A Family That Plays Together Stays Together – Celebrate Family Fun Month!

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When I was younger, my parents always tried to have family time and as a teenager, I found that to be annoying, (even if I did have fun). However, now that I’ve surpassed those lovely teenage years where you think you’re right about everything and too cool for your family, I reminisce about many memories my family built during those family outings. Memories that we often talk about. Memories that I hope I can also give to my own children. So, in the spirit of August Family Fun Month, here are some fun family outings we have done so far with our 2-year-old. Share your family fun suggestions in the comments as we plan to continue to expand on our list so our children can have memories of their own.

  • Road Trips – So far we have gone to Chicago a few times, Cedar Point, Pittsburgh, and Gatlinburg as a family. I love the driving part because we can stop and stretch whenever we want and get to dictate more of our travel time than with a plane. It’s also cheaper for our wallets too. Someday we’ll take him on a plane, but we’re saving that experience.
  • Water Parks – Our son LOVES water parks. We just recently took him to King’s Island and spent quite a bit of time at their water park. We also like to go to Kettering’s water park and even the Greene’s water area. The YMCA in Fairborn also has some nice parks and a water area.
  • Parks – Speaking of parks, we also like to just go out to a park after dinner. It’s a great way for him to burn off some energy and play with other kids. Plus, it’s a free event, bonus!
  • Boonshoft – This is a great museum close to home! He can interact with so much…but you might have guessed he spends most of his time in the water section.
  • Newport Aquarium – We’ve been here once so far with him and he loved it. He liked looking at the fishes and enjoyed the interactivity they had for him to do.
  • Air Force Museum – What an awesome free activity to do! When we took him he was somewhat interested, but now he notices so much more than he did 6 months ago and any loud noises outside he thinks is an airplane. So we definitely need to do this one again soon.
  • Fairs and Festivals – One of the great things about summer time is the fairs and festivals all around town. We’ve gone to the Yellow Springs Street Fair, Fairborn’s fair, Popcorn Festival, London’s Strawberry Festival, Food truck events, Ohio State Fair, etc. I think his favorite was Fairborn’s fair because they had a bouncy house and slide that he played in forever.
  • Sports Games – This kid loves sports. He has just about every kind of ball. We decided to take him to his first baseball game and I was expecting to have to leave early, but it kept his attention the entire time. If he wasn’t watching the game, he was people watching. We’ve also taken him to Ohio State’s spring game because how can you pass up $5 tickets to sit inside the shoe and experience the ambiance?!
  • Movies – We’ve only taken him to the movie theater once so far and it was to see Finding Dory. It was more so I could see it in theaters because I just loved Finding Nemo, but we felt it would keep him entertained, and for the most part, it did. We also rent or borrow movies and have a family movie night. His favorite movie is the newest Charlie Brown. Lately, though, he has enjoyed the Toy Story movies, Sing, Finding Nemo, and Cars.
  • Caesar’s Creek – We like to go here and camp. It’s not too far from home, yet gives us the escape we need. We tent camp and it’s fun to be outside, go to the playground, go to the pond area, and just unplug for a couple days.

Family outings are very important to us. We want him to have all kinds of experiences so he can have a well-rounded upbringing. Plus, it’s just so much fun to watch him interact with and explore the world. It’s memories we are building with him that we will cherish forever. What events do you do with your family to create your own memories?