Naturally Healthy Parenting The parent's guide to a healthy family
As you know, I’m happily married and have four beautiful children. I love to spend time with my family and create new memories with each other. I know that for many, it can be difficult at times to bond with your family. Bonding becomes much harder if you have a large extended family. Work and other commitments can get in the way. I’ve been thinking about ways that you can spend time with your family and make sure it’s fun for everyone.
Get Back To Nature
Getting out in the garden is a good way to spend time with your nearest and dearest. I’d like to try my hand at planting a vegetable garden with the kids. It’s great way to get your children learning about nature and grow tasty edibles.
I’d also suggest going on nature walks. Bring a camera, a picnic and some information on the local wildlife. This way you can document your adventures and spot wildlife with the kids! It also gives you a chance to sit down to your picnic and just enjoy the outdoors.
Take Time Off Work
It’s important that if you work a lot, you take time away from the office. Use a few of your holidays a year and dedicate them to your family. Family doesn’t have to mean your partner or children. Use this time to make an effort to visit relatives further afield. It may be a fun adventure too!
Host A Game Night
Hosting a game night is an easy way to get your loved ones to visit. Open up the phone book and invite family members you’ve not had the chance to see for a while. If you want to keep it simple, stick to your immediate family.
You could play board games or card games and activities like charades. If the young people in your life have a short attention span, you could look at family-friendly video games. There are plenty of different types of games out there for you to try, so try to make it a regular event. If you like a little bit of competition, you could even have a scoreboard.
Create A Story
Children are incredibly creative and have such vivid imaginations. I love to encourage creativity in my kids. I thought it would be a lovely idea to sit down together and create a story or coming book. Even if you don’t think you’re much of a storyteller, your kids will still love it!
Have A Photoshoot
A family photo shoot can be a lot of fun. Don’t stress yourself out and try to perfect the details. Try a fun, spontaneous family photo shoot. You can just laugh, pull funny faces and enjoy the experience. If you don’t want to go to a professional, use your digital camera or your phone. You could create a family selfie album!
Make A Memory Box
If you’ve tried some of my suggestions, I think it’s a beautiful idea to collect your adventures into a memory box. You can even get a personalised memory box to commemorate a special occasion or date you sharw with your family. Every time you try a new experience, remember to take photographs and collect reminders. Then, if you ever need reminding of the special times you’ve spent together, you can sit down with the closest people in your life. I can guarantee you’ll all be smiling!
Send A Gift
Nothing puts a smile on someone’s face like an unexpected gift. Sometimes we just can travel to see all our family, so why not send a small gift? It could be as simple as a framed photo or something you’ve made at home. If you’ve had visitors or been to any family parties, send thank you flowers. It will be appreciated, and you may even get something unexpected back that makes you smile.
Get Crafty
I enjoy creating items for around the house, but it doesn’t have to be a solo project. Working on a home improvement is a nice way to spend time with my husband. There are easier home crafts that are suitable for younger children.
It doesn’t just have to be items for around the house. You can get creative try making toys or crafts for the different holidays and seasons.
Go On Holiday
Family holidays are the obvious choice for bonding time. Spending time somewhere new brings people closer together. Though, you don’t have to go far for it to be a holiday.
If your family loves the outdoors, you could have a camping or fishing holiday somewhere close to your hometown. Even just a long weekend to an amusement park is a nice way to create new memories together.
Have A Movie Marathon
You don’t need to go out to bond with your family. Sometimes it’s nice to stay in with a few good movies and have a lazy evening. To make it more interesting, I like to make popcorn. You could even have the occasional movie quiz after for extra fun!
Host A Dinner Party
Hosting a dinner party can scare some people off because they think it’ll be too much work. If you’ve never had a dinner party before or are nervous about cooking for a large group of people, there are ways around it.
Hosting a barbecue is a simple way to get the family around and enjoy good food. It’s simple cooking and good fun. You can also carve out a specific area to play games as well while you’re grilling. Just make sure to check with your propane supplier, like Wendt’s Propane & Oil (visit wendtspropaneandoil.com to learn more), for instance. This may help ensure that your grill is ready to go and you have enough fuel before the party begins. Also, encourage your guests to bring food too, so there’s plenty to go around, and consider setting up a drink station where everyone can mix their own beverages.
You could also have a buffet style party and get your children involved in the cooking. Make lots of small, quick treats that everyone can enjoy. It feels good to say your kids helped out too!
Contribute To Charity
The beautiful thing about charity is that it’s something that you can do with all the family. Find a cause which means something to you and your family. You could then volunteer at a soup kitchen together or get involved in a charity run. I like to do other simple things, such as collecting clothes and toys as a family so that we can give them to people in need.
If you have any other ideas for ways to bond with your family, leave a comment below.
