Making memories that will last a life-time is a wonderful way to enjoy your children. Being creative in the things you do with your family can be the big challenge. Here are some tips for being creative with family time:
- Let each person in the family have a turn at choosing a family activity. This can be done each week or each month. Use your own schedule to plan ahead.
- Plan seasonal traditions, such as Christmas Cookie Day, or an annual summer trip to an amusement park.
- Make sure what you do is fitting for each person. If you have babies or toddlers, plan in advance how you will help them have fun too.
- Include grandparents or other extended family if possible.
- Have a family night once in a while Ask everyone to name one thing they would like to do as a family.
- Make having dinner together a regular part of your family time. You will learn a lot about each other in casual conversation.
- Take at least one family trip a year, even if it is camping out for a couple of nights.
- Plan or participate in a family reunion Introduce the kids to cousins, aunts and uncles.
- Take advantage of spontaneous days out. One on one time with a child is a great way to make memories.
Once you have begun to do more with the family, or one on one with the kids, the ideas will come easier. Here are some tips on keeping memories alive:
- Take a lot of pictures.
- Make a scrapbook, or help kids make their own scrapbooks.
- Save memorabilia and include it in your scrapbook.
- Ask each person to write down one thing about the time that they would like to remember. Include each one in the scrapbook.
- When doing traditional things, try to make each time different than the last. That way they will not get mixed up in the memories.
Read Making Memories 101 for some great memory making ideas for each month.
When you make memories with your children, you are building a life-time of family fun. The good memories they carry into adulthood will help them have good relationships with their own children in the future. Traditions they have as they are growing up may be carried on and enjoyed, even in years to come.
Be creative, let each person help, and keep a record of the fun.
Enjoy making memories, together.
 |
