Editor's Pick Their 3 Favorite Family Bonding Activities
Doing things together as a family is an important part of keeping the family unit bond strong. The problem is that thinking of things to do as a family that everyone can enjoy, that fit into your schedule and that aren’t too expensive can be a challenge. We tapped 3 of our editors, who also happen to be very busy working moms, for each of their favorite bonding activities.
The Benefit of a Bond
Modern-day families spend less and less time together as other distractions take over, and parents both work full-time jobs. Actively planning activities to spend quality time as a family - and also finding this time to spend as a family together to bond is important. New family units can especially benefit greatly from these activities and spending quality time together. if you’re a foster parent providing care for a foster child through a foster agency like fcascotland.co.uk, or if you’re a newly blended family with stepchildren, then this time to bond and integrate could be arguably even more important.
Emily: A Picnic
Not only do our kids get fresh air and have plenty of space to run around and have fun, but we also get to enjoy each other’s company away from the normal, at-home distractions. The fun of a picnic starts before we head off to the park too. We let the kids help plan the picnic by taking them shopping, where we let them pick out a couple of their favorite foods, snacks or a drink to include in the picnic hamper. Grab a blanket, some paper plates and a ball to kick around and we’re all set for a fun family picnic that honestly becomes the highlight of a lot of warm-weather weekends - and even the cooler ones too!
Ruti: Bedtime Stories
Almost all of us have fond memories of our parents reading us a story before bedtime. We like to pick an age-appropriate book that will take a few nights to finish and read it aloud to our kids for a few minutes every night until we finish it together. Even better, we love it when we find a series of books that we can read to them that can keep the kids entertained for longer! We even revisited the same books our parents read to us, although to be honest, a lot of them felt kind of dated this time around! But kids’ classics like Enid Blyton’s Magic Faraway Tree or The Famous Five have been updated to be relevant and entertaining to kids even today.
Eli: Cook or Bake Together
Food is one of those universal things that bring people together no matter their differences, which makes it a great family bonding activity too. Ha. One suggestion is to let your kids choose the meal or the baked treats and help them make it. We usually incorporate it into the evening meal and the kids feel such a sense of pride, having prepared the family dinner together. Not only that, but we’re be teaching our kids to cook and be comfortable in the kitchen too, which is a vital life skill.
