Your Daily Occupation: Fun Weekend Activity Ideas
During the last two weeks I hope you've learned some things about you, your routines, and have gained a couple of new strategies.
As we move into the weekend, my recommendation is to be sure that you and your family have a weekend. Begin thinking about a few things that you can do to add some fun and play to your weekend. Here are some suggestions:
1: Dance party in the kitchen
2: Virtual play dates
3: Bike riding
4 : Family games
5: Special pancakes for breakfast
6 : Breakfast for dinner
7: Fancy, dress up tea party
8: Picnic in the back yard
Yes, I like food! But that isn't the only reason that food features prominently in my
suggestions—when you center a special activity around something you're already doing, it serves as a way to add fun and meaning... but with less expenditure of effort than if you developed a whole new routine out of nothing. In therapy-speak, mealtime is an activity of daily living, or ADL. New activities centered around familiar routines can be less stressful and more easily accepted than a new activity for young children and grumpy teenagers. Here are some more suggestions:
9 : Get the yard toys out of the garage and hose them off.
10: Take turns putting a different person/kid "in charge" for a day or an hour, and see what develops
11: Nature hikes, scavenger hunts or geocaching
12: Stream an exercise or yoga video
13: Board game marathon—winner picks the next game
14: Jigsaw puzzle
15: Get out an unfinished or abandoned craft
16: Let the kids wash the car, and let the emphasis be on the bubbles and fun rather than how it looks when you're done.
In summary, remember to set aside some time for fun this weekend. In this time of strange events, we all need it! Have a great weekend!
About the Author
Melissa Christopher, OT/L is an Occupational Therapist with more than twenty years of experience and the founder of Stellar Therapy Services. Stellar Therapy Services provides therapy staffing solutions for school districts, home health facilities, hospitals, and many other settings needing Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists, and other therapy and healthcare professionals.