Strengthening Family Bonds While Staying at Home
Whether you have been confined to your indoor living space during this year’s pandemic or have been braving the ills of the world to continue providing service to those in need, there is no doubt, things have changed a lot. During this time of change, it may be helpful to consider how to make some change for the positive, no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in. Whether the bonds we are looking to strengthen are the bonds of our own family, or the group home / agency family we are blessed to be a part of, we now have a chance to spend this extra time together with a purpose. It is so easy to fall into habits and ruts, wasting away the hours and the days watching TV, sleeping, and doing nothing much productive. Why not turn this time of reduced access to the community into a time of increased connection and bonding. Now might just be the perfect time to work on making some memories with those in your own family, or your work home family. Try these 10 ideas for strengthening bonds while staying at home!
- Create Photo Albums. This is a great activity for family of all ages. You can print the photos and put them in your own physical album, you can scrapbook, or you can create an online photo album. Having everyone select and do a page or two and write or dictate the details about what photos they selected makes it even more meaningful!
- Indoor Camping with Sheet Forts. Who doesn’t love a good sheet fort? Sheet forts are the kind of memories that make childhood great! Why not extend it into adulthood? If individuals don’t have any sheet fort memories, then now is the time to start making them!
- Bake or Cook Together. Staying at home is a great opportunity to cook or bake together as a family. If you have special recipes that you would like to pass on, now is a great time to do that! When teaching how to cook, it can also be a nice time to reflect on the meaningfulness of coming together as a family at meal times. And after you make the special dessert or dish with someone, it will then have special meaning to them too! They will be able to recall the time that they made that special concoction with you and the memories you made from that day.
- Play Board Games Together. Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Sorry, Trouble, Pictionary, Life, Clue, Uno, Monopoly, Connect Four, Battleship, Apples to Apples… the list goes on and on. Families that play together – stay together. Entertainment, laughs and memories are priceless!
- Put on a Show or Play. Family or household talent shows, fashion shows, putting on a play, and putting on a musical show do not require an audience. Put on the show and record it on your phone or other electronic device for another fun activity, watching your performance! You don’t need an audience and a stage to make it memorable. It is the experience of collaborating, planning, and executing the show together that makes it special.
- Reading Aloud. Reading a book aloud is a great way to create some bonding time and memories. It is a much better alternative than everyone isolating themselves doing their own activities. Being pulled into the same imaginative world through a book creates a shared experience. Some books can even be read together, and then enjoyed as a movie such as Charlotte’s Web, The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, and even the whole Harry Potter series! Audible books are another good alternative that still allows the use of the imagination. Check out your local library and even local second hand stores for great deals from free to just a couple bucks.
- Plant a Garden. You don’t need a big yard to have an awesome garden. With new innovations in indoor gardening, there are lots of ways to set up space efficient gardens, patio gardens, full on outdoor gardens, or just a couple window boxes with some fresh herbs. Planting a garden and teaching how to tend to vegetables and herbs is a wonderful bonding opportunity. You are teaching real life skills, and will have the great benefit of fresh delicious food grown from your own garden.
- Host Your Own Family Party. Just because you are home and can’t have a big party with lots of friends doesn’t mean you can’t still have a party. A party with your family is fun if you decide to make it fun. Pick a theme to really make it an event. An 80’s themed dance party is sure to get the whole crew laughing and smiling. Maybe it’s Carnival, or Mardi Gras, perhaps it’s a Luau – whatever you pick – make it fabulous!
- Learn an Instrument Together. No time better than the present to start learning to play that instrument you have always wanted to play. Whether it’s guitar, harmonica, drums, piano or whatever – music is a language we all know. Learn some of the history of music and the instruments that resonate with vibration in our soul. So if learning to play an instrument isn’t your thing, maybe take some time to look into how different instruments are made and what are some of the different instruments of the world.
- Plan Future Travels. While we might be largely staying indoors, it doesn’t mean we can’t dream and plan of a future that could include some travel. Maybe it’s a trip to a favorite beach, or a dream vacation half way around the world, or even a local favorite spot that has been off limits. This activity is about learning and exploring options for a future filled with hopes and dreams. If we can’t plan for a bright future, we might stay stuck in the doldrums. Our dreams give us hope. So make some plans now, for what you want to do and where you want to travel someday.
There is no time better than the present to start making memories together and bonding together. In these times when many people are having to stay home for extended periods of time, it is a great opportunity to bond and connect. Make it a point to choose group activities and engage everyone you can during this time at home. Every day alive is a blessing. Every day you have your family or stand in as someone else’s main support system is a blessing. Don’t take blessings for granted. Make the time to take the time to make some great memories and increase the bonds that bind us all.
