What is a company family day?

A company family day is an event where employees bring their partners, children and sometimes friends to celebrate together, at the office, a park or a rented venue. It usually runs about three hours on a weekend afternoon, with activities for each age group.

What is a friends and family day at work?

It is a company family day with a wider guest list: each employee can bring a friend, a parent or a roommate as well as their own family. Set a guest limit per employee so you can plan food and space.

Is family day the same as bring your child to work day?

No. Bring your child to work day is a school-day visit in April where kids see what their parents do at work. A family day is a party for the whole family, usually on a weekend. See our bring your child to work day guide.

What activities work for a family day with kids of all ages?

Run stations by age at the same time: sensory bins and a soft-play corner for toddlers, an obstacle course and kitchen science for young kids, an escape box for tweens, a video game tournament for teens. Then bring everyone together for one show or a family quiz.

How can remote employees join a company family day?

Ship a kit workshop to their home, like cookie decorating, and run it live on a video call so every family makes the same thing together. Book about 3 weeks ahead for US addresses.

When is Family Day in Canada?

Family Day is a February public holiday in several Canadian provinces, including British Columbia and Ontario. In British Columbia it falls on Monday, February 15, 2027. Check your own province for its date.

Company family day ideas

A company family day is a party where employees bring their partners and kids, held at the office, a park or a rented venue, usually for about three hours on a weekend afternoon. Run activities for each age group side by side, add one show everyone watches together, and give remote staff a version they can do at home.

KraftyLab TeamUpdated Oct 20267 min read

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A dad cheers on his young daughter in a sack race while a mom and her teenage son toss a flying disc at a company family day in a park

Family day, friends and family day, or child to work day?

Four events share the name. This guide is about the first two.

Company family day. Employees bring partners and kids to a party the company throws, usually on a weekend afternoon.
Friends and family day. The same idea with a wider guest list: each employee can bring a friend, a parent or a roommate.
Bring your child to work day. A school-day visit where kids see what their parents do; the 2026 date was Thursday, April 23, 2026.
Family Day in Canada. A February public holiday in several provinces; in British Columbia it falls on Monday, February 15, 2027.

Planning the school-day visit instead? Our take your child to work day guide has the agenda and activities by department.

Where to hold it: office, park or home

Pick by season and by how spread out your people are. Many companies do two: a party for local families and an online hour for remote ones. On a phone, swipe the table sideways.

Setting	Best for	Plan for
At the office	Families who want to see where you work	Locked rooms, cleared desks, a kid-safe route
Park or outdoor venue	Big groups, running kids, summer	Permits, shade, restrooms, a rain date
Rented venue	Winter, or a zoo, farm or museum day	Per-head tickets and a fixed end time
At home, online	Remote staff and spread-out teams	Kits shipped in time and a 60-minute call

Holding it outdoors in summer? Our company picnic ideas cover lawn games, food and heat. For a venue day with hosted activities, see company outings.

25 family day activities by age

Run the age groups as stations at the same time, each with one adult volunteer in charge.

Under 5

Short, soft and close to a grown-up.

1. Sensory bins: Tubs of dry pasta, scoops and cups on a mat, refilled by a volunteer.
2. Soft-play corner: Foam mats, big soft blocks and a gate, near where parents sit.
3. Play parachute: A rainbow parachute and a few light balls, led by one grown-up.
4. Puppet show: Two volunteers behind a table with sock puppets and a five-minute story.
5. Face painting: One painter, simple designs and a sign showing the choices.

Ages 5 to 8

Lots of doing, short turns, a prize for everyone.

6. Cardboard box cars: Kids decorate a box car, then sit in it for a short cartoon.
7. Cone obstacle course: Cones, hoops and a tunnel, timed with a stopwatch.
8. Kitchen science: Baking-soda volcanoes and color-changing milk, with goggles.
9. Balloon artist: One artist, a line that moves and a balloon for every child.
10. Cookie decorating table: Plain cookies, tubes of icing and sprinkles, one cookie each to eat.

Ages 9 to 12

Real challenges, teams and a little competition.

11. Brick-building challenge: Teams get the same bag of bricks and 20 minutes to build a bridge.
12. Escape box: A locked box, four clues around the room and a 15-minute timer.
13. Water bottle rockets: Bottles, a pump and a launch zone marked off on the grass.
14. Kids vs parents quiz: Ten questions each side should know, from cartoons to old songs.
15. Mini film crew: A phone, a tripod and one minute to film a commercial for the company.

Teens

Give them a role or a screen, not a coloring sheet.

16. Video game tournament: One console on the big screen with a bracket on a whiteboard.
17. Photo contest: Three categories, shot on phones, judged at the end of the day.
18. Junior helpers: Teens run a station for younger kids and get a thank-you gift card.
19. Career corner: Volunteers answer questions about first jobs, internships and college.
20. DJ booth: A teen picks the playlist for an hour from a family-friendly list.

Whole families together

The moments where parents and kids play on the same side.

21. Family portrait station: A photographer, a plain backdrop and 3 minutes per family.
22. Parent and kid relay: Each leg runs with one adult and one child holding hands.
23. Family talent spot: A small stage, a sign-up sheet and two minutes per act.
24. Care kit packing: Families pack hygiene kits for a local shelter, one table per family.
25. Magic show: A magician on stage or on the big screen, with kids picked as helpers.

Want the show handled? A magician on the big screen works in a room full of families, and a host can run team games for the grown-ups once the kids head home.

A sample three-hour family day

12:00Check-in: Wristbands, name tags and a map of the stations.
12:15Lunch: Food opens with kid plates and labeled allergy-safe options.
12:45Stations open: Age-group activities run side by side; families move freely.
1:45The big show: Everyone sits for a magic show, a talent spot or a family quiz.
2:30Portraits and dessert: Photo slots by family name while the dessert table opens.
2:50Thank-you and goodbye: Two minutes from a leader, then check-out with the same wristband.

Safety and logistics checklist

Kids change the plan. Nine things to settle before the invite goes out.

Register every guest. Names, ages, allergies, access needs and a parent's cell number on one form.
Write that number on the wristband. A lost child is a five-minute problem, not a thirty-minute one.
Kids stay with their grown-up. Say so in the invite: stations have helpers, not babysitters.
Ask before you post. A photo-consent box on the form, and a sticker for families who opt out.
Mark one meeting point. A flag or a balloon arch everyone can find, staffed all day.
Have first aid on site. A stocked kit and a named person who knows where it is.
Close off the risky parts. At the office: server rooms, kitchens, stairwells and anything with a blade.
Plan a quiet room. For naps, nursing, feeding and anyone who needs a break from the noise.
Keep the bar away from the kids. If adults drink, serve at a separate table and stop an hour before the end.

A family day for remote employees

Remote families can’t come to the park, but they can make the same thing at the same time. A kit workshop ships the supplies to each home and a live host leads everyone through it on a video call: cookie decorating works any time of year, and a gingerbread house makes a December family day. Prices below are live.

Ship one kit per person who'll take part. Kids count as guests, so add them to the headcount.
Book about 3 weeks ahead. Kit workshops need that for US addresses; with guests in Canada or abroad, book about 5 weeks out.
One hour is plenty. Most hosted workshops and shows run about 60 minutes, about right for kids on a call.
Pick a slot for both coasts. 11 a.m. Pacific is 2 p.m. Eastern, so nobody starts at breakfast.

A mother and two children decorate sugar cookies at their kitchen table while a video call plays on a laptop

The magic show needs no kit, so it books about 2 weeks ahead; more on our virtual magic show page. See every kit workshop, or for a whole company in several places at once, we can run several activities at the same time. Send your date and headcount and get a free quote with a full plan within 24 hours.