We’ve been researching the importance of spending quality time together as a family and here are the results…
Research findings show that there are multiple reasons why spending quality time together as a family is important; the benefits for parents and children alike include increased happiness, wellbeing and sense of belonging, as well as having an impact on children’s life choices and development.
Family quality time is something that many families recognise as important, but it can be difficult to find the time in busy daily lives. Quality time can also be seen as expensive, or a chore. Spending time together should be fun and enjoyable, and our research shows there are three key principles which help this to happen!
- Make the time to spend time together, however short it is. Listening, talking and love makes children – and families! – happy.
- Having a family day together doesn’t have to be expensive, and the best ones can even be free!
- Relax and have fun with your family! Try to make your moments together flexible and not too structured.
We also collected some exciting top tips from families, including our community of dads and local family practitioners. Here are our top 10 ideas for spending some quality family time together…
- Have ‘children’s activity time’, when your child/children choose what they would like the family to do (i.e. play a board game, baking, a visit to the park)
- Collect all of your family’s ‘wishes’ for things to do into a jar – these could be anything from indoor skiing to a trip to the park. Pick one at random as your family activity!
- Not so nice outside? Have a picnic in the house! Invite the grandparents too and play games, read books, or watch a film together afterwards.
- Volunteer together; you could do anything from volunteering from a springtime toad rescue to helping walk your neighbour’s dog.
- Make a treasure hunt for your children – set the clues on a pre-set walk or cycle then collect stickers for every target found!
- Have a themed day to do something together – like Friday night movies or swimming Sundays.
- Close the curtains, turn up the music, shine some torches, and dance in your own family disco!
- Write short notes and slip them into your child’s lunchbox or leave them under their pillow; it will remind them that you’re never far away and that they are always in your thoughts!
- Make walks more fun by making up adventures to get them interested – searching for pirate ships and treasure along the beach, or fairy spotting in the woods.
- Make a scrapbook of all the things you have done together as a family – this could be themed, for example by holiday.
