Family Day is just days away!
Treat your family and cherished loved ones to a day full of fun activities everyone will enjoy! Looking for a bit of inspiration? We got you covered with our Family Day guide to smiles below.
If you're hosting, try delegating some of these ideas to your attendees to get everyone in on the fun!
Sweet Summer Frozen Treats
Every family has (at least!) one member who likes to wear the chef's hat to every occasion! Ask that person to help supply some refreshingly cold treats with these easy and tasty popsicle recipes the family will fall in love with.
The Tropical Popsicle: Enjoy a tiny taste of the tropics with a tropical fruit blend right in your backyard! Toss in a mango, pineapple, orange, and milk (or alternative milk) to make for a more creamy texture in the blender. Once blended to your desired thickness, pour into a popsicle tray, freeze, and get ready to visit the tropics!
Frozen Grapes on a Stick: Thanks to grapes' natural sweetness and high water content, all this recipe will call for is grapes! This yummy treat can easily be made with the young ones too. Grab a few bags of green and red grapes and throw them in a blender separately. Whiz them up, so that they're a liquid. Have fun with the popsicle design by pouring in some red grape mix first, then green, then red again until the popsicle mold is full. And then freeze! Easy peasy (grape-y) squeezy!
Iced Coffee Pops: Brew a fresh pot of coffee and then put the coffee in the fridge to cool. Once cooled, add milk or cream as desired, mix, and pour into the popsicle tray to freeze. Or, be a true summer barista by adding a light caramel or chocolate drizzle into the popsicle mold before pouring in the cold coffee for an even sweeter kick to your summer day. Freeze and enjoy!
Simply Fudgesicles: Keep the iconic fudgesicle simple with only 4 easy ingredients! Freeze and serve these crowd favorites on any sunny day using only:
- 1 x 13.5 oz. can of Coconut Milk (full fat)
- ⅓ cup of Maple Syrup (pure)
- ½ cup of Cocoa Powder (dark)
- 2 teaspoons of Vanilla Extract (pure)
Blend well, pour the mixture into popsicle trays, let freeze, and serve! A simple, classic treat!
Hidden Veggie Popsicles: Hint! Yes, a good smoothie recipe makes for an even better popsicle recipe! Hide those extra greens in a summer treat your fam will love. Psssst: spinach will work best for blending due to its more neutral taste. Or toss in some avocado, sweet potato, or boiled beets for the color and the nutrients the kids (and adults) won't even notice! Then top off the mixture with your go-to smoothie ingredients such as a sweet and ripe banana, strawberries, mango chunks, or a scoop of protein powder!
Reminder: For all popsicle recipes, the sweetness will be less intense when frozen, so ensure your mixture is more on the sweet side before freezing. If you have time, try to freeze the pops overnight too!
Bonus: add in your fam's alcohol of choice for a little boost for the adults. Since alcohol has a lower freezing point than other ingredients, ensure your ratio is 5 parts juice, 1 part alcohol. Remember this rule and adjust your best boozy pop creations accordingly. Enjoy responsibly!
Outdoor/Backyard Showcases:
Whether you will be hosting the event in your home, in your backyard, or at a local park, having some easy tech close by and a bit of entertainment planned will keep your guests engaged all day long!
Does anyone in your family love to sing, play the guitar, dance, or perform stand-up comedy? Have a Bluetooth speaker close by and encourage your talented family to showcase what they got! Or prepare a family-friendly playlist to get everyone up and grooving to their favorite tunes. Any choreographers in your family? Ask them to invent a simple family dance to a favorite family song everyone will enjoy learning!
How about an 'open comedy mic hour'. Invite family to the stage to perform their best joke (or two!) Note: this may be a bit easier (and funnier!) after you've all had a few boozy popsicles!
Any musicians in your family? All you need is an acoustic guitar; the whole family can sing along. Or maybe your musical family member will lead a drum circle.
Lastly, make sure Family Day lives on! Set up a photo wall with silly masks and wigs, and get ready to say cheese! Everyone can snap these moments on their phones and share the photos on Google or another file-sharing platform. Keep the smiley faces living on!
Outdoor/Backyard Competitions:
Who doesn't love some good-hearted family competition?
Whether your family members are devoted soccer fans, volleyball lovers, or ping-pong champions, make sure you have all the necessary equipment available to host a couple rounds or games of your sport of choice!
Sweeten the victory with small prizes for the winning team to get all involved. Perhaps the winner can take home Grandma's award-winning traditional cheesecake, a gift card for a favorite family restaurant, or the neighborhood's most-often-used grocery store. (Toestie says: "...or why not a Heat Holders Gift Card!")
Is the weather a little off? Move inside with these family-fun team-building games like scrabble, poker, go-fish (for the kids), or bingo. For bingo, have fun using an online site to create personalized family-themed bingo cards with funny family trivia as bingo spaces, print them out and distribute them to use during the game!
Friendly reminder: If any family member cannot attend the event, carve out a few minutes for a call or face-time with them to ensure the whole family can stay connected and included!
A Special Family Day Poem:
Before the day full of fun activities comes to an end, close off the day with a few special words such as those in this heartfelt poem below:
'Family Tree' - by Alison Jean Thomas
It seems strange to me
That a family tree is drawn from the top of the page.
Instead, draw mine with roots deeply planted in firm ground
Like forefathers, whose stories retold,
Nourish us.
Draw the trunk giving support and power,
Strongly branching out
So that young shoots can reach high
And buds,
Some yet unfurled, May catch dreams in sunlight.
We hope you have a great weekend with all those you call family!
Happy Family Day everyone!
#HeatHolders
#MakingLifeWarmer
