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Day 1: Take some time to think about the areas in your life that keep you from spending time with your family. Think of possible ways to change. Discuss with your family at the end of the day what you discovered and what you plan to do.
Day 2: Family Time. Even it it requires getting up early, the family is to sit down and have breakfast together.
Day 3: Take this day to do whatever you want to do as an individual. If you want to be alone or if you want to spend it with a certain member of the family, do as you wish.
Day 4: Family Time. Choose a favorite relative for everyone to write a letter to during the day. Spend time talking about different memories and feelings connected with that person.
Day 5: Family Time. Let each family member tell their most unforgettable family memory. That is, an event or activity the family did together they will never forget. For example, a memorable vacation.
Day 6: Family Time. The men are to cook dinner. During the meal tell different stories of something funny or embarrassing that you have done in the past or recently.
Day 7: Family Time. Talk about the past months’ activities. What was your favorite activity? What did you learn?
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Don’t be discouraged if you missed a day, or don’t worry if you did something a little different. The most important thing is that you spend more time together as a family than you normally would.
Day 1: Make a list of the 10 most important things a person can do to develop trust in a relationship. Rank the 10 items from the most important to the least important.
Day 2: Family Time. Share your lists made yesterday and determine how your family is doing in the area of trust.
Day 3: Family Time. It is time to reward the winner of the “touching” contest! The other family members should make a formal presentation of a card that was designed by the family to honor the winner. Discuss what this exercise demonstrated.
Day 4: Using crayons and markers, draw a picture that shows the needed ingredients in a happy home. (For example, you might include a drawing of a heart which would indicate love as an important ingredient for a happy home.)
Day 5: Family Time. Everyone should share your pictures from yesterday’s activity. Be honest, how well does your family hold up to your pictures? What areas do you need to improve on?
Day 6: Have the parents (or single parent) go on a date without the children.
Day 7: Family Time. Draw family names out of a hat. Send a thank you card in the mail to the person who’s name you draw, thanking them for something they have done for you or the family.
Day 1: Family Time. All ow time this day for each member to share the previous day’s task.
Day 2: Begin a contest that will run for the next eight days. The object is to see who can give the most loving touches to other members of the family and who can receive the most loving touches from other family members. Each member is to keep up with how many times they deliver a loving touch and how many loving touches they receive for the next eight days. “Loving touches” should be defined.
Day 3: Family Time. Play “Spin the Bottle.” Have the family sit in a circle on the florr. Put an empty bottle in the middle of the circle. Take turns spinning it. Each family member should say something positive to the person the bottle points to.
Day 4: Send a note to each member of your family that completes the statement, “The one things you do most often (or the one thing you have done) that shows me you really love me is ___”
Day 5: Family Time. Spend this evening looking at family photgraphs together.
Day 6: Family Time. Invite a recently widowed individual to your house to share a family meal.
Day 7: Family Time. It is time to look at the assignments from Day 4 and 5. How have you done as individuals and as a family in carrying out your commitments? Do any revisions need to take place in anyone’s lists? Continue to hold on to these lists until a later date.
Day 1: Discuss how you would like your family to be closer and the reasons for doing this project. Decide the best time to come together for family time.
Day 2: Family Time. Let each family member pick a day during the upcoming month which will be “their” day. Circle those days on a 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 to entire family to participate in.
Day 3: Family Time. Turn off all electrical items that can interrupt (TV, Internet, Cell phone, ipod, etc.) and have the entire family play a game together.
Day 4: Each family member should design and make a card for each member of the family in which thoughts and feelings of appreciation are expressed. These cards should be left in places where the family members will find them.
Day 5: Spend this day working on the following lists: (1) What I don’t like about how our family treats each other; (2) How I wish we treated each other; (3) What will I do to help make my second list come true. These lists should be done in complete honesty without fear of retaliation or reaction from other family members.
Day 6: Family Time. Each person should take the time to share their lists which they prepared the previous day. Let everyone share list one before moving to list two, and so on to list three. No one is allowed to react or defend while listening to the others’ lists. Allow this to be a time of learning how each family member feels about the family. Designate one person to hold on to all the lists to be used later in this month.
Day 7: Spend this day trying to complete the statement, “The one thing I wish this family understood about me is ___”
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Have a great week and do not get discouraged if you get behind. Don’t give up, skip a day if you must.
This program was written by former Christian Counseling Center therapist David Johnson, MSW and Scott Bonk, MS.
The month of June is going to be dedicated to the idea of bringing your family closer together through a months worth of actions. Each Monday a week worth of suggestions will be given on how to grow your family closer together. So prepare your family now to begin a month worth next week. God bless your efforts of bringing your family closer together.
Christian Counseling Center 