5 benefits of quality family time

It’s easy to grasp the benefits of spending time with the family. In a review of 50 years of research on family routines, researchers from Syracuse University looked at the types of routines and rituals families practice, how family structure affects the routines, and the benefits of those rituals. Among other things, they found that family rituals can have a positive impact on a child’s personal identity and on the relationships between children and parents. Some of the most common routines and rituals include bedtimes, mealtimes, chores, reunions, and Sunday meals.

How do families fit in this time in an already hectic week? Here are five ideas to get parents started.

Family Time Calendar

Many parents already use a calendar to chart all of their activities for any given week. Use the calendar and go beyond the norm. Once the week is planned out, look for free time and pencil in “Family time.” With that as a reminder, it may be easier to think of some creative activities for the whole family.

These don’t have to be expensive days out but could be sitting down together to watch a film, heading out to feed the ducks, going for a long walk or even kicking a ball around in the park.

Family Meals

Mealtimes offers families a chance to connect with each other after a busy day at school and work. It provides an opportunity for parents to listen to their children and to offer advice and encouragement. Ideas for table talk include giving everyone a chance to talk about what happened that day. Another idea is to encourage good deeds by asking each family member for one thing they did nice for someone else that day. Celebrate even the smallest acts of kindness.

Mealtimes don’t have to be stressful. Even if the meal is a takeaway, parents can make sure it is eaten like a regular meal, with everyone sitting down together, or you could enjoy a carpet picnic together – my kids absolutely love doing this.

Family Game Night

Family game night is one of the easiest ideas for increasing time together with the family. Have each family member write down their game suggestions on a slip of paper and put them in a jar. On game night, pull out one of the slips and play that game. Make time for a second game if possible. Card games or board games work well, but so do some of the video games on the market.

The key is to make it fun for the entire family, we even get the Grandparents involved – Nanny and Grandad had great fun playing 123 Switch at Christmas with the kids, the kids were in hysterics when they shot their Grandparents (on the Switch, not for real obviously)

Family Hobby or Sport

Many families find time to go fishing or biking together, but there are other possibilities. Make sure it’s something the children are interested in or want to do. If a child likes to cook, spend an afternoon or evening in the kitchen – Emmy loves to cook and even has tutorials on how to make real Cornish Pasties on her YouTube channel. If crafting is the desired activity, make sure all supplies are on hand and put aside a few hours on the weekend to complete a project. Even a child’s participation in a sport provides an opportunity for family time.

Although thing we like to do as a family is camping, when the weather isn’t great we like to indoor camp instead. We set up the kids camp beds and get out the sleeping bags, toast marshmallows over a campfire in the garden and have lots of fun. If you don’t have the room to do this downstairs, then childrens mid sleeper beds from Children’s Bed Shop make a great base for your indoor camp. You can turn the bottom of the bed into your camp, make it comfy with cushions, pillows and duvets. Have a midnight feast ready, grab your torches and tell some camp stories or even ghost stories.

Family Outing or Vacation

Sometimes it’s important just to get out of the house. Even with all of today’s distractions, it is possible to find time to spend with family. By adding just a couple of routines into a schedule, families can recapture their time together and reconnect.

You can use Tesco Clubcard vouchers to save money on days out, have a sleepover at a friends house or just a night away in a Travelodge is a welcomed change of scenery.

**Collaborative post**