I’m starting to believe that time really does speed up as you age. My kids are growing up so quickly, and I’ve realized that the time before they leave home is shorter than I once thought.
Because of this, I’m making an effort to start family traditions and ensure we spend quality time together. While I hope my kids will still want family time when they’re teenagers, we’re prioritizing it now while they still enjoy it.
Research shows how crucial family time is for creating a positive family culture. Kids from families with strong bonds often perform better academically, feel more secure, and are more likely to talk to their parents about issues.
Some of our best memories happen during unstructured family time. Those chats on a slow Saturday or cooking dinner together are priceless. While you can’t always plan these moments, scheduling regular family activities seems to make spontaneous ones more frequent.
I’m not the mom who spends hours playing Legos on the floor with my kids. Instead, I aim to ensure we find time for fun family activities. Despite our unusual family schedule, with homeschooling and varied work-from-home hours, we always carve out time during the week for family activities like game nights, basketball games, or camping trips.
I understand—it’s tough to set aside time for family activities in our busy lives. Here’s a tip that helped me: I was inspired by an idea from the Tim Ferriss Podcast. One guest talks about having a “terminal day” each week, where he spends time doing things he would if he had limited time left. It’s a reminder to live meaningfully now.
For me, this might mean doing extra schoolwork one day so we can enjoy a movie the next, or taking a child out for coffee to work on a project. It focuses my attention on the important things in life.
Some of our favorite family activities include:
Growing up, we had family game nights, and now I enjoy this tradition with my own kids. Playing board games or card games together always leads to laughter and fun conversations. Though my husband isn’t a big board game fan, we still have our favorites.
Cooking with my kids has been another wonderful experience. They helped test recipes for my cookbook, making great memories together. One resource we love is the Kids Cook Real Food course. It teaches cooking techniques in an easy way, and my kids enjoy it while I appreciate not having to teach it myself.
When my husband and I first married, we didn’t have much money, so we created simple traditions like Soft Rock Saturday. We’d blast a soft rock playlist on Saturday mornings while making breakfast. Now, our kids join in, creating a mini dance party in the kitchen.
Camping is another great bonding experience, and it’s more about being together than the location. It can be as simple as setting up a tent in the backyard.
Our family also loves Nerf battles. We sometimes divide into teams for epic battles, which are fun indoors or outdoors and get everyone moving.
Reading together has been another cherished activity, reminiscent of my own childhood experiences. My goal is to improve at reading aloud to them, especially at bedtime.
While we try not to fall back on movie nights too often, the kids love them. If a movie is based on a book, we try to read it first.
Art activities like painting, drawing, or coloring are simple and effective for conversation. They don’t need to be complex—anyone can join in.
In our busy world, family time often slips away. But at the end of my day, these are the moments that matter most. Family time doesn’t have to be costly or complicated. It’s about finding simple ways to connect, build a family culture, and reap positive effects.
How does your family spend time together? Feel free to share your ideas!
