Tips for Building Strong Family Bonds
By Communicare
Positive family dynamics are crucial to helping families resolve conflict, work through life’s challenges, communicate effectively and work as a team.
Children that grow up in families that empathize with one another, show affection and respect one another’s boundaries grow up to be more confident to explore the world and build healthy relationships of their own. However, it’s never too late to improve family relationships.
Even families that have gone through challenges and felt the impact of poor family relationships can heal by finding ways to strengthen family bonds. Today’s families are busier than ever before. That’s why increasing family time takes time and energy.
Here are some of our best tips for building stronger family bonds:
Tip #1: Have a Family Group Chat
It’s hard to find anyone who does not use a smartphone or a tablet in these highly mobile and digital times. Whether work or school-related, most of us are already in group chats. Creating a group chat for your family allows you to connect instantly and often. It’s amazing how simply sharing funny GIFs and memes can increase engagement and bonding. Group chats are typically easy for both young children and seniors to use as well!
With family chat groups, family members no longer have to wait to get home to share the news with others or seek advice. Participating in the group chat reminds everyone that they are a unit that can celebrate successes and solve problems together.
Tip #2: Practice Random Acts of Kindness
No matter how busy you are, look for ways to show kindness to your family members. For adults, it can be as simple as picking up their favorite dessert when you stop by a café during a work lunch. Teens and tweens can leave a post-it with uplifting words of encouragement and love. Teach your young kids to practice small acts of kindness often as well; who wouldn’t want to be gifted a rock their sibling or child thought was “special, like you”?
Tip #3: Have Meals Together
Eating together is more than just sharing a meal. The meals don’t need to be expensive or extravagant to be impactful. The purpose of sitting down for a meal together is to encourage communication. The dinner table or wherever you choose to eat together becomes a safe space for family members to talk about their days’ ups and downs.
Tip #4: Do Chores Together
Doing chores as a family isn’t just a trick to get the work done faster; tackling chores together is actually a great way to spend time together, reduce family stress and improve family teamwork. Working on chores together also creates a sense of shared responsibility. While no one may actually enjoy the chore, it helps children feel competent and satisfied when they finish a task. This satisfaction leads to empowerment and confidence, which are crucial to emotional well-being.
Tip #5: Travel Together
In these strange and unpredictable times, traveling has become more difficult and even scary. However, the trips you plan with your family don’t have to be elaborate or far. Family bonding happens during the journey. The most important aspect of family trips is not the destination but the act of togetherness.
