24 Things To Do With Your Family At Home This Weekend

Maybe things have gotten a little boring at your house these days with not a lot of options for going out. Fortunately, there are plenty of things to do to keep everyone entertained with a little ingenuity. 

1. Plan a costume night and themed dinner where everyone dresses up and stays in character. Pick something fun like a movie or historical era.

2. Have an indoor picnic. Pick a big room in your house and set out a blanket and basket of food on the floor. Open some windows and relax as though you're in the great outdoors.

3. Take a culinary trip around the world by having an international dinner night. Pick a country and find some recipes unique to that country. For example, you could choose Germany and serve sauteed red cabbage, spaetzle, and Wienerschnitzel. 

4. Create a scavenger hunt inside. Get creative by handing out clues and giving a time limit for everyone to find the items.

5. Host a movie marathon. Many movies are part of series with at least two or even three titles. Have a back to back viewing complete with props, popcorn, and other goodies that match the theme of the movies.

6. Break out the board games. Everyone loves board games and card games. Try new games as well as old games like chess or checkers. 

7. Film your own cooking show. Get everyone involved by making a recipe and having someone films the process. Make sure to have someone narrate what's going on as well.

8. Plan in advance and make your own Christmas cards. It's never too early to prepare for Christmas. Encourage everyone to be creative and make some fun cards.

9. Host a karaoke night. If you have a PlayStation or Wii, both have plenty of options for this. Everyone loves belting a fun tune at the top of their lungs. 

10. Put a puzzle together. Pick a big puzzle that the whole family can work on. Make a place in your house where you can work on it for several nights.

11. Plan a proper British tea party. It's easy to find the elements of a British tea party on the internet. Make finger sandwiches, small treats, and have a selection of tea to serve.

12. Have a storytime. Reading aloud isn't as popular as it used to be. Bring it back by picking a book that interests everyone and have everyone take turns each night reading aloud.

13. Learn yoga. Yoga is healthy and beneficial for nearly any age group. Find some videos or pose instructions online and practice perfecting them.

14. Invent your own code. Come up with a secret code by replacing letters with symbols. Have everyone write messages throughout the day in this secret code.

15. Host a photoshoot. You can pick themes with this too such as having your family pretend they're actors in a famous movie. Use props and take as many shots as you want.

16. Make up your own board game or card game. Have everyone participate in creating the rules and themes for this new game.

17. Make a scrapbook. Collect family pictures and memorabilia and start constructing a scrapbook. You're sure to have a lot of fun reminiscing as you make it.

18. Collect leaves outside and rub them into paper for a quick art project. Get creative and turn the leaves into silhouettes of people by adding hair and features.

19. Watch the stars. Find a star chart online and use binoculars or a telescope if you have them and try to locate the various constellations. 

20. Host a magic show. Find tips and tricks online on how to do simple (or difficult) magic tricks and then create a show in your living room. Have someone be the magician and someone act as the assistant. You can trade off on different nights as well.

21. Have a question night. Find lists of fun questions on the internet and give everyone a chance to answer the questions. Pick someone new each night to be the question-asker.

22. Play charades. This game is guaranteed to have everyone laughing in short order. All you need to play is a timer and slips of paper with what each person needs to act out. 

23. Play the "would you rather" game. Similar to question night, this game has players choose between two options of what they'd rather do. Creative choices should have everyone laughing here too.

24. Learn a new language. There are many resources online, including games, to start learning a new language. Have everyone join in and quiz each other throughout the day with new words you've learned.

With a little creativity and imagination, you can make homebound weekends just as fun as going out and about.