10 Ways to Have a Closer Family

Summertime is a great time for families to spend more time together.

Close families don’t happen by accident, they happen on purpose.  If you want a close family, you have to work at it.  Here are a few suggestions to help you get started.

1. Let each family member pick a day to be “their” day. Circle those days on the calendar and put the family member’s name on the date.  On that day they are to have their favorite meal and choose an activity which they want the entire family to participate in.
2. Turn off all electrical items that can interrupt (TV, stereo, phone, etc.) and have the entire family play a game together.
3. Have each family member design and make a card for other members of the family in which thoughts and feelings of appreciation are expressed.
4. Begin a contest to see who can deliver the most hugs in a certain period of time.
5. Spend the evening looking at family photographs together.
6. Invite someone you know that is recently widowed to your house to share a family meal.
7. Send a thank you card in the mail to a family member thanking them for something they have done for you or the family.
8. Even if it requires getting up early, sit down and have breakfast together.
9. Let each family member tell their most unforgettable family memory.
10. Declare a family clean-up day. Work together inside or outside the house instead of assigning separate choirs.

These ideas are just a few of the suggestions in “30 Days to a Closer Family” by David Johnson, M.S.W. and Scott Bonk, M.S.