dBack to school is a perfect time to get into (or back into) a Family Time Training routine with your family. It’s a great time to determine which activities you’ll do together for the fall or even through Christmastime. You can pick a date, time, and even do pre-meal planning to get everything set. You can learn some specifics on how our family did this from my post called How We Started a Family Time.
When our children love tennis or dance or martial arts, their practice and class schedules get primary focus on our home calendar, but how much more important is their spiritual training and practice? Having your Family Time Training on the schedule like everything else, shows that it is important. Another good tip is to choose a time when all your children are home and available. When we schedule Family Time Activities when one child is gone, it diminishes the importance of the spiritual training to the other children and they think it’s not a big deal if they schedule a personal activity during that time I in light of another sibling being allowed to miss out.
The activities are important, but they do not need to take all evening, either. Because Family Time activities do not take much time, there is still plenty of time for dinner, homework and whatever else is needed those evenings. If your children begin to resent the time together because of its length, shorten it! Change it up. Make it relevant and something your children don’t want to miss.
During Family Time Activities often topics and concerns come up that you recognize need a follow up conversation with one of your children. Weekly Family Time Activities are a great time for a quick check in with each child to make sure you are aware of what is happening in each child’s life and know how to pray for each of them throughout the week. Often, those special times together may bring reminders that one of your children is feeling a need for some one-on-one parent attention or for some quiet time to recharge away from the noise of normal busyness.
When you set aside the time for Family Time Activities as part of your family’s weekly routine there are many benefits for each person in your family. May you be able to kick off your school year strong as a family in creating a Family Time Activity routine.
From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised. Psalm 113:3
How do you work Family Time Activities into your weekly routine in your family?