20 ways to bond with your family this summer
No more teacher, no more books! Give the nanny a break with these quality-time things to do in the season of sun and fun.
1. Alumni homecoming, here we come. Take your child to your old high school or college and show them your old classrooms, library, etc. Your kids will love to hear stories about how you were as a student and it is also a great opportunity for you to teach them valuable lessons. Treat them to a meal at the old cafeteria or the nearest fast food.
2. Figure a puzzle. Take home one of those giat jigsaw puzzles that contain 500 to over a thousand pieces and make it a family project for the summer. Delegate a special table where you can leave the puzzle and where everyone can gather around every night for some cozy before-bedtime bonding. Have some mugs of hot chocolate or bags of popcorn handy to complete the picture.
3. Attend toddler classes. Bond with your young ones by signing up for music and movement classes.
4. Pack the picnic basket and go to the park. You can take your family to a picnic in the nearest park, or maybe somewhere out of town. That way, you can spend some time in a park that you’d visit for the first time. Your children would surely enjoy interacting with other kids while you can have a sweet bonding time with your spouse.
5. Enjoy car wash day. Take out the garden hose, pails, sponges, tire brush and soap and have a fun morning washing the family car. Children will love getting themselves wet and will relish pointing the hose at mom and dad. Sure, you can pay someone else 50 bucks to wash the car but it wouldn’t be as fun as getting the family soaked on a hot summer day.
6. Have a family project. A bird-feeling platform, a tree-house or a hand-crafted toy — let your family’s creativity flow with a project that you can all do together. My husband and I recently finished making a sandbox for our daughter. Not only did it save us a lot of money, but it also gave our three-year-old a sense of accomplishment as she helped us paint and pour the sand into her box.
7. Think green. What better way to teach your child about the environment than by actually experiencing it. Try boating at the lagoon or swimming at the salt water pool for starters then stroll along the park while learning about the different plants.
8. Home Theater. Microwave popcorn, ice-cold sodas, snuggling on the bed in tattered pajamas — you can’t beat family bonding while watching films in the comfort of your own home. Renting DVD movies is a great cheap thrill and we recommend getting these family-bonding flicks:
- Father of the Bride, starring Steve Martin as an aging dad who can’t quite let go of his recently engaged daughter, this film is both touching and hilarious as it follows the misadventures of a family planning its first wedding.
- Freaky Friday. Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan star as a mom and daughter who can’t get along. When they switch bodies one freaky Friday, they are forced to adapt living each other’s lives for a day.
- Back to the Future. Michael J. Fox during his ’80’s heyday, this film is a classic comedy. What would it be like to meet your parents in their teens? Parents will love the retro feel of the film while kids will be encouraged to imagine, what if we can go back in time?
9. History lives. Give your children a historical lesson they’ll truly remember by taking them to where history actually happened.
10. Enjoy the pool. Don’t feel like driving out of town to take the kids swimming? Enjoy first-class pool facilities at hotels in the city that have fitness centers where mom and dad can relax or use the gym. Of course, you can bring your own picnic basket but at least you can forget about cooking for a day as you enjoy the hotel’s yummy meals and first-rate service.
11. Whip DIY meals. Take the boredom out of preparing and eating meals by letting the kids help make their food. Place different pizza toppings (grated cheese, ham, mushrooms, etc.) in little bowls and let them assemble their own pizza. Try the same with hamburger or hotdog sandwiches (mustard, catsup, shredded lettuce, tomatoes and cheese).
12. Be culture vultures. Encourage your children’s artistic inclinations and their appreciation for arts and culture by taking them to watch a play, a ballet or a concert. Don’t assume they will just yawn off in boredom.
13. Read together. I always hated stores that have all their books wrapped in plastic so I appreciate bookshops like Fully Booked, Page One and Power Books that have children’s book sections where kids can actually browse through the books. I really enjoy just sitting down and reading with my child — and yes, we are encouraged to buy a book or two.
14. Sing together. Get a year-round Voice Lesson and Stage Performance course for your child, like guitar, keyboard, and pop dance lessons.
15. Take up sports. There are tons of choices. There’s badminton, basketball, bowling, chess, football, karate, tennis, taekwondo, table tennis, swimming, and squash.
16. Talk without saying a word. Compared with other languages, sign language is both visual and physical — perfect for your kids’ attention and keeping their hands and minds busy.
17. Set up a garage sale. If your subdivision doesn’t already hold regular rummage sales, set one up in your garage, first by announcing through eye-catching signs and fliers, the date and time of your sale. Then, get family members involved by asking them to put out personal belongings that they can part with for cash. Wash, polish, and clean each item, put some of them in clear plastic bags to make them more presentable, and tag them with reasonable prices. Come sale day, help organize the items in tables, and assign kids such task as manning the sale, assisting buyers, and handling the cash. Clearing out the clutter from their closets, engaging in basic math, and encouraging interaction with neighbors are just some of the valuable things your kids can pick up from this experience.
18. Go cross-country church-hopping. Go to a place that’s ideal for prayer and reflection, and a cool way to learn history, geography, architecture and religion. If the only view your ids have been exposed to are the buildings of the urban landscape, then you can also take them hiking.
19. Do good deeds together — volunteer. Build a stronger, more spiritual family by instilling charity and generosity. Discover volunteer opportunities for families in your local community centers or church. Visit the sick, orphaned, or elderly. Raise fund for some food or fruit baskets as gifts, draw up activities such as storytelling and art sessions for children.
20. Start having Family Holidays together. Try something new by going to Haven, a wonderful place where people go to spend UK Holidays. There’s a caravan there that provides a lot of benefits more than that of a regular hotel, and caravan parks situated in the best locations for attractions. The family would surely enjoy the space and independence Haven offers its guests. This place definitely delivers the perfect base for your family holiday or short break. At Haven, it’s more than just a place to stay.
Try one or two, if not all, of these suggestions and your attempt to bond with your family would be a surefire success!
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