Not spending enough time with family members has quickly started to become a huge problem in North American society.
For adults, inflexible and long work hours often make it hard to set out time to spend with family members. The problem isn’t just with adults though. Because of the rise of technology, more and more children often spend an increasing amount of time shut up in a room while on their computers or playing video games.With the Family Day holiday coming up, try using this time to better bond and re-connect with your busy family. Here are five ways to show your family that you love them and enjoy their company.
If you’re looking to bond with your family, nothing beats going on a little road trip. Make this trip about just you and your family. Turn your cell phone off and tell your children to leave their cell phones and gaming devices at home.
Spend the time on the road talking and catching up with your family. Ask the kids about school, any personal problems they’re having, etc.
While the destination isn’t really important as the journey itself, ideally you’d want to go somewhere that everyone in your family will enjoy. If your trip will take a couple of days, consider going to a different town and take in some new sights. If it’s a short trip, go see a popular attraction nearby and round things off with dinner at a nice restaurant.
Cooking with your kids can be a really fun experience. By getting the kids involved in the kitchen, you can also lessen the strain of cooking on you or your spouse during a holiday.
Start off by gathering everyone together and reading up on a recipe. Try making something new and exciting. Make sure that all of your family members approve of the recipe. The last thing you want is alienating someone by making someone they don’t like.
Get everyone involved by making each person in charge of preparing a certain ingredient. At the same time, it’s also important that you keep this fun for your family members and not overwhelm them. Be there to help out if things get tricky. If your kids are young, try doing the actual cooking on the stove or the oven yourself.
You don’t need to go on a long road trip just to spend some time outside with your family. There are often tons of family entertainment options in the city that are near your home.
Take everyone out to see a movie and vote on the movie selection as a family before going. If you want to do an activity that’s a little more physical; go to a bowling alley, indoor rock climbing facility, game arcade, etc. Again, it’s really important that you vote on an activity as a family beforehand.
Round things off with a little shopping trip and give the kids a little allowance to buy whatever they want. End the day with a trip to a restaurant that everyone likes.
Starting a project together with your family is a great way to bond together. Whatever you create also becomes a priceless treasure full of memories.
This project could be anything. Build a scrapbook full of your family’s ancestral history and ask everyone to do their research. Plant a tree or do some other gardening. Restore the old family car. Create a piece of furniture or decoration together. Renovate a section of the house.
Like always, make sure everyone is interested in undertaking the project before starting it. Give each person a meaningful role so they feel involved. Just make sure that you’re there to directly supervise if hazardous tools or materials are involved.
Leaving the confines of your home isn’t always necessary to have a little family time. For busy families, the greatest gift that you can give each other is your time. So, show your family that you love them by spending the day together at home.
There are many fun activities that you can do with your family at home. Watch TV together, help out with chores, play board games, have a scavenger hunt, do arts and craft, etc.
On a serious note, if you never get enough time to be involved with your children’s schoolwork, take this opportunity to do so. Help out with homework and look at your child’s past projects/tests.
Congratulate your children if they’ve done well in school. If they haven’t done well, start involving yourself with their education more seriously and consider hiring a tutor. Sometimes, a little praise or attention from a family member is worth more than any present.
