The Power of Togetherness: How To Enhance Family Bonding
Families that spend time together without distractions tend to focus more on one another. If you want to create a bond formed through intentional togetherness, it is easy to do. All you need is to engineer quality family time that is fun and meaningful. You can do it through everyday play or take opportunities to make life’s daily work more enjoyable by accomplishing it as a team. Continue reading for some helpful tips to bring your family together.
Play Games Together
Spending time with your family and playing games is one of the best ways to bond. After all, when playing games, laughter usually ensues, and everyone leaves the interaction feeling happy and closer than before.
Start with some easy online games you can quickly connect with anywhere. Whether you are at home, on the go, or in a waiting room, you can pick out a few games conveniently on your smartphone and get started – no extra game board required. Challenge one another to see who can beat a high score and work on your strategic skills together.
Other fun games include tried-and-true board games. There is a broad range of options available for every age and skill set. Look for ones that require collaboration or negotiation skills. Other options include using deductive reasoning or math skills that make learning fun and engaging. Create a family game night every Friday or whenever the weather is bleak outside. You will find that everyone looks forward to these moments.
Going outside into the fresh air is always a win for kids. Set out a bucket of chalk and their favorite race cars to create a track. Even better, make a large race track on the driveway for them to bike, scooter, or rollerblade around and work on their coordination. If you have a basketball hoop, play an easy game of horse or a more competitive one-on-one match. Older kids like to beat their parents, and they will definitely want to keep improving their skills. Playing catch in the backyard is a great way to connect. You do not need to say much, nor does your kid. If they have had a bad day, they can be with you out in nature and just throw and catch. The rhythm and your quiet company might entice them to share whatever is going on in their world.
Grow Something Together
Planting seeds, nurturing them, and watching them grow is not a quick endeavor. It is a chance to teach patience and learn about the results you can achieve through persistence and work. Growing something is also a way to show your kids that things will not always turn out the way you want them to. This is especially true when the seeds do not germinate or little bunnies get into your garden and enjoy the produce before you do.
During the colder months before spring, sit down and plan your garden. Decide where you want it to be – perhaps you can pull up some grass or create a container garden if you lack a lot of space. Select what you want to grow. Give everyone a chance to pick a few things. If they pick pineapples and you live in Alaska, this is a good opportunity to teach them about growing zones. Look for easy plants that are hardy and grow well, along with seeds that take extra nurturing and care.Conduct research on the ideal planting depth, container size, and growing time. Once the seeds are in the ground, make gardening a family affair. Your kids will be amazed at what they can do with a little effort and guidance from you.
Spend Time with Older Generations
If you are lucky enough to have your grandparents with you still or have a great set of parents, lean into their years of experience. Schedule time for your family to be together or for your kids and parents to spend quality time with one another. Older generations have a wealth of knowledge and life experiences to pass on to the younger generations and can create tighter family bonds.
Watch this video to learn about the powerful impact grandparents can have on a kid’s life.
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Ask Questions During Meals
As you sit down together and eat, let conversations take whatever twists and turns they always take when talking through everyone’s day. If the conversation slows or you want to energize the moment, bring out some questions. They can be “Would you rather?” questions or “If you had a million dollars, what would you do?” or anything you can think of. The answers your family comes up with will lead to more questions as you have fun and learn more about one another.
You can always pull out your smartphone and find a never-ending supply of questions online, but then you are staring into your phone. A text might pop up or a notification that takes your attention away from your family. Avoid this potential pitfall by printing a list of fun family questions you can rotate throughout the year. Try cutting the questions into strips and placing them in a jar to keep on the counter.
Do Work Together
If your kids groan a little bit when asked to do the dishes after sharing a meal, it is time to reframe the way you approach work. Instead of leaving your child to do the dishes alone just because it is their turn, roll your sleeves up and do it as a team.
Put on a great playlist and get everyone involved in whatever house or yard task is before you. Make it a competition to see who can finish first. Have fun with the process and show your kids that doing work is necessary but does not need to be boring or dreaded. By reframing your responsibilities, you will create more opportunities for family fun time no matter what you are doing while modeling good behavior yourself.
It is time to bring your family together. Create bonds and memories that will last a lifetime through games, gardening, and the little moments in life. Add in older generations to show their wisdom and unique perspectives to your kids. Just by spending time together, you will reap the benefits of what you sow.
