5 fun activities for Family Day 2021

Observed in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and New Brunswick, Family Day is an opportunity to celebrate the importance of family and spend quality time with your loved ones. And while this year’s holiday weekend will look a little different due to COVID-19 restrictions, there are still plenty of unique Family Day activities that you can enjoy at home with your household.

[Photo Credit: New Africa]

While we can’t get together with long-distance relatives in person this year, it’s still important to make time to nurture these meaningful relationships. The best way to catch up with extended family members is to schedule a time to reconnect over the Family Day weekend. Set up a video chat on a virtual platform like Zoom or Google Meet and invite grandparents, aunt and uncles, cousins, and other relatives who you haven’t seen in a while. If you’re worried about hosting a large group of loved ones on the call, moderate the conversation by encouraging participants to take turns providing updates on what’s new and exciting in their lives.

From beginner tricks to advanced illusions, practicing the subtle art of magic is an out-of-the-ordinary Family Day activity that will entertain kids of all ages – and adults too! If you don’t know where to start, seek out some inspiration by watching magic videos and step-by-step tutorials online. Many sleight-of-hand tricks are simple, easy to learn, and can be done using common household items like pencils, spoons, rubber bands, and coins. Help your little ones master a trick or two – or challenge older kids to teach themselves a routine – and then gather the family for an astounding magic performance.

Preserve your precious memories and tap into your creativity this Family Day by working together on a colourful scrapbook. Print out favourite family snapshots and purchase some scrapbooking supplies from your local craft store. There are a variety of artistic accessories you can use to showcase and enhance your photos, including colourful paper, washi tape, stickers, thematic stamps, ribbon and more. Making a family scrapbook together is a great way to re-live highlights from the past year. Who knows, you might even start a new annual tradition.

If you’re feeling trapped at home this winter, a virtual escape room experience can provide your family with a much-needed reprieve from the boredom of lockdown life. Remote escape room platforms like The Escape Game and Adventure Rooms are immersive online simulations that will challenge your family to solve riddles and complete puzzles in a fixed amount of time in order to ‘escape’ a virtual room. Designed for various age ranges, the engaging adventures are a great way to practice teamwork, encourage collaboration and test your critical thinking skills as a family.

Now is the perfect time to embrace the cold and make the most of Canada’s winter weather. Bundle up with your brood and enjoy a day of fun outdoor activities for Family Day. Explore your local area and discover new trails and parks for snowshoeing, ice fishing, tobogganing, snowmobiling, and ice skating. Depending on current public health guidelines in your region, you may even find some Family Day events near you that are taking place outside or online, such as winter light walks, socially distant scavenger hunts, and virtual winter festivals.