Ideas for celebrating

Below are lots of great ideas to help you plan your National Families Week event.

Be COVID Safe!

It is important to remember that your event MUST be COVID safe. Please ensure that you follow ALL current restrictions and advice that applies to your area. You may need to re-arrange your event to meet these requirements. You may want to incorporate a National Families Week event into your everyday activities and use social media to promote your celebration.

For organisations and community groups, perhaps you could:

• Hold an Open Day for families to show what your agency or organisation does
• Make a National Families Week display in your foyer, service area or office highlighting what you do for families and what families mean to your organisation
• Erect displays in libraries, health centres, shopping centres etc
• Place a suggestion box in your foyer to encourage visitors to comment on your services
• Hold a picnic or BBQ for staff, clients or the public to showcase your services
• Host a family-friendly day in your workplace and encourage staff to bring children to work for the day
• Have a work experience day for youth from the local school or children of staff
• Hold seminars on topics relevant to the week for your clients and staff
• Hold an open forum to discuss the concerns of families and youth in your area
• Disseminate information on youth and families, parenting and the issues faced by families
• Look at your work and family policies. How effective are they? Are staff aware of them? Do they need updating?
• Produce a National Families Week edition of your newsletter or publications
• Arrange for feature articles to be placed in the media on local families and wellbeing
• Promote the Week and any events or activities you organise through community radio and TV commercials
• Have a photographic display or competition
• Hold a bush dance, hip-hop or a multicultural dance display
• Hold a writing or poetry competition – ask the local paper to publish entries
• Organise a concert
• Arrange a community outing to local areas of interest
• Arrange to do something special for a family in difficult circumstances e.g. a gift hamper, arrange babysitting, take the children to a movie
• Promote the achievements of local families through recognition awards
• Promote the diversity of families in your local area
• Honour families and youth who are an inspiration to you
• Investigate families’ needs, the issues they face and review services accordingly
• Link up and organise events with service clubs, community organisations and service providers and agencies in your area – include invitations to more disadvantaged members of your area
• Provide colouring in sheets for children in public contact areas
• Provide discount entry to your facility for families
• Record interviews with people in your community to build an oral history
• Sponsor or raise funds for a local family or youth related community project

For families and individuals, perhaps you could:

• Give kids lots of hugs and smiles
• Take time just to be with children
• Remember to look after adult relationships
• Ask for help if you need it
• Have a family movie marathon
• Have a family sports carnival
• Hold a family talent quest night
• Have a family games night
• Tell each other what makes your family great!
• ‘Adopt’ a granny or grandpa at the local nursing home or hostel
• Encourage your family to make short movies on issues important to them – and then hold a “Movie Premiere Night”
• Be active and eat healthy foods together
• Have a special family breakfast before work and/or school
• Let the children make dinner for the adults – and choose the entertainment!
• Organise a family walkathon
• Organise a street party
• Take some family photos or create a family album or book

The types of events are only limited by your imagination! Many of these ideas are interchangeable between organisations and families.

If you are holding a public event be sure to check whether you need public liability insurance.