Things to Do as a Family

Families can bond by doing things together. Here are a few ideas for you and your family to do when you are together.

Play board games. Playing board games is a great family activity. There are some board games out there that are for both children and adults.

Go to the park and have a picnic together. Assign each person to help with the picnic in some way. For example, someone can make the foods for the picnic, someone else can pack the items and another person can do the clean up. This way your family will be working as a team and no one will feel like they have to do all the work.

Go to see a movie. You could all go and see an animated movie that is good for both adults and children.

Go to an amusement park. Go to an amusement park that is within driving distance and spend the day having fun with your family, enjoying the amusement rides and other fun things to do there.

Go to the zoo.

Go out to dinner. Going out to dinner with the family is a nice way to get some family bonding time. It gives you time to all be together without anyone having to cook or do the dishes. The focus is all on you and your family.

Make a family photo album. Collect all your family pictures and put them in a photo album and add captions or silly phrases to them.

Visit extended family. Visit grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. Maybe you have an elderly relative who might like someone to come and visit them once in awhile. This way you are not only bonding with your immediate family but also with your extended family as well.

Take a piece of paper and a pen and give one to each member of your immediate family. Make a list of 3 things that you like about each other. Then when you are done writing about each person, hand the person your paper and let them read it out loud. This is a nice way to connect with each other.

Read a nice story out loud. Have someone read a really good story out loud to everyone in the family. This is good for families with small children.

Go to a museum or an aquarium. If you have small children, make sure it is a child friendly museum. You don't want children to get bored, you want them to be able to have fun with you and enjoy your time as a family.

Draw. Get out some paper, markers, pencils, crayons. See how well each person can draw each other.

Go for a family bike ride on a trail in the park.

Plan a day trip to the beach, the mountains or somewhere that your family likes to take a mini vacation that is within reasonable driving distance.

Cook or bake together. Maybe some can do the cooking together for dinner and some can do the baking for dessert. Try to do it as a family. Many families bond over sharing a meal together.

If you have older children, you can volunteer somewhere together as a family. Try asking the local animal shelter if it is okay for you and your family to come and help out. A nursing home might be a good idea because maybe you could go and visit some patients that may be lonely. Some places may have policies or volunteer applications for you to fill out first. If you want to plan a day of volunteering once or twice a month with your family, then ask the place you wish to volunteer at if it is okay for you and your family to volunteer together and what their policies are on volunteering. Tell them how many days a week or month you would be available to volunteer together. This is a great way to give back to the community and you might all benefit from the rewards of helping others. It also sets a good example for your children.

Take pictures. When you are out or doing an activity with your family, take some family photos or record some of them on a camcorder. This way you can look back and relive those nice memories of you and your family.