Building Family Unity

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It’s that time of year again; back to school! With school back in session comes the after school extracurricular activities. Football practice, dance classes, piano lessons; you might be thinking “How am I going to keep my family together with every one going in different directions!?”  Here are 4 tips my mom used on her own kids in order to build unity within our family.

1.       Listen to each other: Listening is one of the most powerful ways to show someone you care. Make special efforts to actively listen to your children whether they’re expressing their fears, goals, achievements, or just babbling. Listening and responding when appropriate allows a feeling of understanding as well as a connection to be made between the listener and the speaker.

2.       Share responsibilities: Help your family to understand that they are each part of a team. Let your children know what you expect from each of them when assigning chores or small tasks around the house. Allow them to feel responsible and help them to understand how their contribution affects the family.

3.       Establish routines: There is a sense of safety found in routines. Though not everything you do needs to be part of your family’s routine, things such as dinner time and bedtime, especially for young children should be consistent.

4.       Have fun! Spend time having fun with your family. Set aside time at least once a month to do something out of the ordinary with your family. But don’t worry, whatever you do does not have to cost lots of money or be something extravagant. Something as simple as a hike, a picnic in the park, or a trip to a local museum would work. The idea is to be spending time playing with your family which will help strengthen the family unity and allow your children to realize that being part of a team isn’t just about working together, but also playing together.

For fun family events going on in Utah check here and here.