Tea parties these days are the classic territory of the little girl. She dresses up and serves a beverage to her favorite toys and maybe a friend or two.

Nothing wrong with doing this as a family, though.

Take some time and make it a little fun. Maybe make some cupcakes or another treat. If the kids don’t like tea, serve lemonade. Just relax and have fun.

What do you know about your family’s history? Have you discussed your family history with your children?

This can be a fun thing to do together, especially if grandparents or other relatives are visiting. Talk about things that each family member has done in their lifetime. Talk about family stories they know.

Many families have one or more members who really get into genealogy for a time. I had an uncle write a book on our family history, including plenty of stories about those ancestors he could find such information on. That book is a great resource for talking about my side of the family.

If you get into this one, it can last for years, and you can easily take notes and make your own family history book. There are tons of online resources to help you learn about your family history. It might just be your new hobby.

I know it’s Black Friday, and it’s just about impossible to think about doing free things when there are so many great sales out there. I prefer avoiding the crowds, and so I’m sticking with the Free Fun Friday thing.

This week my suggestion is to make a family cook book. Figure out what everyone’s favorite recipes are. Type them up and print them out.

I like to use a 3 ring binder and sheet protectors so that I can organize my recipes as I like and not worry about the inevitable splashing that happens when I cook.

Get the box of chalk out and start drawing on the sidewalk with the kids. You don’t have to be a great artist to do this one. The kids sure won’t care. You can always sweep it away if you don’t like how your work turned out.

If you’re in an area without sidewalks, you may have a driveway or walkway up to your home that can be used.

You could also just try drawing a game on the ground. Kids love hopscotch, and what’s more classic than a chalk hopscotch game?

You probably enjoyed making paper airplanes as a kid. Why not go at it again with the whole family?

If you don’t remember how to fold a paper airplanes, there are online instructions to make a variety of planes, from simple to more complex.

It’s also a great way to reuse paper, so long as it’s still in good shape. Or the kids can decorate the paper before or after folding.

Kids are likely to enjoy competing with their planes, seeing whose plane can fly the longest, highest or whatever. If you’re worried about things being knocked over by paper airplanes or (more likely) over exuberant children chasing after their planes, make sure you send them outside to fly the planes.