Family Fun In A Pandemic

Family Fun In A Pandemic

Is it possible to have fun during a global pandemic, in lockdown 4 restrictions, with doom and gloom hovering over our city? Sure it is!

If you are like me, you have never spent so much time with your family! What an opportunity to plan fun into your family culture and to create fun family rituals that release joy into your home on a regular and consistent basis.

But why create fun family rituals? Great question!

Can I indulge you for a minute?

Think back with me to your childhood. Think back to the traditions of your family. Did you do something special for birthdays or Christmas? Did you go for holidays in the same place or at the same time each year? Did your family do something special every Friday night to end the week, or eat out at a certain restaurant regularly?

Maybe you haven’t thought about the fun family rituals that were so naturally a part of your family culture, but now as you reminisce you recognize them as family traditions. Every family has them, but the really cool thing is that now, in the middle of this pandemic, you can create an atmosphere of fun and joy in your home, releasing the very joy of Heaven into your house.

You may already have fun-family traditions that you take for granted. For example, every night before bed and after devotions and prayer with the kids we have our daughter choose a game to play such as UNO, Connect-4, Pictionary and the like. It has become a family-fun ritual that brings joy to our day. I’m guessing you have created daily moments like this in your household that usher joy, fun and laughter into your daily routine. So first things first, think about your family culture and do a family tradition inventory. You might be surprised by the traditions you already have that you didn’t know about!

TIP 1: Do an inventory of your family traditions

Now here is where it gets exciting! Now you create family-fun traditions that will become part of your identity and DNA as a family. It’s time to plan fun into your family!

TIP 2: Plan new family traditions together

Creating fun traditions are personal to every family, and the possibilities really are endless, however, they need to be authentically you. You have the power to create your own authentic family culture and traditions that will establish your unique family identity. The tool in your hand is a PLAN.

So how can you plan fun into your family?

Here I share five tips:

  1. Decide to plan fun family traditions
  2. Invite your kids into the process
  3. Brainstorm ideas (no idea is wrong)
  4. Decide together, what ideas you will choose to implement
  5. Implement the ideas

A simple google search on ‘creating fun family rituals’ will provide you with more ideas than you can implement. Some will resonate with you as a family while others will not. You aren’t restricted by other family’s ideas either, you can pioneer a new way to invite fun in your home!

Below are a few ideas that resonated with me:

  1. Pick fun out of a hat: Brainstorm all the fun ideas you can muster, put them in a hat and pick one each week
  2. Keeping the mystery: Plan special events for your kids but don’t tell them where you are going, keep it a surprise!
  3. Cubby Houses: Especially good on wet days, this is an Austin family tradition and the kids never grow weary with it
  4. Cooking: This has become a tradition for us as well. Our 6 year-old Rachelle loves cooking so when Gracie our 2 year-old is asleep we cook special treats together. When Gracie wakes up we tell her it’s special treat time. She loves it!
  5. Take Out Night: We love this one as well! Each week one family member gets to choose what take out we having. It’s fun, fresh and exciting, it never grows old!

It is scientifically proven and a biblically based truth that laughter and humour bring significant physical, mental and social health benefits. A casual google search will help you discover the many benefits of laughing and humour. Rewards can be strong motivators and there are many rewards to laughter.

Below are just a few:

  • Laughter relaxes the whole body: A good hearty belly laugh releases tension and stress from your body, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes later
  • Laughter boosts the immune system: Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, improving your resistance to disease
  • Laughing triggers, the release of endorphins: This creates an overall sense of wellbeing and can temporarily relieve pain
  • Laughter lightens angers heavy load: Nothing diffuses anger and conflict that a shared laugh.
  • Laughter protects the heart: Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow which can protect against heart attack.


A casual glance over the above benefits (and there are many more!) is enough to jump onto the laughter train as a family, but it is also backed up by the Bible.

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries the bones. Proverbs 17:22

So this week why don’t you celebrate the fun family traditions you already practice, plan together to create more fun times in your family, and build a family culture that invites the joy of Heaven into your home? If you do, you will reap the wonderful rewards of joy that your wonderful Father in Heaven who created joy and laughter, so desires for you and your family.

ANDREW AUSTIN

Childrens' Pastor

Being His Presence In Every Place