What makes a family happy? Is it the things we possess? Or is it the time spent together? My guess is most people will answer time. Even deeper, it is the quality over the quantity of time.
Quality vs. Quantity Family Time
Today, families can spend a lot of time together; but that time may not always be quality time. Picture a family sitting at home with dad watching sports, mom reading status updates from Facebook, one kid wearing headphones listening to an iPod, another child playing a Nintendo 3DS, and the other playing with their toys. They could all be in the same room, but not spending quality time together.
Create Memories With Your Time Spent
How memorable is that time spent together? Maybe it is memorable, but they are all individual not really family memorable moments. Despite all the tech toys and advancements we have, sometimes we need to dedicate some intentional time to improve the quality of time we spend as families. Below are 10 Family Activities Sure to Create Some Memorable Moments.
- Soul Train line. Cue up whatever device you use to listen to music, line up, and show your best moves. If you no longer have a best move, just move side to side as you walk down the line. 🙂
- Watch Cosby Show reruns. The Cosby Show was the best sitcom to me…ever! And I believe the shows, the lessons, and the stories are still relevant to families today. Most of all, they portray a positive image of family and marriage.
- Go to the barber (or beauty) shop together. I literally drive 30+ minutes to my barber with my 2 & 6 year old sons. Yes, my barber has some skills with the clippers, but something about the barber shop goes beyond that and I enjoy it with my sons.
- Listen to old school music. There is nothing like introducing your kids to some “old school.” Choose music from one decade from your childhood, and listen with your wife and kids. I remember this from my childhood, and still remember and appreciate some of the music my parents listened to.
- Watch a classic movie. Choose movies from when you were your kids age, and watch them together. Technology blows away our movies from childhood, but sometimes the story lines do not. Star Wars in the 80s was classic, but low tech compared to today. Star Wars in the 2000s was high tech, but iffy story lines at best. Share a glimpse into your childhood with your kids.
- Have a 80’s “Mike” night. Some of the most iconic people from my childhood were named Michael/Mike. Michael Jackson, Michael Jordan, and Mike Tyson. Find some videos, old footage, YouTube clips from them and watch them with your kids. Or choose some other popular people that you can find footage on and share what you with your kids
- Create a family tree. In our homeschool this year, one of our goals is to create a family tree, and compare the time periods with the history timeline they are studying. Learning where you came from is an important and enlightening experience for children. It will be a learning experience for the entire family.
- Map out every place every family member has visited. We have not traveled nearly as much as we would have liked to as a family, but we plan to do more. Pointing out places on a map is a fun way to experience places we have visited as a family, and as individuals before family. This could lead to some future vacations or trips, and some interested stories of our trips.
- Hand wash the car together. I admit this is not one of my favorites, but my wife and my kids love it. I’d rather just ride out to the car wash, and spend two minutes to go from dirty to clean. However, I do remember washing the car with my dad when I was very young. Instead of rolling through the car wash, make this a family event, and save some money!
- Have a dance-off. If you own a Wii or X-box, and have any of the dance games, I recommend using them. As of now, I am the Michael Jackson Experience champ in my house. I do not know how, but the points on our Wii can prove it. 🙂 It is always a fun experience. And because I have most of the high scores on the game, I can actually say “I know I’m Bad!” 😉
BMWK: What do you think about this list? Have you done any of them? Do you have any to add? Please share in the comment section below.