Family Fun

Family Recreation

Now this is one of my favorite posts because our family does a lot of recreation, especially in the summer. In the winter time we slow way down, and kind of go into hibernation mode. Winter time is the end of football season which is a very busy season in our home, and then the basketball season comes. We stay pretty busy during the school year just getting to all the kids' sports events, but in the summer time we enjoy relaxation and recreational activities. The activities we enjoy most include lounging around in the air conditioned house (it gets up past 100 degrees here most summers), camping, swimming, boating, playing frisbee, barbecuing, going on walks, picking huckleberries, baking goodies, running in the sprinklers (the little ones, not me) among many other activities. I am so thankful my husband is a teacher and I am a stay at home mom because we really get to enjoy our summers by spending tons of time together as a family. I think all families should get to enjoy the summer together free from work and school. As a blended family, this has been an especially important blessing for us. Summer gives us a chance to de-stress and just live in the moment, instead of always rushing to the next obligation/responsibility. While most families are not as lucky as we are to have summers off, there is always time to fit a little recreation in with the family every now and then. 

On this camping trip, we hiked to this waterfall area to play in the water. Missing one family member on this trip, but still had tons of fun and had to capture a family picture.

Our favorite place to go boating/swimming/cliff jumping in the summer. That cliff to the left, that is where they jump. We have made so many beautiful memories at Billy Clapp Lake. 

Recreation is not always done outside of the home. There are many leisure activities you can do with your family at home that will add to the strength of the family unit just as well. Some ideas are reading books together, playing a board game or cards, singing, or you can turn up the music and have a dance party. We really enjoy baking in our home, and we've been known to play a game of Yahtzee now and then. Although, it's been far too long since we have.

Anthony and Gaven playing cards on the beach on one of our family vacations. 

 Studies have found that families who regularly engage in common everyday, low-cost, home-based activities have higher levels of family cohesiveness than families who do not. Family vacations have been found to increase communication and bonding within the family. Although, one thing to consider with vacations is that all family members need to pitch in and help with the responsibilities so that each family member is able to enjoy the vacation. This is especially important for the mothers. Mothers tend to carry a heavier load during family vacations, especially if there are small children. Before you head out on a vacation, have a conversation as a family about the expectations so that it can be an enjoyable experience for all, and not just for the kids. 

Celebrating birthdays is an important family tradition that we practice.
We keep it simple, but I make sure to always bake a homemade cake for each family member on their birthday. 

Another side of this recreation thing is rituals and celebrations within a family. Families who practice rituals and celebrations together are simultaneously increasing unity and kindness while decreasing contention. One well-known ritual that I am an advocate for is family meals. Our family has always made it a priority to eat dinner together whenever possible. This has been another huge blessing for our family, as it has been for many other families.

Family dinner is even better when our kids have friends over. We just squeeze around our table and make more memories.

Studies have shown that family meals provide many benefits for families and their individuals. Some of the benefits include increased family communication, healthier diets, better grades at school, and improved mental health, especially for adolescents. There are more benefits than I have listed here, which is why it is so surprising to me that only about one third of families make this a daily priority. If you could only do one thing to strengthen your children, family dinner together would be my first suggestion. It does take effort and advanced planning, but it is worth every effort.