The benefits of family time are pretty clear. Strong family bonds are essential for kids’ social and emotional development, and for everyone’s well-being—adults and children. But especially as kids grow, it’s harder and harder to fit in that important family time.
Sharing active play with your family isn’t just a good way to get your heart pumping and burn calories. It’s also a great way to build family bonds.
Create Time for Family Play
Play is a magical time for kids and parents. It’s a time when parents aren’t thinking about other duties of the day and can spend one-on-one time with the child. Kids love to see Mom and Dad get silly. These active games provide important shared family time.
Togetherness, Not Teaching
One of the big benefits of family time for kids is being allowed to be in charge. Kids love to feel a sense of power and mastery, so it’s critical to let them take the lead when you play. Your role is to be a facilitator or guide to help your child learn about, refine, and improve physical skills. So, allow your child to initiate the games you play together, whether it’s crawling like a cat or kicking a soccer ball.
Team Time Can Be Family Time
A big knock-on youth sports is that they take away from family time. This can certainly be true, thanks to frequent evening practices and weekend-consuming tournaments. But traveling to those tournaments together can be a fun family event. Volunteering with your child’s sports team lets you spend some quality time with your player.