Family Activities to Do Before You Send Your Kid to College
Bonding Time Can Be Fun, Too!
You’ve seen the scenes from teen comedies where the lame parents force their kids to do some “fun” activity with their family, and they moan and groan and complain until they realize family bonding can actually be fun?
That bonding time becomes even more important when you’re about to send your kid off to what amounts to being the longest, most expensive, and most important sleepaway camp ever: college.
So, hurry up and get started on hanging out together as a family! And then, after you drop your kid off at college, send them a care package from My College Crate to show them you care. (Seriously, you become the cool mom or dad when you send treats to the dorm. We promise.)
Activity Ideas for Family Time
- Take in a drive-in movie. If you’re lucky enough to live near one of these nostalgic throw-backs, make family movie night one to remember. Choose a film everyone will like, and head to the theater. Pop open your hatchback or pile into the truck bed with blankets, pillows, and snacks, and enjoy a movie under the stars.
- Make dinner, Iron Chef style. Choose ingredients for the entree and side dishes, and pit your family members against each other as you come up with the most delicious meal you can with limited ingredients and a time limit. Who doesn’t love a little friendly competition?
- Shop for dorm supplies. It sounds more like a chore, but you can make this a special shopping trip your college student will remember for years to come. Look around for coordinating room decor to make a cohesive style; visit multiple stores to get the best deals on bedding, full-length mirrors, lounge chairs, and school supplies. Take a break for lunch between stores and share your best college memories.
- Visit a family-favorite destination. Whether it’s a theme park, a favorite restaurant, a camp site, or a vacation spot, you’ll relive past memories and make new ones in a place your entire family already loves. It’s a win-win-win!
- Find teachable moments everywhere. Your child is about to become more independent than they’ve ever been! Keep your eyes and ears peeled for everyday moments when you might be able to impart some wisdom. Maybe it’s how to pick the best fruit in the produce section of the grocery store. Maybe it’s how to maintain a car by checking the oil, transmission fuel, and tires. Or maybe it’s something completely different. Whatever the moment looks like to your family, take advantage of it!
- Binge-watch a show together on Netflix. Sure, it might be hard to find something to watch that the entire family likes, but it can surely be done! Pop some popcorn, bake some homemade cookies, press “play,” and enjoy. Bonus points if you watch for so long you have to let Netflix know, yes, you’re still there.
- Pamper yourselves. If you can, head to a local day spa to enjoy manicures, pedicures, or massages. Yes, even men can enjoy a good pedicure — just skip the nail polish, if they’d prefer. These activities don’t take all day, so you can still squeeze in other fun things to do later.
Pick out a snack box subscription and order the first one together to be delivered to their dorm! At My College Crate, we specialize in monthly care packages for college students! We think our boxes are the best in the biz, because we carefully curate the best snacks, microwaveable meals, sweets, and school supplies — plus surprises! — and never charge shipping on subscriptions. Shop now!
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