Family New Year’s Resolutions

Many parents list “spend more quality time with the family” as a New Year’s resolution. It’s a fresh start…a new chance to seek opportunities for quality time together.

Quality vs. Quantity

Spending quality time together doesn’t have to be complicated. It doesn’t have to be expensive. It doesn’t even have to take up large quantities of time. It’s about the togetherness. Here are some ideas to get you started.

• Take family walks. Fitness is also a great goal for the new year, so get fit together.
• Read together. This could be either reading aloud from the same book or being in the same room reading separate books. Again…it’s about being together.
• Institute a family game night. Spend that evening scarfing down pizza and playing games together.
• Eat dinner as a family as often as possible. Research shows this has numerous benefits. Kids who come from families who eat dinner together frequently get better grades, get in trouble less often, communicate more with their parents, and have lower statistical instance of drug/alcohol abuse. Total win!
• Travel together. This doesn’t have to be Caribbean cruises or expensive vacations. A drive to the mountains to see fall foliage or to the shore to walk on the beach can be amazing experiences for your family.
• Cook together. Let your kids help out in the kitchen. Give everyone a simple, age-appropriate task and prepare dinner together. Another benefit? Kids will often eat nutritious foods they’d ordinarily snub if they feel ownership in the process.
• Worship together. Whatever your faith, get involved in worship activities as a family. Faith can bring you together in a way nothing else can.

Other ideas? What does your family do to spend quality time together?

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