Robin Steinweg: 15 Ideas for Family Togetherness
15 Ideas for Family Togetherness
by Robin Steinweg
Time with our families. How hard can that be?
We probably don’t intend to dash in and out of their lives saying, “Gotta go! See you later!” We want to create memories with siblings, parents and grandparents. But life gets in the way.
September is Intergenerational Month. What a great time to start!
Here are 15 ideas for family togetherness. Some can take only minutes. Choose one this week. Be intentional—make it happen.
- Q&A-with-a-Twist—Ask foolish questions like these:
- o Do fish get thirsty?
- o How does the snowplow driver get to work?
- o What would chairs look like if our knees were in the back?
- o Where does your lap go when you stand up?
- o For more, try these sites: http://ow.ly/w5Pp302TiZ6 or http://ow.ly/ZVAs302Tj6K .
- Games:
- o Oodles—or other question-asking games.
- o Board Games.
- o Word Games—Scrabble, Bananagrams, Crosswords.
- o Volley Balloon—for the youngest and the oldest in your family.
- o Hangman (Wheel of Fortune)—can be played on a napkin at a restaurant while waiting. Someone chooses a word and draws the correct number of lines. Others guess letters. For each incorrect guess, draw another piece of the gallows or the unfortunate hangee.
- o DIY games with family-made pieces: http://ow.ly/hzjJ302TkaH
- Share Interests/Hobbies.
- Walk: make a scavenger hunt of views to collect (sunset, catalpa tree, ant, pine needle…).
- Music: share a recording, play a song, sing together, or find a youtube video of favorites.
- Books: read aloud or everyone read the same book and discuss next time.
- Movies: take turns choosing. Create a family review afterward.
- Take a class together—learn something new!
- Cooking/eating: choose an ingredient. Divide the family for a contest using the featured food. Choose a theme with decorations, place-cards, and divide duties according to age/ability.
- Coded messages: a way to involve relatives at a distance. Write one coded message per week and send. Keep it going!
- Pray together.
- Worship together.
- Gardening: big or small, indoor or outdoor, in-ground or in containers.
- Teach each other a skill: teach a family member to knit (or whatever), and he/she teaches you to use an iPad (or whatever).
- Family Giving Project: are there homeless in your community? You might collect food pantry items. Or personal care items. Join up with others—knit warm hats for shivering school children.
How about it? How will you bring the generations together this week?
~+~
Robin Steinweg finds life sweet in the middle of writing, speaking, teaching, caring for aging parents and adjusting to having adult children. She, her husband and family live near Madison, Wisconsin. Her passion is to help others discover joy in every age of life. On fb—Robin June Steinweg.
