Getting the gang together for a day of family bonding can be challenging, to say the least; especially once your family contains one or two teenagers! Are you looking for great family activities to allow some bonding one day a week? Sunday is often the best day of the week for everyone to hangout and spend time together. Included here are a few of the best activities for a Sunday afternoon.
Watch the Game
You may be fist-pumping already as you read this, but it is true that sports can help a family bond. Both kids and parents alike can get into the excitement of a home team game and cheer and boo simultaneously. If you truly want to make sports a big family affair, consider creating your own fantasy leagues to compete all season long. You will be able to compare and contrast choices as well as share favorite, and least favorite, players.
Go Outside
A break from the electronics is often overdue in our digitally-crazed environments. Making the commitment as a family to put all electronics away in a basket for a few hours on Sunday can really help you focus on each other. And what better place to be electronic-free than outside?
The outdoors is the healthiest environment for exercise, soaking up vitamin D and family bonding. Consider going for a bicycle ride around the neighborhood or on a local trail. Head to the neighborhood park and throw around a frisbee or fly a kite. In summer months, planting and maintaining a garden together can create a universal sense of success in the dinner’s veggies, and help your health!
Read Aloud
Studies have shown that children who are read to on a daily basis are better students and more productive adults. They are more likely to develop stronger language skills and form tighter emotional bonds with family.
Consider finding a chapter book series that is interesting to the whole family and trade off on who reads each week. Great options include: The Chronicles of Narnia, Little House on the Prairie or Harry Potter. This will allow your children to gain confidence in their reading abilities while enjoying time with the family.
Practice Art Together
Another great bonding experience can be drawing, painting or sculpting together as a family. You may spend Sundays visiting a museum for a portion of the day and then come home to indulge in your own creative tendencies. Many museums allow children in for free and with certain credit or debit cards you can have free adult admission as well. You can choose your artistic medium based on what inspired you that day.
One of the best ways to work together as a family is to take a large sketchbook (think 2×3 ft) and give everyone a section or corner. Allow everyone to create their own art and then play on each others as your section meets another. One person may be drawing a city that is then encroached upon from above by an underwater paradise. This is a great way to have fun and bond together as a family while doing productive, healthy activities.