When I was in elementary school, my mom (April) announced that we would be celebrating “We Love to Be a Family Day” and showed us a map covered in hearts that would lead us to different activities and service opportunities throughout the day.
My mom didnât know what we would think of it, but we LOVED it, and it has been a favorite family tradition every year since. It’s a tradition that still brings everyone together in the midst of college, work, and busy schedules.
If youâd like to do something like this with your family, we’ve included a step-by-step guide that my mom put together below. This should be stress-free and unique to your family and circumstances.
This mini-podcast might also be a helpful resource as you plan.
Here are some of the steps that we take to make We Love to Be a Family Day a reality!
1. Create a List of Activities for the Whole Family
We usually have an “anchor” activity like seeing a movie or eating lunch at a restaurant, and the rest of the day is made up of free or low-cost outings and service opportunities.
2. Choose the Best Activities from the List!
Here are some pictures of some of the activities we did on our first We Love to Be a Family Day:
We went rollerskating and had a picnic in the park, made Valentine’s Day cards for the neighbors, and ended the day with a matinee.
You can even delegate the activities and planning to one of your older children! When it was my year to help plan, I decorated the table and made a festive breakfast setup for the family. My middle-school self was in heaven as I searched Pinterest for some simple Valentine’s Day crafts.
3. Make Your Clues and Treasure Map
This is as simple as cutting up a brown paper grocery bag and drawing some hearts and numbers on it. My mom wrote the clues on the back of paper hearts and usually included a little riddle for us to guess what the next activity would be.
4. Identify Your Next Actions and Tasks
Using the planning template (linked below), record your associated tasks by context (errands, phone calls, at home, computer, and discussions). This makes the planning smooth and stress-free!
This family tradition is something I am excited to continue with my own family one day, and I am so grateful that my parents focused the day on spending time with us instead of feeling like they needed to plan something over-the-top and stressful. Things didn’t always go 100% according to plan, but the memories I have from these days are so special, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything!
LearnDoBecome Challenge: Take 5-10 minutes to brainstorm a meaningful Valentine’s Day tradition that will bring your family together (virtually or in person). If the things you’ve read about our We Love to Be a Family Day celebrations don’t work for you or your schedule, think about how you can adapt this or start an entirely new tradition!
We have a template for you inside our Free Community Facebook Group!
Simply click here to request access to the LearnDoBecome group.
And go to THIS post for the free printable templates!
RELATED LINKS:
If you need any ideas, our LearnDoBecome community shared 50+ Valentine’s Day traditions here in our Facebook Group!
âWe Love to Be a Familyâ Day Mini-Podcast from Power of Moms
Have you had a chance to join our free class that will introduce you to our Steps to Everyday Productivity program? If not, weâd love to see you there! Sign up here!
I think this is a cool tradition i would like how to do it with my older boys
i have 5 33,31,28, 20, 17 all boys
give me ideas
thank you
maria aguilera
Awesome ages!! I would probably pick an “active” activity–like bowling or a jumping place or a beautiful hike/something outdoors. đ And then I’d pick a favorite restaurant (maybe a buffet or something where they could really enjoy the meal?). Then you could do a service project for someone (cleaning up a yard?), and then incorporate activities that your boys uniquely enjoy. One of our boys LOVES cars, so we went and did test drives on a couple that he thought were awesome. Another son loves music, so we found a local concert to attend that was free. Or you could have each boy pick one free activity–and you pick the paid ones, and then you put them all on the map! đ
Hi! I love this idea. Just thought that I would comment that in Canada where I grew up, they have recently made a new long weekend holiday called Family Day long weekend. The actual Family Day is always a Monday… and it is in February. This year, Valentines Day falls in the Family Day long weekend! So, your âI love to be a Familyâ Day is celebrated by more Families than you know! Lol!
That said, I love the intentionality of the activities. So few families take the time… thanks for being such a great example.
Blessings,
Anna Bullington.
Anna, thank you for your kind words. What a fun holiday! Spending time with loved ones is always a good thing. Thanks for being with us!
Oh my gosh! This is so timely! I’m glad I listened to this episode right before the Valentines Day. We did it last year, and the kids really enjoyed it.
Now I’m going to plan something simple but fun to try with our kids for this weekend as a “We love our family” day.
So glad this podcast was helpful, Olga! Our family is planning our upcoming We Love to Be a Family Day as well, and we are looking forward to it!
I love this idea, it has given me lots to think about where planning family time is concerned đ