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Here are some tips to help your family carve our more downtime and some surefire recipes for family fun
So, how do we squeeze in some downtime for family fun?
When the new school year begins, families often return to the same ol’ thing: days packed with school, homework, extracurricular activities and lessons — busy, busy and more busy! Why does the “summer fun” slower paced mentality have to end once the first day of school rolls around?
So, how do we do we squeeze in some downtime for family fun? It’s simple! We are the key. It’s up to us — parents and grandparents — to set the tone in our homes. If we are always hurried and frantic, EVERYONE reacts that way as well. When we are relaxed, happy and loving… don’t you notice how the family is also that way?
Here are some tips to help your family carve out more downtime and some surefire recipes for family fun. Decrease the number of “extra”curricular activities this year. It’s okay to have only one activity per child or even to take a break entirely for the fall.
Spend more time together as a family. How about a weekly board game night, where no matter the game played, one rule is always followed: everyone must give each other their undivided attention. No side phone conversations, folding laundry or checking email.
Encourage the children to suggest or help you plan a Saturday afternoon activity. Consider choosing a theme that corresponds with the month, a holiday or what the kids are learning in school.
Do things together that may not be the normal family fare. Trust me, the kids will remember these outings FOREVER, and they will become part of a future “doyou-remember-when” conversation.
Here are a few off the beaten path ideas.
Learn about worms and composting at Our Vital Earth (ourvitalearth.com) in Apopka, Florida. Carl and Bernie Moro love to share with the children how to make their own compost with their very own worms!
For you early birds, an excursion to a farmer’s market makes for a fun outing. The Winter Park Farmer’s Market, off of New York Avenue, is great! Your kids will meet local farmers and artisans and learn about all the tasty produce grown right in their backyards. It increases their awareness of how wonderful fresh food tastes. Take your children to the only bar where they won’t get carded — an all-natural aromatherapy bar in Clermont, Florida with JennScents (jennscents.com). Jennifer Hochell teaches the children what scents/aromas may comfort them during stressful times or when their tummies hurt! They’ll have fun telling their friends all about this “bar.” Finally, for all of you who loved Bee Movie, take the family to Geneva, Florida. Meet Bill and Marion Fredrickson (happybeehoneyfarm.com) with Fredrickson’s Apiaries. They will teach you all you need to know about the hobby of beekeeping and how incredible bees are to our earth. Bring a covered dish for the community potluck and you’ll have a beautiful time!
Just remember that the calendar doesn’t dictate family fun time. YOU — moms, dads and grandparents — are in charge of your family… the fun, the love and the memories that you make ALL YEAR LONG.
Suzette Boyette is the founder of www.ParentsEverywhere.com, which offers free podcasts featuring parenting experts and is a nurse practitioner and educator. She is also the proud mother of 3 kids.
