A family is the biggest asset of life, and so maintaining the right relationship with your loved ones is very important. We have often heard about ‘make quality time for your family’, but we usually ignore the factor of ‘value’ and focus on ‘time’ instead. You can spend hours with your family and still get to no point if that time is not spent the right way. You can all be sitting together in a living room for so-called ‘family time’ while being fully indulged in smartphones. This is not the family time that matters.
Why is it important to spend quality time with your family?
Spending quality time with each other has a lot of benefits. You will be encouraged to spend a good time with each other once you realize how beneficial it is for you and your family. Here is why quality time with your family is important:
- Spending quality time with each other strengthens your bond. Especially, with children when they don’t feel like they belong to their families, these times are the most precious.
- Your children need to be nurtured and guided well along the way. You can teach them some values and rules while having family time with them. They need you to spend time with them and tell them stories about how life is. Make memories with them.
- Your children need your attention. If you are not giving them proper time, they might seek that attention somewhere else. So, show them that they matter by giving them time.
- When you sit together, there are a lot of new things that you can learn. You can share some interesting ideas, information, and have engaging conversations.
- A good family time teaches everyone in the family to stay together. The good and the bad are to be faced together and that’s what family bonds are for.
- To be close to your kids, you have to understand them and help them understand you as well. This is a mutual relationship like any other relationship. So, give and take respect, learn to be patient, and you will teach the same things to your kids.
- Family time can also mean helping your kids with their projects and giving them the environment to foster together. You can make their academic performances better by helping them and giving them confidence.
Spending valuable family time helps every member of the family to deal with life challenges in a better way, build better self-esteem, and be confident in every phase of life.
Ways to spend quality time with family
It is important to realize that your children will be better and more confident if you spend some quality time with them. Now, you must think of some of the ideas to do that. Here are some ways to spend some family time:
Have at least one meal together
Make it a rule, you will have at least one meal together as a family. It could be dinner or breakfast, but having a meal together strengthens your bond and make it valuable. You can share your daily routine, thoughts, and many other things with each other.
Read a book
You must have known it is very healthy for kids to read books. You can pick a book and take out some time every day to read that book with your little ones. This will not only enhance their knowledge and creativity but your bond will also strengthen. You can even discuss with them about what you read after reading session. It is a healthy way of exploring their minds.
Workout Together
You know how kids love to imitate their elders. The most entertaining thing you can do with is to indulge in the workout session. This will be a double win for you as it is healthy for both of you and at the same time, it is an excellent way of spending quality time together. Start with teaching them the simplest exercises and appreciate them on the little steps they take. Teach them punctuality by fixing the exercise time every day.
Plan a Day Out Each Month
We all need to vent out some energy and spend some time with ourselves. Why not make it fun family time and get benefit from it. Plan a picnic or field trip once in a month to the places you have never been to. Traveling together and visiting new places is a great way of bonding together. You can tell your kids about the things that they don’t know and thus make it a fun informative trip.
Turn off the Digital Gadgets
Whenever you are spending time with your family, make it a rule that no one will use digital gadgets during that time. Start with yourself. Keep your phones, tablets, and laptops away. Don’t take any calls, or reply to any texts unless it is an emergency. Digital media has made us go far away from each other and you need to control that in your family time. Only then, your kids will get closer to you, not the media.
Do Some Cleaning Together
Doing house chores together is a great way of having fun and spending quality time. Also, you can teach your kids about many important things including responsibility by giving them small tasks while cleaning the house. At the end of the day, you will be very much satisfied that you have done something productive with them and also taught them things.
Spending quality time with your family is not a responsibility or task, it is a privilege. Family is the closest thing you have when it comes to loved ones and you must make some effort to have a good time with them while building a strong bond. Ignoring them will only lead to regrets later as you all need each other at some point in life. Teach your children the values of your family and keep them close to yourself as they need you in every phase of life.
