Contributed by Rosemary O’Brien, Catalogs.com Info Guru

Family fun days are a perfect way to stay connected to your family.

Your activity does not have to be expensive, just fun. Be creative and get the kids involved. Here are the Top 10 Family Days for families who want to have fun.

10. Clean the house

Yes, I said clean! If you make it a game, a family of four can get a lot done. Have each child take a room and make sure the little ones are assigned a room that is not too big for them. You can also concentrate on one room. Have races and give out simple prizes. For example, if you have to fold laundry, you could have a race to see who can fold 5 items of clothing the quickest. Whoever wins gets to sit out one round. Have a dusting contest. Whoever dusts their room the quickest wins a cookie. If a less-than-perfect job will bother you and you just do not want it done, be sure you clearly state the rules of doing things well and not just fast.

9. For the birds

Collect stale ends of bread throughout the week and put them in one bag. The ends of a loaf of bread or a single roll that goes uneaten make perfect bird bread. My family likes to head to the nearby beach and throw bread pieces up to the seagulls. They catch it in mid-air, so it is fun to watch. Find geese or ducks at a local park. The bread should be free of mold so the birds do not get sick. Stale bread is the perfect treat for your feathered friends.

8. Cook together

Making dinner as a family accomplishes many goals and is a great plan for family fun days. It provides a way to teach your children about nutrition and even practical cooking skills. Sometimes you can give your kids the best tips and tricks in passing as you prepare the meal. Try having breakfast for dinner, a favorite treat at my house. If you are comfortable bending your nutritional news, you can make party pancakes. Simply add mini chocolate chips to the batter or serve your pancakes or waffles with a favorite ice cream instead of syrup. My kids thought this was the best idea the first time we did it and now I do this everything month or so. When children help cook the meal, they are more likely to clear their plates.

7. Walk around

If you live in the suburbs, take a nature walk around your neighborhood. Before heading out, make a list of things you think you might find along the way. Leaves in the autumn, clover flowers in the summer, even sticks are fair game. Hand each child a list and a pencil so they can mark down their finds. You can also give them a canvas bag where they can deposit their finds. When you get home, go through the bag and have them mark off the items from list that they have found. After a while, they will want to help you make the list with you. Make it challenging so things are not too easy to find.

6. Arts and crafts

Craft time is a favorite in our house. I keep a box of items that I am constantly adding to with dollar store findings. Don’t just think paper and crayons. Go for lollipop or ice cream sticks, plastic lids from plastic tubs, and even paper clips. Pretty much anything from the recycling bin is fair game, too. You can also go to a craft store or local super store and find complete craft kits for things like bookmarks, cards or stepping stones into which they can press their hand. Throw it all on the kitchen table and let them have at it! Their creativity will flow and you will all have fun.

5. Build a fort

Pillow forts are one of the joys of being a child. To a child, a pillow fort can be a place to play house, to take a nap or watch TV, or to have an old fashioned game of Cowboys and Indians. Join in to make the best pillow fort ever. When you are finished playing with it, have even more fun knocking it down safely.

4. Learn something new

Knitting was always on my bucket list of things to learn during my life. I was lucky to find a knitting teacher at a community center who learned from her mother as a child. If you have any special skills or hobbies, teach them to your children. You can have your own family knitting sessions. Teach them to can vegetables when the garden produces an abundance of tomatoes or string beans. Why not put together a Lego model as a family? Learning a new skill benefits their school work and their life’s work as adults. You never know what your child is going to take to, so try anything that interests you and then learn new things together as a family. Go to the library for books if you want to learn something new and then do it together.

3. Game night

That old standby, game night, never gets old. This is another opportunity to teach your children on one of your family fun days. A fun game of Monopoly, for example, will teach them about managing money, counting and even how to play fair and not cheat. If you want a more physical game, try to play Twister or have a relay race out in the yard. There are games you can play indoors and outdoors on a nice day such as volleyball, badminton or baseball. Let your children take turns at picking a game each time and pay attention to your children’s abilities before suggesting a game so no one gets frustrated at their lack of abilities. You want to make game night something they want to do because it is so fun!

2. Look up

In August, the Heavens produce a natural light show with the annual meteor showers. Grab some blankets and head to the beach, a park or even your yard if the light is not too bright. Lay on your back and look for meteors and other celestial bodies such as the Big Dipper. This is a good way to combine activities by getting a book on star gazing or meteors. While you search the sky, explain about what they are looking at. If you do not know what you are looking at, do a little homework ahead of time to find out. When your kids are bigger, ask them to tell you what you are looking at. You may find you have a budding scientist in your midst who is eager to teach what he knows.

1. Movie night

And finally, plop yourself down in front of the TV and pop in a movie or two. Get the family together and choose movies everyone wants to watch. These days you do not even need a VCR or DVD player. You can order your movie through your cable service and it is usually available for at least twenty-four hours. Watching movies at home is even better than the theaters because you can pause for the bathroom and drink breaks. Pop popcorn for everyone and enjoy the movie in your pajamas. Make it extra fun by pulling all of the pillows from around your house into the TV area and sitting or lying on them. It will feel like an instant pajama party.

Family fun days are a good way to connect with your family and stay connected. Make it a regular occurrence so that everyone can look forward to time together. By making time to be together, your family can stay involved in each other’s lives before everyone grows up and goes off on their own.