Tag: family

Raise The Stakes Of Family Game Night

October 31, 2024Megan HerrenAdvice, Family

Getting the entire family together can take a little effort. There is no shortage of activities that pull family members apart most days of the week, from work obligations to sports practices to school events. The United Kingdom-based media provider Independent reported in 2023 on a study of 2,000 parents with children at home. The study found families are only spending six hours a week together, which is less than an hour each day. Furthermore, they only eat meals as a household four days out of seven.

Eking out more time for family may be as easy as scheduling activities that everyone can rally behind. Family game nights give everyone an excuse to gather at least once a week. These tips can make family game night a can’t-miss activity.

Start with Simple Games and Branch Out

The first step to a successful family game night is choosing the right game to engage all participants. This can be challenging when there are young children, teenagers, middle-aged adults, and even seniors participating. Visit an independently owned toy and games store and pick the brain of the proprietor. He or she will likely have some suggestions to get you started. As participants become more comfortable, you can branch out with games.

Make It A Recurring Event

Set a firm day of the week for the game night. This way participants will block out that date and time and make every attempt to attend. Treat game night like any other important appointment.

Consider Games With Movement

Game night doesn’t have to mean sitting around a board game, which young children who have trouble sitting still may characterize as a “bored” game. Games that get people moving, whether it’s charades, drawing games or a game such as Twister® can be more engaging. Game night also can take activities to a golf driving range or an arcade.

Gather For The Right Reasons

Game night should focus on having the entire family together laughing and competing in a good-natured way. It should not be a strict competition where winning is the only goal. Avoid the potential for sore losers who can sour game nights in a flash by letting everyone know that fun is the foremost priority of the night.

Offer Prizes

Encourage participation with the lure of prizes at the end. Prizes will not just go to the overall winner. There can be humorous awards, such as the player who messed up trivia questions the most, or the one who rolled matching pairs of the dice most frequently. You can customize the winning categories depending on the game played so everyone gets a fighting chance at a prize. Keep awards simple, like candy bars or other appealing treats.

Identify A “Game Master”

Every game night should feature a game master who presides over the rules of the game. The rules can be the ones strictly off of the information sheet, or the ones you customize for your own fun. The game master’s job is to make sure the rules are enforced, but also to determine when it’s alright to let things slide.

Family game nights are a vital way to bring everyone together at least once a week in a manner that is entertaining and fosters solid family relationships.

Families Can Make The Most of Summer’s End

August 22, 2024Megan HerrenFamily, Outdoors, Summer

It seems like just yesterday people were heralding the arrival of summer. After many months of fickle weather, summer’s warm temperatures and ample sunshine can be that hug from Mother Nature people need. But soon summer will be coming to an end, making room for apples, corn and pumpkin spice.

Even though summer will soon be singing its swan song, there is still plenty of time for families to enjoy the waning days of surf and sunshine. Here are some family-friendly options to consider.

Catch A Concert

Summer is a time of year when many artists go on tour and sell out everything from arenas to ampitheaters to more intimate venues. Find a singer the entire family enjoys and grab some tickets.

Pick Fruit

Peach season varies depending on where you live, but May through September is a prime time for pick-your-own farms to open their orchards to the peach-picking public. Turn those peaches into pies for Labor Day festivities.

Watch Some Fireworks

Those who didn’t have an opportunity to catch a fireworks display already this summer, or who enjoyed it so much that they want more, can find out when the next big display will take place. Some beachside towns and even amusement parks regularly host fireworks shows on the weekends.

Climb A Lighthouse

National Lighthouse Day occurs on August 7. Locate a lighthouse within driving distance and visit one of the beautiful and historic structures that commemorate maritime history. For example, Sandy Hook Lighthouse in New Jersey, which was lit for the first time in 1764, is the oldest operating lighthouse in the United States.

Pick A Day To Re-Do

Ask all members of the family what sticks out in their minds as the best summer day so far. It may have been paddle boarding in a lake or taking a scenic drive. Compile the answers and then pick one activity to enjoy all over again.

Head To A State Fair

State fairs fill calendars this time of year. They’re perfect ways to enjoy carnival rides, fair foods, live entertainment, and even livestock.

Watch Balloons Rise

Check to see if there is a hot-air balloon festival taking place nearby. Watch these huge items become lighter than air and get lifted off the ground.

Enjoy An Outdoor Movie

Purchase or borrow a movie projector and set up a screen outdoors. That screen can be an actual outdoor screen or a white sheet stretched between two poles. Invite the neighborhood to come over, set up picnic blankets and enjoy a family flick.

Camp Out

Pitch a tent at a campground or even in your own backyard and spend an evening sleeping under the stars.

Visit A Garden or Arboretum

Plan a day trip to a botanical garden or arboretum to view the various trees, flowers and shrubs in bloom. Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy a day in nature.

Families can wind down from summer by engaging in various enjoyable activities before a new school year begins.

Community Service Projects For Kids

August 18, 2022MBEhleFamily, Lifestyle

The importance of giving back to one’s community is a value that parents can instill in their children at an early age. Learning about worthy causes in local communities can help develop empathy in children and give them insight into those who live outside of their social and economic spheres. In addition, encouraging children to take part in community service can teach them skills they would not necessarily learn in the classroom.

Getting involved in community service as a child may lead to a lifelong commitment to giving back. The following are some ways children can get involved in community service projects.

Spend time with seniors

Children can visit seniors in nursing homes or assisted living facilities, provided that the visits are cleared with the home’s staff. Kids can work alongside seniors on craft projects or participate in games like bingo.

Collect food for the needy

Volunteering with a local soup kitchen can teach children about the plight of the less fortunate. Kids also can collect canned or boxed food and deliver it to food pantries so that no needy family has to go hungry.

Improve school grounds

Working with the principal of a local school, children can make plans to improve the grounds Ideas include repairing play equipment, planting trees, adding a vegetable or flower garden, or installing buddy benches where friends can find each other and hang out.

Donate eyeglasses

Kids can gather used eyeglasses and donate to an organization that recycles them for the needy.

Send care packages

Kids can reward first responders and military personnel who live in their communities by putting together care packages for them and their families.

Pick up litter

Children can gather like-minded friends and participate in a beach or park cleanup.

Service projects are great ways for kids to get involved and give back to their communities.

How Parents Can Discuss Social Media with Young Children

May 9, 2019MBEhleAdvice, Family

Parents of young children tend to have a lot on their minds. While social media may not be moms’ and dads’ foremost concern, it’s a topic that today’s parents must discuss with their children eventually. Social media is largely uncharted territory for parents. Many parents of young children did not grow up with social media. As a result, they might not know what constitutes appropriate usage, and how to convey that to kids growing up in a world where social media is so prevalent. Parents tasked with discussing social media with kids can consider the following tips.

• Recognize today’s kids are the most connected people in the world. UNICEF notes that young people between the ages of 15 and 24 are the most connected people in the world. Seventy-one percent of people in that age group are online, while just 48 percent of the total population across the globe is online. Parents won’t be able to eliminate the internet or social media from their kids’ lives. So discussions about social media usage should be about responsible usage, which should include limits on how much time kids spend online each day.

• Don’t view social media as a villain. While social media gets its share of deserved and undeserved criticism, UNICEF, in its “The State of the World’s Children 2017” report, noted that digital technologies can serve as positive forces in the lives of young people. For example, digital technologies allow children to access information on issues affecting their communities. Some youngsters may use that access as inspiration to change their communities for the better.

In addition, social media allows young people with conditions such as cerebral palsy to interact with their peers in ways they might not have been able to interact in decades past. When discussing social media with their children, parents can emphasize these positive aspects while also noting the negatives associated with social media, using the combination of both as an example of why social media must be used in moderation.

• Address the elephant in the room. Everyone on the internet is not who they say they are, and parents must address this with their kids before youngsters open social media accounts. Point out to children that they should never “friend” anyone who they do not know. A 2015 report from Pew Research found that 41 percent of Facebook users are connected with people they have never met in person. While adults who connect with strangers may not be in danger, kids may not be mature or savvy enough to recognize cyber criminals or others looking to prey on their inexperience and trustfulness.

Explain this to children and use it to illustrate why mom and dad want to know who they’re speaking to online. Emphasize that your goal is to protect them, not invade their privacy. Social media can be a difficult topic for parents to discuss with their children.

Maintaining an open and honest dialogue that recognizes the pros and cons of social media can make such discussions more fruitful.

How to Prepare Your Family When an Aging Loved One is Moving In

May 2, 2019MBEhleAdvice, Family

No man or woman, regardless of his or her age, wants to consider that a day may come when they need to rely on loved ones to help them perform everyday activities. But every day tens of millions of people serve as unpaid caregivers for their aging friends or family members. A 2015 survey from the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP found that approximately 34.2 million people had provided unpaid care to an adult age 50 or older in the last 12 months.

Many unpaid caregivers are pulling double duty, caring for their aging parents while also raising families of their own. While there’s no guarantee that aging men and women will require care, caregivers figure to become more necessary as life expectancies increase. In fact, recent years have seen the senior population in the United States exceed 50 million for the first time in the country’s history, and figures from the U.S. Census Bureau suggest that figure will continue to rise until 2029. Men and women who are preparing to welcome an aging loved one into their homes may wonder how to make that transition go smoothly, especially if they have young children at home.The following are some tips that can help families prepare to welcome an aging friend or family member into their homes.

• Speak with your loved one’s physicians. Speak with an aging loved one’s physicians so you can get a complete picture of their physical and mental condition. This can give you an accurate depiction of how much care your loved one needs now and how much they might need in the future if their condition worsens.

• Discuss forthcoming changes as a family. Once you gain a full understanding of your loved one’s physical and mental condition and before this person moves into your home, discuss it with your family. Adding a new member to your household will affect everyone, so each member of the family, including young children, should be included when discussing how the family dynamic will change. Parents must recognize that even young children may be asked to make sacrifices to accommodate aging loved ones. Explain these sacrifices in advance and how important it is to make an aging loved one feel welcome when they move in.

• Discuss conditions with children. Children may recognize their grandparents or elderly loved ones have physical limitations, but they likely won’t understand conditions such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Parents can ask a physician about how to explain cognitive decline to young children. Children may not recognize cognitive decline as readily as adults, so parents may need to discuss these conditions with their children periodically and/or if the conditions worsen.

Millions of people across the globe welcome aging loved ones into their homes when they can no longer care for themselves. Such caregiving changes family dynamics, and these changes should be discussed before and after a loved one moves in.

Simple Ways to Make More Time for Family

January 24, 2019MBEhleAdvice, Family

For the majority of working professionals, finding quality time to spend with loved ones can be a delicate balancing act. But working parents do not have to wait until retirement to enjoy being in the company of their families. With some fine tuning, anyone can find ways to spend more time with their children, spouse, extended families, and friends.

• Eat dinner together every night. Eating dinner as a family enables everyone to be a part of one another’s day and discuss important issues facing the family. According to The Family Dinner Project, eating as a family can boost kids’ academic performance, lower their risk of substance abuse and provide an opportunity for parents to gauge the emotional and physical well-being of their children. Avoid activities that cut into dinner time and rearrange work schedules to accommodate nightly meals with the family.

• Switch work hours. Many employers understand the benefits of flex time. If possible, leave the office at 4 p.m. to make it home for family time, and then log back on remotely at 7 p.m. to finish the day’s work. Working from home also reduces commute time, which can free up more time to spend with loved ones.

• Put it on the calendar. Many families have to abide by a calendar to stay organized. Family time may fall by the wayside unless it is scheduled. Treat it as any important event so it becomes a priority.

• Work together. Family time need not be limited to recreation or leisure. Get the entire family involved in a chore or project so you can work together toward a common goal. Landscaping, painting a room in the house or even grocery shopping are some examples of chores that can be turned into family time.

• Enjoy family media. Instead of retiring to separate corners of the house with tablets or mobile phones in tow, find a TV series everyone can enjoy together. Spend some binge-worthy hours seeing how stories unfold, taking time to discuss each episode when it ends.

Family time is something that takes work, but making it a priority can offer real benefits.

The Health Benefits of Grandparent-Grandchild Relationships

December 27, 2018MBEhleAdvice, Healthy

In the not-so-distant past, extended families were the norm, with multiple generations residing on the same street if not in the same house. Today the family unit is largely an amalgam of different situations. The rise of two-income families has pressured parents into finding childcare situations. Quite often grandparents once again step in to offer guidance and support for youngsters. This can be a good thing for both the grandparents and the grandchildren. Although a bevy of psychological research focuses on parent-child relationships, new evidence points to the benefits of the grandchild-grandparent relationship as well. Close relationships between these different demographics is often a sign of strong familial ties.

A study from researchers at Boston College discovered that emotionally close ties between grandparents and adult grandchildren reduced depressive symptoms in both groups. Research at the University of Oxford among English children between the ages 11 and 16 found that close grandparent-grandchild relationships were associated with benefits including fewer emotional and behavioral problems and fewer difficulties with peers. Adult and grandchildren alike benefit from relationships with their elders. Grandparents can provide a connection and exposure to different ideas while providing a link to family history and knowledge regarding traditions and customs not readily available elsewhere. Nurturing grandparent-grandchild experiences may be easy for families where grandparents live in the same house or close by. For others, it may take some effort. The following are some ways to facilitate time spent together.

• Schedule regular family reunions or get-togethers. Host or plan multi-generation events that bring the family together and expose children to various members of their family.

• Promote one-on-one time. Have grandchildren spend time with grandparents in intimate settings. Alone time can be good for both and offers each undivided attention. A meal at a restaurant or time spent doing a puzzle or craft can be interesting to both generations involved.

• Video chat when possible. If distance makes frequent visits challenging, use technology to bridge that gap. Send photos, letters and electronic communications. Tech-savvy grandparents can use Skype or Facetime to stay in touch and speak one-on-one with their grandchildren.

• Share skills with each other. Either generation can play teacher to the other. Grandparents may have certain skills, such as baking, sewing or wood crafts, they can impart that may not be readily taught today. Children can help grandparents navigate computers, video games or sports activities.

Grandchildren can help grandparents feel younger, and grandchildren can learn new experiences from their grandparents

18 Ideas for Making Holiday Memories

December 20, 2018MBEhleAdvice, Christmas, Holidays, Seasonal

Counting down to Christmas Day means many different things to people across the globe. Although families likely have several different traditions they anticipate each year, it can be fun to incorporate some new merrymakers into the festivities.

Here are some festive ideas to include in the days leading up to Christmas — a special family calendar of fun finds.

1. Annual memento

Have the kids or adults make one new handmade ornament each year. This way the tree is always evolving, and everyone can track milestones.

2. Cookie day

Devote one day to making Christmas cookies. Invite friends or family members over. Distribute some cookies to elderly neighbors.

3. Holiday classic

Spend a night in and watch a classic Christmas flick you’ve never seen before. Streaming movie services often put classics and obscure titles into rotation during the holiday season.

4. Christmas concert

Host a gathering of children where they can sing or perform their favorite tunes for an audience. Take it on the road to a nearby nursing home.

5. Dine out

Take a break from cooking, shopping and hosting and stop into a restaurant you’ve been meaning to try. Keep it local to support nearby businesses.

6. Adopt a child/family

Volunteer with a charitable organization that provides for less fortunate families. Answer the Christmas desires of a needy child or family by purchasing an item on their wish lists.

7. See the sights

Pack the children into the family car to tour nearby areas and look at Christmas lights displays. Bring along cookies and hot chocolate.

8. Trim a tree

Get together with adult friends at a tree-trimming party. Rotate the hosting house each year.

9. Play dress-up

A gentleman can dress up as the man in red and pop into a friend’s holiday gathering.

10. Wilderness walk

Enjoy the crisp air and snow and see a local park from a winter perspective.

11. Acts of kindness

Choose any act of kindness and make it happen this Christmas. It can include feeding the hungry or helping a disabled person shop for the season.

12. Kids’ Secret Santa

Spread the joy of giving by having the kids choose a sibling or friend’s name from a hat and purchasing or making a gift for that person.

13. Hand out hot chocolate

Make a big thermos of hot chocolate and give it out to shoppers or workers who have been out in the cold.

14. Read religious stories

Understand the true meaning of the season by reading Biblical passages.

15. Camp-in

The first night the tree is decorated, allow the kids to sleep beside it under the glow of Christmas lights.

16. Scavenger hunt

Plan holiday-themed trivia questions and hide small trinkets for children to find.

17. Surprise box

Put a gender and age nonspecific gift into a box. On Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, the person who finds a hidden gift tag under their chair at dinner gets to open the box.

18. Family portrait

Wear your holiday finery and pose for a portrait that actually will be printed and framed.

Tips to Simplify Holiday Hosting

November 22, 2018MBEhleAdvice, Organize, Seasonal

Hosting family and friends for the holidays is a tall task. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, during the Christmas/New Year holiday period, the number of long-distance trips (to and from a destination 50 miles or more away) increases by 23 percent compared to the rest of the year.

While many of those traveling will stay in hotels, many more will enjoy the hospitality of loved ones. Holiday hosting can make an already hectic time of year that much busier, as hosts must prepare their homes for guests in the midst of holiday shopping excursions, office Christmas parties and social engagements around the neighborhood and at kids’ schools. Holiday hosting does not have to run hosts ragged in the days leading up to guests’ arrival.

The following are a handful of ways to simplify holiday hosting.

Plan menus well in advance of guests’ arrival

One of the more time-consuming tasks associated with holiday hosting is cooking. Hosts who plan their holiday menus in advance can get started on prep work several weeks before guests arrive. Choose dishes that can be prepared in advance and then frozen, so dishes need only be defrosted and cooked once guests arrive.

Let guests pitch in

Some hosts may feel obligated to cater to all of their guests’ needs during the holiday season. But many guests want to pitch in any way they can. If guests offer to do some holiday baking or take the family out for dinner during their visits, allow them to do so. This takes a little responsibility away from hosts while also allowing guests to show how much they appreciate the hospitality of their hosts.

Plan a night out

Another way to make hosting friends and family for the holidays less taxing is to plan a night out for everyone. In lieu of cooking at home, dine out at an affordable, family-friendly restaurant before taking everyone to a local holiday light display or bazaar. This gets everyone out of the house and allows hosts to showcase their hometown pride.

Rotate hosting duties

The holiday season is full of traditions, and some hosts may feel beholden to tradition and offer to host each year. But family traditions are about getting together, not about getting together in a particular place each year. Families who rotate hosting duties each year can ensure one member of the family does not feel overwhelmed time and time again. And sharing hosting duties means someone new gets to avoid the hectic holiday traveling season each year.

Holiday hosting is an enjoyable yet sometimes difficult task. Fortunately, hosts can take steps to simplify holiday hosting without sacrificing tradition.

Now Playing: Summer Movie Nights in Your Own Backyard

July 5, 2018MBEhleAdvice, Entertainment, Lifestyle, Outdoors

Looking for a way to get the most out of your summer evenings? Make it a night at the drive-in at home! With the right equipment and planning, you can easily enjoy your favorite movies under the stars, right in your own backyard. Here are a few simple steps for bringing your new favorite tradition to life.

The Setup

Designing your outdoor screening space is a simple process. To begin, determine where your screen should be placed. You will want your screen positioned where there is minimal light once the house lights are off and the sun has set. There should be ample space for guest seating, and room for the projector’s image throw distance. For optimal image quality, your projector should be elevated.

For seating, an assortment of lawn chairs, floor chairs, outdoor ottomans and outdoor rugs will accommodate preferences for guests of all ages.

Since you will be limiting ambient light as much as possible, keeping pathways lit for safety purposes is a sensible exception. Solar LED pathway lights are a tasteful accent that will keep guests safe around tripping hazards.

The Basics

Select the right projector. Since outdoor settings include a number of light sources that are not always within your control, such as street lights and moonlight, choosing a projector with the right lumen level for your space is critical for clear image projection. As a rule, the more ambient light in your backyard, the higher you will want your projector’s lumen level to be.

The second component to consider is sound. No home theater system is complete without quality sound, and your outdoor screening experience is no exception. Your guests will appreciate an audio source with enough output to cut through ambient noise.

For simplicity and convenience, consider an all-in-one outdoor movie theater kit, such as the one offered by Improvements, which is Wi-Fi enabled and features everything your backyard home theater needs, including a 1,200 lumen projector with 800×480 DPI, Bluetooth speaker and a 90-inch screen.

The Extra Details

Since you’ll most likely be waiting for the sun to set before starting the movie, get creative with activities for both kids and adults to pass the time. It’s a smart step to spray the area for bugs before guests arrive, and keep additional pest control solutions on hand.

Hosting an outdoor movie party is a fun opportunity to put a twist on movie theater snacks, especially ideas that can be prepared in advance. However, fresh popcorn is an absolute must.

Creating a drive-in theater in your backyard is easier than you think. With the right equipment, and some planning, the most difficult step will be picking out the movie.