“The only rock I know that stays steady, the only institution I know that works, is the family.” — Lee Iacocca. What makes a family strong, and how to create family bonding? A successful family is built on the support and affection that family members provide for one another. However, a solid bond requires that you understand each other, show up for them in need, and spend quality time together. Knowing and believing that your parents and siblings will always be there for you is what pulls you closer. However, the demands of daily life may not allow us to be together. Like all other relationships, family relationships require continuous nurturing, which can only be accomplished through family bonding. It allows you to understand each other better and increase your mutual well-being. Continue reading our post to learn more about family bonding time and its vitality. We also share the advantages of family time and strategies to bond well.
What Is Family Bonding Time?
Family bonding time is the quality time that you spend with your family, doing things that you love. It could include doing activities together, going on a picnic, watching a movie together, having meals together, helping each other out, playing a game, and much more. It allows the members of a family to interact with each other, know and understand each other, feel united, and develop a stronger bond.
10 Benefits Of Family Bonding Time
“The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life.” —Richard Bach Spending quality family time together can benefit both the parents and children in the following ways.
1. Improves educational and literary outcomes
Studies have shown parental involvement has a positive impact on children’s educational and literary outcomes (1) (2). Spending time together, showing keen interest in their school activities, doing homework together, etc., can have a huge impact on your children’s academic success.
2. Helps develop social skills
Family bonding helps children learn essential social skills. It teaches them how to behave in social settings by watching their parents. It also allows parents to communicate with each other better and set examples for their children.
3. Helps create meaningful Relationships
Family bonding time could help children form meaningful relationships with people outside the family—be it their teachers, peers, or elders. How you approach or interact with each other in the family would reflect how your children interact with people outside the immediate family circle.
4. Improves communication
It helps improve communication. Spending quality time together enables you to better understand each other better, express your feelings and thoughts, and welcome different opinions and perspectives (3). It also helps children become active listeners.
5. Fosters unity
Family time helps keep families united. A family that spends time together understands each other’s likes and dislikes and does things that help each other grow. It also allows your children to feel free to reach out to you with their problems.
6. Helps resolve conflicts
Resolving conflicts that may arise within the family from time to time becomes easier when you have time for the family. A strong family that spends quality time together can come to terms with differences and help each other get through difficult times. It helps resolve conflicts outside family as well. Spending time will lead to discussing matters that are troubling a family member and provides safe space for emotions.
7. Improves behavior
Children of parents who often spend quality time together are less likely to exhibit emotional and behavioral disorders (4). Also, family bonding time helps you value each other and build intimacy and trust.
8. Improves self-esteem
Family bonding time helps build self-esteem in children. Studies have proven that poor child-parent bonding leads to low self-esteem in children and may cause psychological distress (5). Spending quality time with the family helps children feel loved and accepted and enables them to appreciate their self-worth.
9. Helps reconnect
Family time helps you reconnect with your children. This is especially true if both of you are working parents and have very little time for your children on weekdays. Doing fun activities together at scheduled times of the day or on weekends can help your children open up to you and share more information about their lives.
10. Fosters mutual respect
Each member of a family can express themselves, value each other’s uniqueness, engage in dialogue, and feel comfortable sharing information about their life during family bonding events. Engaging in activities and understanding each other’s roles and boundaries can also help foster mutual respect.
10 Ways To Create Family Bonding Time
There are myriad ways to create family bonding time. And most activities that you indulge in together won’t cost you a dime and can be done on an everyday basis. Here are a few ways in which you can create quality family bonding time.
