Today, February 18, 2013, citizens in Canada are celebrating Family Day together with their loved ones. It usually falls on the third Monday of February, and it’s being anticipated in some of the provinces in Canada like Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Alberta. In British Columbia, it falls on the second Monday of the same month, where the celebration of National Heritage Day is also set yearly. In those provinces mentioned no work and school classes are being held since it’s one of the events in a year where everyone can take a day off to be with their families. This holiday started in 1990 in Alberta, Canada to commemorate the sacrifices that the pioneers of the said provinces have given in order to establish it. By 2007 and 2009, other provinces in Canada joined Alberta to this united cause in order to preserve and protect families amidst the modern influences that drive away attention of people to the real values and cores founded because of this special unit of the society. Here are the top 10 family day activities 2013 that can be done as you plan your whole day today.

10. Crafting is Fun

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Kids love something interactive, something where they can explore, discover, and develop new things and skills. They could also socialize with other kids, and you’ll get to spend time with them as you join them learning a new craft. This is better, especially these days, because kids don’t move that much because of too much exposure in gizmos and social networking sites.

9. Watch Films

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There are films being shown today, which you could watch together with the whole gang of your family members. If you want to try the Kitchen, then it’s something that you could talk smartly as a family since there is critical information that you can discuss with your brood. It’s one way of educating yourselves not just with textbooks that children learn at school, but to be amused on something that you have never learned before, which you could peruse in the future.

8. Ice Fishing

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Since its winter, it’s a fun-filled activity that you can enjoy amidst the icy and cold surrounding. It’s one of the suggested outdoor activities that kids will surely love. The thrill of catching fish is really tickling, especially to those families that have not tried this activity at all. You’ll know how to fish bait, and other methods that you could learn as you ask professional assistance from those who knows already.

7. Learn a New Language

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Learning a new language in order to celebrate the bonds of family is a special way of being close to each other. In fact, you do not need to go too far from studying, practicing, and applying a new tongue for you to feel the complete satisfaction of doing this activity. All you need to do is to talk with everyone and gauge as to what language would be easier to study, and most applicable to use. It could be Spanish, French, German, or any other that would be very comfortable for everyone.

6. Hot Snacks with the Family

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Since celebrating Family Day at this time of the year is still cold and chilling, warming up with hot chocolate, a nice serving of freshly made hotcakes, or even other warm baked goodies would lighten everyone up. If this could be observed at each time of the year during Family Day, then this could actually pass as a family tradition. But if you wanted alternatives since there are so many hot snacks that can be made with cookbooks and creativity, then doing so would make sharing such treats with family an exciting yearly experience.

5. Visit Art Exhibitions

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There are numbers of museums and art galleries that you can visit nearby that actually foster and promote family day bonding and activities. Some of which is Robert McLaughlin Gallery that hosts art-themed movies for children, games, and other hands-on art activities that you can enjoy together. In fact, they have organized and prepared it in a way that it would suit not only for kids, but also for adults.

4. The Lightbox

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This is one of the activities that families can take advantage with yearly. Since it’s free, you could enjoy watching movies without putting big holes in your pockets. It does not mean that it’s free that it’s less of a quality. This is one of the traditions that provide ample and quality wholesome time to each family where they can watch kids and family oriented movies that teach values relevant still in our time. You don’t need to spend all the time just to create wonderful memories on this day. In fact, the best parts in all of the activities are things which money cannot buy.

3. Winter Picnic

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Have you ever imagined having a picnic where there is no grass, tweeting birds on the tress, or the crisp fresh air? Whenever you mention the word picnic, the first thing that comes to mind are the blooming flowers of spring. But do you really need to wait for some months before you could even enjoy that kind of activity with family? Yes, you could already make a winter picnic, which includes hot and warm treats for sharing. Aside from having this family activity as being cool, everyone else might think of chilling around winter with this special endeavor.

2. Bake Cookies Together

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Baking cookies together is not just an activity that is being done by a mother and daughter tandem, but it could be shared by everyone, especially the dads and sons that are not that fond of spending so much time in the kitchen. If you are doing this not so often, then you could consider doing some non-bake treats like oatmeal biscuits, cheesecakes, or other cold snacks. But if you are serious with having everyone involved into making cookies that will later be shared together during movie nights or family dinners, then preparing a simple recipe would do so well, not implying too much stress for everyone.

1. Skating is Thrilling

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Known to be one of the most famous winter activities that can be done by almost everyone, skating on ice is just a thrilling thing to do with dads, moms, the kids, and even the pet dog, or with grandma and grandpa. Even if you are just skating together in the snow, pulling some easy tricks, or even going places where the frozen rivers would take you is a great bonding moment for family. A word of caution though. You need to be extra careful when going in groups as you may not know when you’ll expect cracking ice floors because of your combined weight, especially when you have stepped on the ice from a heavy winter picnic, eating those nice and warm baked cookies and goodies.