How to Plan a Family Picnic

Disclosure: In any review for a product or service, products or compensation may have been provided to me to help facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” and "Terms of Use" tabs for more information.

So, the family’s decided to go on a picnic. When it comes to planning that kind of
event, most people would probably think that it’s a pretty easy thing to do. After all, what
do you need besides a blanket, some food and a basket?

If you want an average kind of picnic, nothing.

But if you want one that will seem like more than eating tuna sandwiches outside for
lunch, here are some recommended steps that can make your family picnic a fun and
memorable experience.

Determine the time of day you want to go. If you have younger
children (that are on a sleep schedule), then you’ll probably want to do the traditional
midday kind of picnic. But if your kids are older, who said that a picnic has to be at
noon? Instead of Saturday morning cartoons, maybe have a breakfast-themed picnic,
instead. Or, perhaps opt for watching the sunset by having a picnic at dusk.

Select the perfect location. When it comes to just about everything
in life, “Location, location, location!” is key. Picnics tend to be more enjoyable when
there’s not a lot of traffic, people or even pets around (to try and join in on your dining
experience). Therefore, instead of automatically going to the closest or most popular
park, think of other places that would be just as good (if not better). It could be at the
backyard of a family friend’s home or somewhere by a lake. Or, you can stay close to
home and build a tent in the backyard or even eat in the back of your pickup truck.

Make the cuisine a collaborative effort. Once you’ve decided
when to have the picnic, it’s the time to determine what will go on the menu. Sure,
deli sandwiches will work, but there’s no rule that it has to be limited to something that
predictable. Tacos, sushi (on ice), pizza and even pasta are all foods that pack up very
well. So that everyone will feel like they played a role in the planning process, hold a
brief family meeting to see what everyone would like to have.

Package everything up nicely. A part of the joy of a
picnic experience is the presentation. Although you don’t need picnic baskets in order to have a picnic, they’re certainly a lot of fun, so why not pick up one or
two? If you want to make it a formal kind of picnic, then think “restaurant theme” as
you’re packing up the dishware and silverware. If it’s going to be more casual, there
are a lot of websites that offer recyclable picnic-ware including GreenPartyGoods,
EcoProductsStore and GreenOptimistic. And don’t forget to put some thought into
whatever one will be sitting on. Rather than using bedding from the house, why not stop
by a local thrift store to purchase a few blankets? And for extra cushion, put an egg crate
under them. You can find them and coil foam mattress pads for a pretty reasonable price
at Wal-Mart or Amazon.


Document it. There are a lot of people who have fond memories
about going on family picnics, but not a ton that have documented memories to show
for it. Whether it’s a camcorder, a digital camera or even just a cell phone (although try
and keep those down to a minimum!), make it a point to tape or photograph some part
of the experience. If it’s done right, there’s a huge chance that it will be something that
everyone will not want to forget. Quality time seems to always work out that way.