5 Tips To Bond With Your Family During Quarantine

The greatest gift you can give your loved ones is your time. With the pandemic and the lockdown measures across countries, families have been able to spend a lot of time together. It strengthens and builds family bonds and also provides a sense of security and belonging to everyone in the family. Whenever families enjoy activities together, kids learn important skills from them and have higher self-esteem. It also helps encourage better behavior in children, has a positive impact on their performance at school, and enhances parent-child communication. 

Building strong family connections does not happen naturally to everyone. Our lives are hectic and it can take effort to carve out the time for your loved ones. Take this pandemic as an opportunity to make a firm foundation a reality in the family. Here are a few tips to bond with your family during quarantine. 

• Schedule family time

Make it a habit to set aside time for family. Keep everyone’s schedule in mind and see if there are blocks of time that can be set for family time. You can try to keep a regular night or a weekend, it could be once a week or once in two weeks where the family gets together and engages in a fun activity. You can make and maintain new traditions during family time. It could be a games night or a movie night keeping the age and preferences of the family members in mind. 

2.   Enjoy meals together

Pick a few nights in the week when you expect everyone to gather around the table. Make it a night where no gadgets are used. Have a meal and enjoy the conversations. Eating meals together has positive effects on the mental and physical well-being of your children. It will also help strengthen the family bonds. You can also try eating breakfast together if eating dinner is not possible for everyone. The idea is to come together and enjoy a wonderful time with family. 

3. Perform chores as a family

Cleaning the yard or your home can become a fun activity when everyone is involved. You can create a list of chores and ensure everyone participates. Set up a time during the weekend when everyone handles their chores at the same time. Keep a little flexibility but have a deadline to ensure that all the chores are completed. Doing chores together will make the job done much faster than doing them alone. It will also foster a sense of teamwork. 

4. Pursue a hobby together

There is nothing like learning a new skill during quarantine. It does not necessarily have to be associated with your profession. You can learn a new skill that everyone enjoys. According to the Austin-based Lone Star School of Music, supporting your child’s passion is a great way to show your interest in them, and taking the time to learn with them takes their lessons a step further by demonstrating your dedication to the participations. For example, your child might be interested in piano lessons; why not take classes with them? If your child is passionate about learning music, you can enroll with them and learn their favorite instrument. You do not have to take the lead role. You just have to go with the flow and enjoy the art. If you are unsure of how to go about it, sit with your child as they learn and try to pick up whatever you can. 

5. Schedule family meetings

The times are difficult and it is important to check in with every member of the family about grievances, future plans, or simply discuss their day-to-day life. Family meetings can be a great time to talk about the things that are going on in each member’s life. You can schedule them once a week or once a month but every member should be present there. While the scheduled family time can be a more common and fun activity, the family meeting should be one where problems are discussed and it can also be used to set family goals. Establish guidelines for the meetings and make it an open space where each member is allowed to talk, negotiate, and be heard. It is a great time to solve issues and to work towards achieving the family goals. 

These five ways can be highly effective in bonding with the family members during quarantine. Consider it as a downtime where you get to bond with the family and do it in the most efficient manner. You may have never had the time to enjoy movie nights with your family or just play a board game without worrying about work. You can do so now. No matter the size of your family or the number of members in your family, these tips will bring everyone closer and will build team spirit. Include each member in the activity you choose to engage in and make sure it is a fun activity. Do not make it a boring, family event where unresolved issues are brought up. This is the time to bring your family closer and strengthen the bond with one another.