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Sharing quality time is critical to strengthening your family bonds. It helps build a sense of belonging and security. But the positives don't stop there. Children develop higher self-esteem, become better friends, and even improve their academic performance.
But how do you go about bringing your family closer together? We have you covered if you're looking for ways to make bonding fun. Read on to learn ten fun ideas you can start today!
1. Schedule Family Time
Once children become school-aged, especially teenagers, it can be difficult to find time to spend together. Schedule it if you want to make sure you can get that quality time you all need.
Find a block of time that fits into everyone's schedule. Make sure everyone sets that time aside as family time. If possible, try to choose a regular night once a week when you can all know you'll have time together.
You can choose any activity you want to do this time, whether it's playing a game or going for a walk. Participating in an active pursuit can help build bonds and healthy habits!
Quality time spent at home with your family is important, but you can also plan outings to do something more unique together. A day trip once a month is the perfect way to add excitement and fun to your family time.
Related: Why Movement Matters for Your Kids
2. Create New Traditions
You might already have some family traditions you inherited from your own family, but that doesn't mean you can't start your own!
These traditions can be any size and complexity you want. For instance, every Saturday night could be movie night. Even small, infrequent traditions like going strawberry picking in the summer or going to a local festival each year are great options. These are the kinds of memories your children will look back fondly on.
3. Sit Down for Meals Together
Eating meals as a family strengthens bonds and encourages communication. But did you know it can positively impact your children's mental and physical well-being?
Busy schedules may make it difficult to get everyone together. But even a few nights each week is better than none. If dinner is too difficult, try scheduling family breakfasts!
If you want to take it a step further, why not turn dinner into an activity too? Have a conversation and share your culture at mealtime. Children will love learning more about your family's traditions and coming up with new ones. Plus, it may spark even more interesting conversation!
Looking for more activity ideas you can do as a family? Check out our Activities for Kids, Adults, and Families!
4. Make Chores a Family Activity
Tackling chores makes them go much faster, but it also helps create a strong sense of teamwork. This is especially true if one person finishes early and helps another with their chores.
Start by making a list of chores and allowing everyone to sign up for the ones they'll do. Then, schedule a time when everyone can work on their chores simultaneously. You might need to give a bit more flexibility if teens have a demanding schedule.
If you want to add a positive reward, get together to watch a movie, play a game, or even get ice cream together once you're all finished.
5. Check-In via Family Meetings
Encouraging communication is key to healthy relationships. But finding time to check in with everyone can be difficult. To combat this, schedule regular family meetings when you can discuss plans, air grievances, and generally check in with everyone.
Make sure to set some guidelines, such as respectfully discussing issues. Everyone should know that they cannot talk when someone else is discussing. You may even want to create an agenda to structure the meeting.
6. Encourage Support
If you want to build strong family bonds, everyone needs to know they are supported. You can do this by encouraging everyone to learn what's important to each person. They should also learn what they can do to support others.
This makes it much easier for family members to share good and bad news while knowing they'll have support and a loving response. This makes it easier to get through difficult times together.
Related: The Best Gift You Can Give Your Kids
7. Don't Forget Downtime
Family time is critical to family relationships, but so is downtime. Kids need quiet time to help them recharge. Don't be afraid to encourage your kids to do a quiet, calm activity like writing a letter.
This also gives you time for yourself, which is just as crucial for your parenting ability. You shouldn't feel bad about taking a break. Giving yourself the time you need will help you be a better parent.
8. Volunteer Together
Giving, whether time, energy, or money, makes us happier and more grateful. It's also a learning experience that you can share with your family.
Finding somewhere to volunteer together will help your child improve their self-esteem, life satisfaction, and overall mental and physical health. It also helps them gain an appreciation of people who are different from them, as it allows them to interact with many different people.
9. Support Each Other's Interests
It's important that you support your children's passions so they know you are interested in what they feel and are interested in. You don't need to take a leadership role in their activities. But showing up to activities and showing you are there to support and assist them is important.
Talk to your kids about their activities, whether they are organized or not. You can also try to take an active role by doing or practicing the activity with them. Don't be afraid to ask your children how you can help support their interests. Doing so will help them feel better, knowing you support them and care about their activities.
Related: Not All Screen Time is Created Equal
10. Build Relationships with Other Families
Getting involved with the community and other families can help you build ties within your own family. You'll have the opportunity to spend time together while also seeing how your family members interact with other people.
Spending time with people outside their family helps children learn how to interact with others, strengthening their social skills. This is easier because they can use your actions as cues. But it also gives them a natural way to engage.
Strengthen Your Family Bonds
Finding ways to get your family together can be difficult with your busy schedules. But it's crucial to do so. By choosing a few fun activities to do together, you can make it much easier for your family to bond with each other.
Movement-focused activities are a great way to bring families together while promoting healthy habits. Sign up for our Free Membership Plan, and get two free fitness class passes!
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