cleaning

I know that kids will not think that cleaning house together is a good idea for a family activity. But in reality, it is. It helps show the team work of family. It helps show the value of a clean and healthy home. It helps show that we take pride in where we live and how we present ourselves. It can be a chore of course, or you can try to add a fun element to this necessary task. Turn up some loud music-you can play your "oldies"! Have a timed contest. Or see who can clean out the most trash/unwanted items. Or have a treat when all the work is done. Working together as a family is always a good family activity!

outings with other families

It is nice to be able to take family outings with other families from time to time. It still allows time for the family to be together. It also allows others to model and reinforce family values (or allows teachable moments otherwise!) It also allows some of the pressure to be off the parents and the children, allowing everyone some space to relax and enjoy the outing.

prayer

Sometimes families just get stuck. And there seems no where to turn. No one can seemingly understand what you are going through. The family at this time can pull together. And a night spent in prayer together as a family surely can't hurt!

re-determined

It is hard to make Family Night a priority. Especially as the kids get older and have their own commitments and activities. My husband has been good about making sure we spend time together every week in a time of family connected-ness, whatever that may mean at any given time in our life.

I had also been struggling with whether or not to continue posting on this blog. I have recently received good feedback and felt some re-determination to continue sharing ideas for family nights, whatever that may mean at any given time!

indoor skydiving

I saw a piece on tv about indoor skydiving. This is basically a wind tunnel driven by a huge fan. Students go through a short training session and then are brought in for about three minutes of "flying" time. This is an activity that is open to all ages and abilities. It sounds like a great activity for families with kids of all ages. It would be a really cool way to spend some family time together and would likely be a great memory for families who try this new activity.

poetry party

Teaching kids about poetry can be as informal as a family get together with some fun poetry books. Finding poems that rhyme, ones that are shorter, ones that tell stories and ones that are funny and silly are great ways to spend family time together. Having everyone take turns reading poems aloud helps build bonds and strengthen ties as well as building academic skills. It's always a great time to have a poetry party!

*check for poems by Bruce Lansky and Shel Silverstein for some quick and easy poetry fun!

to the gym

When you have teens, doing what they love to do is important. I had a nice time with my son going to the gym last night. Although we did not really work out together, it was nice to go together and spend time bettering ourselves, at least in the vicinity of one another!