Easy Ways to have Family time

These days it seems like just about every family gathering or activity involves a screen. It doesn’t have to be this way, if us as parents will put forth some effort into planning some family time. To many times we default to the easy things of going see a movie together or even just video games. There is nothing wrong with these but in many times there is very little talking amongst the family that occurs. As parents we want to know what's happening in our kids lives but sometimes it feels like we are pulling their teeth to get them to talk. I believe there are two activities that we could be doing as a family that will help us communicate more and have fun together.

The first thing to do is craft together. I know many think crafting is something old grandmas do, but that's not the case as crafting is just doing something with your hands. Craftings can mean a family coloring contest, a jewelry making night, scrapbooking, fort making, or a painting night. Honestly, it can be just about anything that you are using your hands to make. One that we recently did as a family was we made a cardboard dollhouse and it was a blast. The boys didn’t like calling it a dollhouse so they just call it a house. So bring the family together and get to crafting. We have also done Jewelry making as well as a coloring contest. Sometimes for the craft night, we will even make cards to send to relatives for birthdays or fun events.

The second suggestion is to have a game night. Our family loves game nights because you can switch up which games you play, even on occasion we will do a video game night with some old school games that everyone can play. Some of our families favorite board games are Monopoly, Connect Four, Ticket To Ride, and Catan. The best part is that as your kids get older and you have that moment when your kids beat you for the first time and you didn’t let them win. That moment is a sad but yet joyous one as you are proud that they won, but from now on you have to bring your A game. Sometimes we will mix it up with our favorite card games like War, Uno or 500. The best part about game night is we play, laugh and even talk as a family. Many times our kids end up sharing about things happening with friends or school that we wouldn’t have known otherwise.

The beauty of crafting or game night is that the options are endless. You can switch it up every single time over a year and still never run out of new crafts or card games to try. The best part is that as you spend this time as a family you will find that at first they may not be so gungho about these nights, but over time they will start asking when the next one is. Don’t wait, plan a craft or game night for your family this week and enjoy the time together.

David is on Dad journey with 4 kids and an amazing wife. He writes about Funny Lessons, Money, Dad Life, Tech and even meals.