One. Get active at a local gym or fitness centre together
The YMCA has seven locations across Calgary with a wide variety of classes, activities, open gym times, and family programming options. And fun fact: Most of their drop-in classes (included with your membership) are open to children ages ten and up! That means you can take yoga, Zumba, strength classes, aqua classes, or cycle “spin” classes together as a family!
My son and I have started attending cardio drumming classes together, and it’s the most fun you’ll ever have at a gym pounding on large fit balls with drumsticks following patterns choreographed to upbeat music.
Other recommended drop-in activities for parents and youth include badminton, volleyball, indoor climbing, pickleball, or hockey.
The City of Calgary Recreation facilities also offer an impressive range of affordable options for every age and ability. From swimming, skating, fitness centres, and climbing walls to drop-in sports, family gym times, and registered programs, they're a budget-friendly way to stay active together year-round. Many activities are available on a drop-in basis, making it easy to fit family fun into even the busiest schedules. Beyond City facilities, Calgary is also home to several outstanding community recreation centres and athletic facilities including Trico Centre for Family Wellness that offer additional programs and activities for families of all ages.
Two. Take an art class together
Families can take art lessons together through specialized crafting workshops, drop-in pottery painting, and pottery wheel classes.
A few notable options to start with include:
I recommend checking your local community centre for more programs and options. Some stores in Calgary, such as Michaels, host family crafting days. You can also pick up crafting kits to enjoy at home together with your family.
Three. Take up geocaching as a family
Once you purchase the geocaching app for your phone, this activity is 100 percent free and you can do it anywhere you visit, travel, or live.
Download an app, search for caches near your house (or near a park you want to visit on a weekend) and then head out to explore with good footwear and a simple geocaching kit which should include a pencil, a fresh notebook for caches where one might be missing, wet, or full, and a few small tradable items that you’ll exchange for other trinkets you find in the cache.
This activity can be enjoyed year-round, and it encourages active living as you get out for a walk with your family while searching for treasure.
Four. Join a mixed choir with your teenager
The YMCA has a mixed choir for adults and youth 15 and up. It’s not included in a basic membership, but the fee to join is affordable. Participating branches include the Brookfield Residential YMCA at Seton in the SE and Shane Homes YMCA at Rocky Ridge in the NW.
No previous musical or vocal experience is required to join, and you don’t have to be a YMCA member. The choir is offered by session a few times per year, and attendees participate once a week.
Five. Teach your kids to cook (and make it fun!)
This one will benefit the entire family in the long run if the kids/teenagers start pitching in to help cook dinner. First though, you have to frame it as a fun thing to do together as a family (and not work).
Have fun and above all, start with interests your children or youth already have. You’ll get a larger “buy-in” if family time matches activities they already want to do.
Tanya is a freelance writer and mom to a spunky boy. She loves hiking, camping, skiing, and all things mountain-related. She is the author of the blog Family Adventures in the Canadian Rockies, rockiesfamilyadventures.com. You can find her on Instagram @MountainMomYYC.
See our related articles:
Calgary’s Child Magazine © 2026 Calgary’s Child
