Gives You Can Do At Home On Family Day

Here is a list of gives you can do at home or close by! All of us are on different Covid measures with many of us staying at home. This Family Day look at completing some gives you can do at home or in your neighbourhood to celebrate your family and others!

Celebrate Canada’s Family Day By Giving!

February is the darkest month in Canada.  The weather is at its worst and all the fun of the holidays is long over. But there is one event that can brighten up your home at such a dull time and that’s Family Day on February 21.

Now don’t just think of Family Day as a holiday where you get off school and can do what you want. Family Day is to celebrate the importance of families and family life. It is the perfect time to show your appreciation and love for members of your family, especially after Covid has kept us inside for the last two years. No other holiday gives  you the chance to think about and do something good of the family.

Family Day is Celebrated Around the World

Family Day is observed on the third Monday of February in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and New Brunswick. It is also celebrated in other countries. For example, in South Africa, Easter Monday is called Family Day. In Vietnam, Family Day is on June 28. Uruguay’s Family Day is on December 25.

In the United States, the state of Nevada celebrates Family Day on the day after Thanksgiving and Arizona’s Family Day is on the first Sunday in August. But whenever it is, it is an occasion for special meals, events or just a chance to be kind to one another.

So how do you want to celebrate family? And who is family?  Who do you consider your family?  Of course your immediate family, people you live with like your mother and father and brothers and sisters.  But what about more distant family like grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins?  Sometimes your best friends are like family to you. Why not appreciate them too?

In most places, Family Day is a day off school or work.  That’s a celebration right there! Two-thirds of all Canadians will have the day off.  You could plan ahead to have a family day that’s different from the usual.  You could all go skating, or to an outdoor art exhibit.  If it’s a nice day, suggest the family go for a drive in the country as a way to all be together. If it’s cold and rainy, how about a family movie marathon.  Don’t forget the popcorn.

Show Your Family and Others You Care With These Gives You Can Do At Home

Here are some thoughts on how to really celebrate Family Day

1. It’s been a long time since movie theatres were fully open. If they are now, get your family on board to go to a movie. If not, have a movie day at home!
2. Suggest a family work day where everyone takes on a task to do together. This could be to clean the garage, or bring out all your old toys and clothes to give away, or plan and cook a big dinner together.
3. Take all the books you’ve read to a Book Bank if there’s one around, or offer them to your local library.
4. Get out the old Monopoly or other board game where you can all play together.
5. Sit down together to plan a summer vacation (or staycation where you stay home but do something different and fun). Where would everyone like to go, or to do?
6. When was the last time your family went on an old-fashioned picnic – maybe near a lake or a field where you can throw a Frisbee and play soccer. If Covid Measures stop you from going out, have a picnic at home!
7. A walk in a big park gets everyone out of the house and gives you exercise. If you all do it together you’ll be surprised how much good feeling comes out of it.
8. Start up a Family Council, where everyone gets together to talk about anything that is bothering them and the whole family tries to come up with a solution. (There’s no fighting in a Family Council.)
9. And don’t forget the fun of snow in the winter. Go to Active For Life for lots of games and activities to get everyone outside and covered with the white stuff.
10. And check out 365give to find out how you can join the 365Give challenge and start a daily giving habit to change the world.

At the end of the day, be grateful for your family. Not everyone has one. If you know someone who doesn’t feel they can celebrate Family Day, bring them into your celebrations. Being kind doesn’t stop with family. Get some more giving ideas for your family on our 365give blog!