Family Time in the City

Hot on the heels of Valentine’s Day, what could be more romantic than spending Monday at home with your kids—changing diapers, playing with shape-sorters, wiping noses and cleaning up spilled juice all day? (Unless, of course, one of you is among the many workers who won’t be entitled to this new Ontario holiday—such as federal government employees).
Need some ideas to make the day a success? The first thing we suggest is to have a plan or the day will get away. So if you want to stay in your PJ’s all morning, that’s OK as long as that’s your plan. Whether you prefer to bond at home or get out and about, we’ll share our savvy plans for ways to spend Family Day:

At Home

Let the kids help you bake something. A loaf of bread, a batch of cookies or a pan of squares—keep it as simple as you like.
Make a snow fort. Many Ottawa residents now have snowbanks as tall as gorillas—so dig in and help your youngsters make the coolest tunnel ever. (Be sure this project is supervised carefully by an adult; you don’t want the ceiling to fall in and suffocate them.)
Paint the snow. Fill squeezable containers with water and add drops of food colouring. Head outside with the kids to make colourful patterns on pristine patches of snow.
Catch up on your reading—that is, the reading you wish you had more time to do with the kids. Board books, picture books, chapter books or kids’ magazines—snuggle up and tell stories.
Play board or card games, make puzzles or build something. Savvy tip: Choose your favorite three games and ask the kids to pick one. This prevents them from choosing first and coercing you into doing something you’ll dread, like sitting on the floor and role-playing with Barbies or superheroes for hours.
Unleash your child’s inner artist. Each family member creates their own masterpiece, then hang them all up on the fridge for the week. Granny will love them as a gift at the next special family occasion.