1. Consider the activities your family members share in common. One things we enjoy as a family is games. From Wii bowling to Scattergories we love to pull out a game and play together. We sit in the living room and laugh together, creating lasting memories. Everyone gets involved and even if we choose a game that isn't one person's favorite you can bet that after a few minutes that person is laughing right along.
2. Start traditions. Family traditions are a wonderful way to make lasting memories. We have a lot of traditions and like most people many of ours are centered around holidays. We have a Christmas advent book that we've been reading to the kids for years and to my surprise even though it's a picture book our teens cherish sitting with us hearing the familiar stories every night. They told me this past year that when they have children they are going to come over every night in December so we can all read it together. That was the moment I knew we had created a lasting memory in a simple tradition. I'm always on the lookout for ideas to create traditions aside from holidays. When our oldest was three years old my husband took her fishing to get her out of the house in order for me to decorate. This started the tradition of taking them fishing on their birthday. Each of our children have a special tradition of getting to go fishing with daddy alone on their birthday. Traditions give kids something to look forward to and create memories that they share with one another strengthening the bonds of the family unit.
3. Read together. We are a homeschool family so instilling a love of reading has always been at the top of our list. Reading to your children creates bonds. There's nothing like sitting on the couch with my kids snuggled in around me as I read to them from various books. Reading to them even as they get older is just as important and special as it is when they are wide-eyed toddlers. I share so many inside jokes with my kids from the books we've read together. We've even had themed suppers that go along with the books we have read. (Like the night we had an Unfortunate Event "party" and ate "Aunt Josephine's no bake cookies" and "Snicket Spaghetti" lol). Aside from books it's imperative to read the Bible together as a family. Within the past year we've seen Emma learn to read better by asking her to read aloud from her Bible during family reading time. It also serves as a time for the kids to ask questions about things they don't understand. It doesn't have to be a two hour long process but learning from God's Word together is a crucial element in creating strong family bonds.
4. Get out and do something together. Go for a hike. Visit an amusement park. Go to the park or simply play a game of tag in the yard together. When the weather is nice we enjoy going for a hike together. We put the leash on the dog and take a drive to a nearby area. Hannah points out medicinal herbs and tells us their purpose, Casey makes us laugh with his non-stop antics, Emma gets tired halfway through and has to be carried and Brody throws rocks and sticks at the lake when we pass by. We talk and laugh and breathe in the fresh air while getting exercise and making memories.
In case you didn't notice in the examples I gave, making memories doesn't have to cost money. It's not something that only happens during that one week summer vacation. In fact if memories are only made once a year chances are the family bond is not going to be as strong. Children do not need to be left to themselves, hiding away in their room behind their locked doors playing video games alone. Families are not meant to live separate lives, their lives are designed to be entwined. As a family we should love and respect one another, lift each other up and comfort one another. This doesn't happen by accident, it's created and one of the best ways to be intentional in developing a strong family unit is through making lifelong memories that matter.