You can strengthen family relationships when you spend quality time together. Plus, coming together as a family can help build precious bonds. Spending time as a family opens lines of communication that can last a lifetime. Even from a young age, a child will develop a healthy sense of security and belonging when spending time as a family unit.
Here are my top 5 ways to strengthen family relationships:
1) Put it on the agenda.
Make family time part of your schedule. It doesn’t matter what age your children are, bringing everyone together at the same time can be tricky. Babies and toddlers have naps and early bedtimes and school-aged kids have friends and extra-curricular activities. So, add it to your weekly or monthly calendar and treat it like an appointment that has an outrageous cancellation fee.
2) Gather at the dinner table.
It can be difficult when children are young, but try to eat your evening meal as a family as often as possible. How many of you remember the good old days of playing outside with your friends until you all went home to eat supper with your families? Ok, so maybe not everyone has this past time in common, but if you know what I’m talking about, create that experience for your family. Barring any extra curricular activities, I think at least once a week is an attainable goal to meet as a family for dinner. Be sure to lay down some rules, such as no electronics. Keep the topics of conversations focused on your children and make them feel important and loved (even more than you think you already are).
3) Implement family chore time.
When we are at our house, Saturdays are cleaning days. My daughter and son have specific cleaning responsibilities, and my husband’s role is to oversee my son’s progress (a.k.a do a second clean right after my son gives it a go). I take care of a deep kitchen clean and the wood floors and in about an hour, we are all done! In my opinion, simple cleaning tasks should be expected from children and don’t necessarily need to be monetized. However, if you are having a hard time incentivizing, you always have the option to offer allowance in exchange for labor.
4) Make a family affirmation statement.
As a teacher, one of the first things I do at the start of the school year is work with the class to come up with a set of expectations. When you think about affirmation statements, they are really just expectations you want yourself to reach and maintain. So, why can’t the same theory be used for a family as a whole? Give it a try! Let all (if possible) family members have some input and repeat your family mantra, if you will, daily!
5) Make downtime required.
Growing up, I went to summer camp. It was just a week, and it was nothing fancy (think cabins with cots and lots of spiders), but it had so many wonderful aspects. Each day we had a schedule and all of camp had “Toes-up” at the same time each day. Our counselors ensured that we “rested” and stayed on our own cots for a full hour. Sometimes I napped, but most times I wrote a letter to my parents or passed notes with my bunkmates. The point is, “toes up” became expected and welcomed as the week progressed. I had the time to recharge and reflect and it was just an overall calming time. Kids need this time! Parents need this time! Do it as a family. Read together, lay on the couch and chat or just be silent. Make it a part of your daily routine and you won’t be disappointed!
You can strengthen family relationships right away!
One way your children learn is by example. It’s never too soon to implement these family quality time tips. Show your family that you want to spend time with them and that they are worthy of your time, too. Make these new ideas into habits and prioritize the special time you can have together.
Not sure you have the time?
Before I became a digital business owner, I didn’t always have the time I wanted to spend with my family. Sometimes, I double-dipped and used family meals as down time and family affirmation time. That’s three in one right there! As you get better at following your self-proclaimed schedule, the timing will become easier. Until then, do your best and give yourself grace!
