The National Family Council on Wednesday unveiled plans for its annual month-long National Family Celebrations, aimed at getting families to make time for their loved ones.

Kicking off the activities is the Eat With Your Family Day on May 29, organised by the Centre for Fathering, where companies are urged to release their staff earlier than usual so they can go home and have dinner with their families.

On May 30, families can take part in the free Family Day Out Carnival along the Singapore River, where they can participate in group activities such as a Lego building competition.

Other events include a talk on early parenting and a shadow play from France staged at the National Museum.

Mrs Josephine Teo, MP and co-chairman of the celebrations' organising committee, said: 'With the downturn, there is a lot of anxiety around...so the carnival is an excuse to come out and have fun. And spending time together as a family doesn't have to be expensive.'

A recent straw poll by the council of more than 300 Singaporeans showed that close to six in 10 people surveyed do not spend enough time with their families and most of them want to spend more time with them.

Four in 10 said they eat with their families at least four times a week, and a similar number go out with their families at least once a week.

And family 'comes first' for six in 10 polled, making it the top priority for most Singaporeans. This is followed by priorities such as going after 'personal pursuits and interests' and health.

Mr Lim Soon Hock, the council's chairman, said the poll was done to get an 'instant pulse' of how Singaporeans feel about their families, and the findings are consistent with past national surveys, showing that people still want to spend more time with their families and loved ones. Details of how to win the free tickets to the attractions can be found at www.nfc.sg