Creating Family Memories

Summer can be a sweet time for families full of rich memories and opportunities to bond.

Yet the constant temptation for family members to participate in every activity from swimming lessons to Vacation Bible School to community sports can prevent  us from enjoying quality time together.

Time together as a family should rank higher than any other outside commitments.  

Why?

Because being together strengthens family bonds and encourages openness between members. In The Secret to Building a Close-Knit Family, author and speaker on family relationships, Gary Smalley, says that sharing experiences and doing activities together creates happy and healthy families.

Here are a few ideas – for both younger and older children – to help you in your endeavors to spend time together and create fun-filled memories this summer:

1. Make homemade ice cream or homemade popsicles. Find recipes online, involve the entire family in choosing the ingredients and flavors and mix it all together. Then come back later that day to enjoy the fruit of your labor!

2. Choose a fundraising project to work on together. Hold a car wash, run a lemonade stand, have a family garage sale, or join a walk or bike-a-thon and ask others to pledge their support. Donate the money raised to a cause of your choice.

3. Have a good, old-fashioned picnic. Pack a sampling of fresh food, a blanket, Frisbees or other games and spend an evening at the park. If you stay late enough for the stars to come out, lay on a blanket together and try to memorize Isaiah 40:26, “Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.”

4. Camping. Whether that’s tent camping, RV camping or cabin camping, Gary Smalley says that camping together as a family is one of the best ways to deepen family relationships: “Camping is wonderful because there’s at least one major disaster that in the end brings you all together.” If your children are still in the toddler stage, pitch a tent in the back yard so you can head indoors if need be.

5. Give of yourselves. Volunteer at a local food shelf or go shopping and pick out the food together and then drop it off at the food shelf.

6. Visit a Christian bookstore and choose a family devotional book together. Decide as a family when you’ll have devotions together: After dinner? In the morning during breakfast? Sunday evenings? Make prayer an important part of this time. Encourage your children to pray – short and simple prayers are a great way to begin praying.

7. Family fun night. Choose one week night to set aside for a family fun night and work together to protect that weekly commitment. Read local newspapers for family-friendly events like movies in the park or outdoor concerts.

8. Don’t let weather – be it hot and humid days or rainy ones – put a damper on family activities. A family game night with an ice cream buffet at the conclusion can be as enticing as any outdoor adventure.

9. Go away together for the day. Visit a state park, go tubing down a river, take a car trip to a fun location, find a trail and go hiking or even drive to an outlet mall and go school shopping together. Pack snacks or grab a bite for lunch. Eating, driving, and sharing time together creates unique memories.

10. To plan out your family activities for the last weeks of summer, have everyone write down one or two things they still want to do before the seasons change. Put them in a basket, bowl or paper bag and draw out one or two a week. This will easily guide how you spend your time together.

Creating memories does not have to be expensive or even time consuming. If necessary, put these things on your to-do list so that you make them a priority. Don’t underestimate the power of having fun together.