Reconnecting with your family is super imporant, especially during those busy weekdays. Between work, school, appointments, extra curricular activities and homework, it may seen like a feat to simply have dinner together as a family. To keep your family bond tight and communication between family members open, it’s important to have fun activities “scheduled” each week to spend time together. I am a huge fan of getting creative when it comes to reconnecting with your family – especially since it doesn’t matter how good your intentions are, you won’t have a lot of time to spend together at the end of a busy day.
That’s why I try to pepper in a handful of fun ways to reconnect with my family, especially Eben (since the mister works late most nights) during the week. Whether I surprise them with a themed movie night, pick Eben up from school for an impromptu lunch date or chat with him during breakfast – it’s that little extra effort that makes the week a little lighter and brighter for everyone.
Read on for all 6 of my favorite ways to reconnect with my family and add a couple of them to your weekly routine.
#1: Movie Night
It doesn’t matter if we have a movie night planned for Saturday night or Sunday afternoon – it is always a fun way to snuggle up with the family. We grab a ton of blankets and pillows and snuggle up on the sectional – however, you can throw a bunch of pillows out on the family room floor too. The mister usually makes homemade pizza and we pop up a ton of popcorn and we are ready to go. Believe me, it’s a fun treat that everyone enjoys and we try to sneak it in a couple of times a month.
#2: Family Book Club
There are so many great books that both children and adults will adore, making a family book club a no-brainer. Sit down with your family and decide on a book or a particular series of books that your book club will be reading. Meet once a week during dinnertime to discuss what happened in the book during that particular week. Spend time discussing what you think will happen next and what parts so far you liked and dislikes. If you have younger children, you and your spouse can read the book of choice to them each night before bedtime.
#3: Get Outside
I still think spending time outside with your family is the best way to reconnect. I like to take walks with Eben and the dogs after dinner. Not only is it great to sneak in a little extra exercise before bedtime – I swear he really opens up to me when we walk. On the weekends we always try to spend most of our time outside, between paddleboarding, hitting the beach, biking and swimming – we get to spend a lot of time together as family doing activities that all of us enjoy.
#4: Dinner and a Game
Some nights the only time that I get to reconnect with Eben (beside while doing homework!) is during dinner time. We have made it a habit to play a card game at some point during dinnertime as a way to reconnect. For whatever reason this helps him relax and he is more opening to talking to me about “teenage things” while we are playing. It is also a great way to get a few giggles in, especially if it has been a particularly difficult or long day. It’s a tradition that we have kept since he was a tiny little guy who could only play “go fish”, and has grown to include several card games over the years. We have a large bowl on our dining room table full of games, so there isn’t a chance we will forget!
#5: Breakfast Club
Several times a week, I shift my schedule around to have breakfast with Eben. It’s a great way to spend a 1/2 hour with him in the morning, chatting about his upcoming school day. It is also a great time to go over homework that will be included in a test that day, items that he needs to finish before the end of the school week, or plans that he wants to make for the weekend. It’s also nice to talk about these things during breakfast because the day is still fresh, he isn’t tired and he still has a positive lookout on what the day may bring (remember, he is almost a teenager!)
#6: Lunch Date
Once in a while, I love to surprise Eben or the mister at school or work for an impromptu lunch date. If I am picking Eben up early for a dental or doctor appointment, I will pick him up a little earlier so we can grab a bite to eat together before the appointment. Or, at the very least we will stop for a scoop of ice cream after the appointment. It’s a nice little way to see my family during the week, surprise dates are my favorite.
YOUR TURN: How do you stay connected with your family all week long?
[…] By Jennie […]