I love Spring. Nature reminds us of the joy of new life and it also signals the beginning of the outdoor season. Every member of the family values, to admittedly varying degrees, time spent together as a family. As humans, we crave connection, and family time gives us that in a very safe and stable way. Just as it’s important to provide a young child with a variety of activities, your family time shouldn’t be spent solely in your living room. Spring and Summer present a wide variety of outdoor fun that can bring joy to all members of your family.

With a range of scheduling conflicts and a to do list that grows longer each day, I understand the challenges of finding meaningful family time. It’s easy to just watch a movie together when you’re exhausted from a long week of work and are burdened by all of the things that you still have to get done. While watching movies together certainly counts as quality family time, you can do better.

Planning family time activities doesn’t have to be expensive and it doesn’t have to be a burden. Taking time to write out a menu of options on Sunday afternoon and then having your family pick one whenever you have family time is a great way to manage the process and prevent defaulting to television. There are plenty of hidden options right in your community. Recently Alison and I were driving home from the outlet malls on back roads and discovered a small local zoo off the beaten path just 20 minutes from our house. That would be a perfect activity for us!

Spontaneity is a significant component in family activities. While some together time is planned, other time will just show up. It may be a night where no one has anything scheduled or a gorgeous Sunday afternoon. Be ready to take advantage of good weather when it comes through your area.

Family time activities should be varied to prevent boredom, and they should touch on everyone’s interest at one time or another. By doing some advanced work and preparing a menu of options, you can be ready to pique everyone’s interest and create family memories to last a lifetime.

Tags: Parenting Wellness