How To Encourage Family Bonding

Spending quality time together is one of the greatest gifts families can give one another. Not only does sharing quality time strengthen and build family bonds, but taking the time to connect face-to-face also provides a sense of belonging and security for everyone in the family.

Research has shown that when families have strong family bonds, kids are more likely to score high on well-being scales like self-acceptance, personal growth, life purpose, and positive relationships with others.

Strong family bonds also encourage better behavior in children, improve academic performance, strengthen parent-child communication, and teach your child how to be a good friend. Quality family relationships are a measure of a child’s overall well-being, and studies have found a correlation between the time parents spend with children and children’s overall happiness.

As a parent, you play a key role in cultivating and protecting these family bonds. But building strong family connections doesn’t always happen naturally. In our hectic day-to-day lives, it can take a concerted effort to carve out time for your family. If you want a build foundation for your family in which quality time is a priority, try incorporating some of these 10 essential practices for family bonding into your daily routine.

Schedule Family Time

Whether you have school-aged children or teens, it takes planning to make sure you’re getting enough quality together time.

Set aside time for each other

Look at everyone’s schedule to see if there are any blocks of time that can be designated family time, In between sports practice, appointments, and other extracurricular activities it might seem tricky, but it’s worth the effort. Try to select a regular night, maybe once a week, when the entire family gets together for a fun activity, like a game night—or try eat dinner together every night as a family if your schedules permit. By keeping this night on a regular schedule, everyone will know that they need to keep that night clear for family time.

Plan outings

Another way to incorporate family time into your schedule is to plan regular day trips. If this is something that sounds fun for your family, try to plan the trip at least one month in advance. Post it on the family calendar and make sure that everyone is aware of the plan.

Make new traditions

Use your together time to create family traditions, like carving pumpkins every Halloween or picking the first strawberries of the summer season together. Some families enjoy attending the same local festival every year or entering a 5K walk or run together.

Eat Meals Together

Choose a few nights during the week when you expect everyone to gather around the dinner table. Don’t allow the distraction of phones or other electronics. Just eat a meal (don’t worry about cooking something elaborate) and have a conversation together.

Studies have shown that eating meals as a family has positive effects on children’s physical and mental well-being. It can also reinforce communication and strengthen family bonds.

Feel free to keep the food itself simple. Dinners like grilled cheese sandwiches, tacos, or even cereal are fine, and are all foods are your kids probably love. If you’re unable to get together for dinner as a family because of busy schedules, try doing a family breakfast or lunch on the weekends. The key is to come together and enjoy a meal together free of distractions.

Do Chores as a Family

Make cleaning your home or caring for your yard a responsibility the whole family shares. Create a list of chores and have everyone sign up. Then set a time during the week or on the weekend when everyone can tackle their chores at the same time. 

If your teens have a demanding schedule and need a little more flexibility, give them a deadline to complete their chores. But remind them that doing chores together makes the job go much faster than doing them alone.

What’s more, doing chores together also can foster a sense of teamwork, especially if someone gets done early and is willing to help another family member complete their tasks. To make doing chores more rewarding, plan a small reward for when the work is done, like getting ice cream together, watching a movie, or playing a board game.

Create a Mission Statement

When most people think about mission statements, they think of nonprofit organizations and businesses. But these documents work well for families, too. Though it may seem a little too business-like, putting together a family mission statement can help you establish your family’s priorities in an official way.

A family mission statement can remind everyone about your family’s core values or what you love most about each other. The whole family can collaborate on the document, making it a simple and fun to develop as a family. This is a great project for family night. Your statement doesn’t have to be long or complicated. Something like “In our family, we love each other and we help each other” is enough (but if your kids want to brainstorm a longer list, let them).

Once completed, display your mission statement in a prominent place in your home. Read it, refer to it, and talk about it often. It helps solidify what is important to your family. If you feel like your family’s priorities are off, creating a mission statement is also a good way to get back on track.

Have Family Meetings

Family meetings are a good time for everyone to check in with each other, air grievances, or discuss future plans. For instance, a family meeting is a good time to talk about an upcoming family vacation. how you to plan to complete chores next weekend, or your child’s plans post-graduation.

These meetings can be scheduled events on your family calendar, or you can make them impromptu and allow any member of the family to call a meeting if they feel the need. Family meetings also can be used to set family goals.

You may need to establish some guidelines for the meeting, like setting a time limit for speaking and implementing a no talking rule when someone else has the floor. Emphasize, too, the need to be kind, considerate, and respectful. The goal for these meetings is to solve family issues in a productive way.

Encourage Support

Feeling supported by your family is one of the most important elements of building strong family bonds. To create a sense of support, encourage everyone to learn what is important to their family members, whether that’s career aspirations or hobbies, and to do their best to support each others’ interests.

Everyone in the family should feel empowered to share both good and bas news and receive a loving response. The goal is for everyone in the family to rejoice together when things go well, and commiserate when things don’t go as planned. When families feel supported, getting through hard times becomes much easier.

Schedule Downtime

While family time is an important part of everyday life, everyone needs downtime, too. Not only should you encourage your kids to spend some quiet time alone to recharge, but you also need to carve out time for yourself.

Parenting is a huge responsibility that can take a toll on you. So be sure you are taking a little time to rest yourself. It’s harder than it seems, but you will be a better parent when you do.

Volunteer Together

Research has shown the more we give, by volunteering or helping others, the happier and more grateful we feel in our own lives. Volunteering has also been linked to several improved health outcomes, including better physical and mental health, increased life satisfaction, higher self-esteem, and decreased depressive symptoms. And when your family shares these experiences together, it will strengthen your relationship.

What’s more, volunteering can expose kids to lots of different people and increase their appreciation for those who are different from them. It also teaches children to be more empathetic and less self-centered.

Support Your Child’s Interests

Strong families support their family members’ passions. Whether that means attending their soccer games, reading a book series they love, or learning a new skill along with them, supporting your child’s interests makes them feel loved and proves that are truly invested in their well-being.

If your child is in sports, band, or another school activity, provide support in some way. You don’t have to take on a leadership role if that’s not your style. Find a way to show your kids that you support what they are doing and want to cheer them on or assist them with their pursuits, whatever those may be.

If you are unsure of where you can help, ask your kids for their thoughts. Asking demonstrates that you care about the things they are interested in.

Join Other Families

No one lives in a bubble. We are all part of a community, so be sure your family is building relationships with other families. Whether this is within your neighborhood, your school system, your place of faith, or some other avenue, it is important that you spend time with other families as well.

Doing things together, with other families, will strengthen your own family bonds and help you see how your family members interact with others—you never know what you might learn from them about how to solidify and strengthen family bonds in totally new-to-you ways.