who did it.

14. Backyard Camping

Tell ghost stories, look at the stars, and enjoy some yummy s’mores all in the comfort of your very own backyard.

We also shared some ideas for some Family Summer Activity Alternatives During Covid-19 from verywellfamily.com
Click HERE to see the full list.
Even though summer is wrapping up, you can still get some great ideas from this list.

When You Can’t Visit the Pool 

• Use a lawn sprinkler. Provided you have yard space, go old-school, and haul out a lawn sprinkler for kids to run around in. You might even get the urge and run through it yourself.

• Get a kiddie pool. It may not be the height of luxury, but in a pinch, an inexpensive kiddie pool is better than nothing! Cool off in one of these refillable plastic shells. 

• Have a squirt gun fight. Sometimes you don’t feel like taking the whole plunge into a pool, anyway. Spritz each other with squirt guns instead.

• Go to a lake. Pools may be off-limits, but many lakes are still open for public swimming. If there are lakes in your area, be sure check their current swimming restrictions before heading out.

When You Can’t Go on Vacation 

• Camp in the backyard. Roast marshmallows, tell spooky stories, and spend the night under the stars—right in your own backyard. 

• Take a culinary “vacation.” Can’t travel the world? Bring the flavors of far-flung cuisines to your home kitchen. Once a week, try a new recipe from a place you’d like to visit someday, like tuna poke bowls from Hawaii, spiced swordfish from the Mediterranean, or a Chinese chicken wonton soup.

• Enjoy the great outdoors. After months of quarantine, we could all probably use more fresh air. Have a picnic, take a hike, or go for a scenic drive. 

• Make it a staycation. Your very own hometown (or one close by) can be a surprising source of interest and fun. Make a list of the popular attractions in your area you’ve never visited—or the ones you’ve visited and loved. See how many of them you can hit this summer. If budget allows, book a stay at a local hotel where you can leave daily stressors behind and simply relax.

• Take advantage of virtual tours. Famous sites and world-class museums all over the world have jumped on the virtual bandwagon during Covid-19. Destinations like the battlefields at Gettysburg, the Louvre, and the Smithsonian now have tours available online. Take an educational “trip” as a family to any of these bucket list attractions.

When You Can’t Have a Party

• Take your party online. A successful online party needs an activity. (Otherwise, it’s just awkward.) Recruit your friends for a gathering with a definite agenda, like trivia night or talent show, via a video chat platform.

• Take your party outside. The great outdoors certainly simplify social distancing. Meet with friends in a park for a potluck with plenty of space, or sit six feet apart around a fire pit in the driveway. 

• Make it a family affair. Had to cancel your annual summer luau or Fourth of July bash? Have a themed “party” with immediate family instead. Scrounge up some costumes and pair a themed menu to the occasion.

• Have a parade. A birthday boy or girl deserves to feel special! When a party isn’t possible, enlist friends and family to drive by in a celebratory parade.

OTHER fun IDEAS

• Bring on the board games. Large-group games may be out of the question at the moment, but board games are still on the table (figuratively and literally). This classic family pastime has a hidden benefit: Board games can be good for kids’ linguistic, cognitive, and social development.
• Get kitchen-savvy. If there’s one skill your child will always use, it’s cooking. Check out our guide for creating age-appropriate roles for kids in the kitchen.
• Try a science experiment. Everyday household items like baking soda, vinegar, and food coloring are fair game for science experiments for kids of any age. Find your next project on websites like Science Fun and Science Bob. 
• Schedule a virtual show and tell. Young kids love to show off their favorite stuff—a fact quarantine won’t change. To let your child take pride in their special possessions, set up a time they can video chat with a friend for a virtual show and tell. 
• Dive into arts and crafts. You don’t have to be a creative master to help your kids enjoy arts and crafts. Search projects appropriate to your child’s age on Youtube or Pinterest. 
• Plan a scavenger hunt. Who doesn’t enjoy a scavenger hunt? Create your own list of items for kids to find around the house, then set them loose to search for a pink sock, a measuring spoon, a jingle bell, or other simple objects. 
• Play dress-up. An outfit of Mom’s high heels, Dad’s ties, and a silly hat? Why not? Playing dress-up is an age-old, cost-free go-to for little ones.
• Crack open a good book. To motivate kids to read, find out if your local library is offering a distanced summer reading program for kids. Or, if audiobooks are your child’s preference, tune in to Librivox, which features thousands of classics in the public domain for free. Audible, too, is offering many kids’ titles for free as long as schools are closed.
• Go to a drive-in. In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, a number of drive-in movie theaters around the country have been doing a booming business. Catch the mid-century vibe by checking one out. 
• Read, then watch. Which was better, the book or the movie? Find out by reading a book as a family, then watching the movie. 
• Get a genre. A special theme makes everything more fun. As a family, make a plan to watch all of a certain type of movie over the summer—perhaps all the Disney princess movies, all the Harry Potter movies, or favorite ‘60s musicals.
• Have a virtual movie night. Apps like Netflix Partyand Metastreamoffer a new way to watch movies with friends. By synching your video play and adding a group chat, you can watch “together” from a distance.