Favorite Family Activites

We love spending time together as a family. Not just time, but quality time. And better yet, we love doing it for free. What is one of our favorite family activities? Walking!

 

Beneficial Family Activities

Walking together is one of our favorite family activities. I don’t know how it happens at your house, but at mine, almost every night it goes something like this:

Seth: “Dad, can we play Mario Party Wii?”
Hubs: “Nope, we’re going for a walk.”
Seth: “Why? I want to play Mario Party!”
Hubs: “And that’s exactly why we’re going for a walk.”

As we meander down to a close stream, my kids collect rocks and sticks, shoving them in their pockets and smearing mud all over their pudgy little fingers. And we let them. When we get to the water, they throw their treasures as far as they can and for as long as possible. And we let them.

Why?

It’s Good for the Whole Family

We all know that walking is good exercise for our bodies. But have you ever thought about how beneficial it is to your brain, your social skills and environmental awareness?

Spending time in nature – away from a screen – opens our eyes, and our children’s eyes, to the world around us. We take in nature in all its varieties: birds, squirrels, and insects, even frogs and turtles. Trees, flowers, grass, reeds, and so on. We can teach our children to respect nature, and they’ll gain an appreciation for the world we live in.

We converse and laugh with each other, young and old. This builds our trust and appreciation for each other, was well as our communication skills. When we’re not distracted by technology, we learn to listen. Our kids are more likely to open up to us when we’re on a secluded trail, doing something together as a family. It’s a great time to get older kids talking about their day at school or problems they might be having. Or, it’s a great time to take a break from the cares of life!

The world is saturated with technology. Walking as a family helps us take a step back and allows our brains a “break” to decompress and rest from all the stimulation we’re shoving in it.

So get outside. Bundle up if it’s cold. Put on sunscreen if it’s hot. Take an umbrella if it’s raining. Find a bike path. Go to the local park and do laps. Don’t know if you have a nature park nearby? Check out your city’s webpage and explore their parks.

When you walk together as a family, ask questions. Listen! Hold hands, put your arm around your kids, tickle them or playfully nudge them. They – We! – need that positive physical contact.

Go walking and build your relationship with your family. Are you a family of one? Pick a friend and make it happen.

What are your favorite family activities?