One of the biggest complaints for busy families is that they don’t spend enough quality time together. They eat while shuttling back and forth between after-school activities and the evenings are spent working on homework and cleaning up.
But if you could find time each week for all members of the family to clear their schedules and spend quality time together, what would you do?
Here are some entertaining and educational ideas you can organize, allowing everyone to mingle and have a bit of fun:
* Pitch a tent in the backyard – Pick a clear night, grab a pair of binoculars (or something stronger) and see if you can find some of the familiar constellations in the night sky. If you live in the northern states, you might catch a glimpse of the northern lights, which are becoming more active due to solar flares. As you become more familiar with the night sky, check out a book on constellations from the library for background information on each of the stars.
* Make it a movie night – Between watching movies about cartoon princesses falling in love with princes and cute dogs saving children’s lives, you can also find something in virtually every genre. Cops and crime, historical epics, relationships and romance, and even educational documentaries covering everything from American presidents to penguins to baseball history are available through Netflix, the world’s leading Internet subscription service for enjoying movies and TV episodes instantly. In the U.S. you can watch TV shows and movies online on your computer, streamed instantly to your TV and on DVDs delivered by mail. Among the large and expanding base of devices streaming from Netflix are Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Nintendo’s Wii and Sony’s PS3 consoles, along with popular consumer electronic devices from Best Buy’s Insignia brand, LG, Samsung, Sony, VIZIO, Roku and TiVo. Netflix members can also instantly watch movies and TV shows while on-the-go with Apple’s iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
And because you’re able to watch these shows at any time, you can stay up after the kids have gone to bed and catch up on episodes of favorite TV shows such as The Office, 30 Rock or Friday Night Lights.
* Discover foreign cultures – Food is a great way to bring family members together. Plan a dinner once a week and assign family members to learn about new recipes from different countries. You can also go to the library or watch videos on interesting facts about each culture. Don’t miss out on studying the culture’s religion, what climate and landscape the people live in, a few words from the local language and if there are any customs like music or dance you can try at home.
* Write your own play, and act it out – Writing short stories, poetry or plays is a great way to encourage your children to think creatively. Having everyone contribute sentences, paragraphs, pages or even chapters to the piece can add to the creativity and laughter as well. But you can take the fun even a step further by dressing family members up as characters, and having everyone act out the story on your back porch or in your living room. Consider heading out to a second-hand store or thrift shop to find costume materials as well. Make sure you record the production, and take the written story to your copy center to copy and bind it together as a final presentation of the family’s work.
There’s no reason to let busy schedules keep your family from growing up together. Make a point to set aside family time in your household, and have fun with whatever activity you choose.
