Family Game Time

How often does your family spend time to do something together? I don't mean go on holidays because that doesn't happen often enough. I'm talking about an allotted time on a weekly basis for your immediate family to have quality time to bond and strengthen familial ties.

Too often it is the case that our lifestyles are so busy that each family member does their own thing, separated and disconnected from each other. There needs to be something that can draw the family back together to a moment in time for the simple pleasure of enjoying each other's company.

The answer is the Family Game Time (FGT). Bring out the board games, boxed games or pen and paper games. It doesn't have to be a long time spent playing - it just needs to be constant. It could be anything from 10 minutes to half an hour, or even an hour. It is flexible, depending on the game chosen. Have a system where different members decide which game to play each week. Or you could have a vote system to decide the game. The crucial point to FGT is that all members have to be present and actively playing. If one member slacks off one week then there will be a domino effect and soon there won't be anyone playing. Be strict with this rule. The second thing to remember is to have fun and enjoy the company.

Children actually look forward to this time. It becomes a special time for them. They will wish it was more often played but stick to it once a week so that it becomes a special time and doesn't become a burden for the rest of the family whose time is limited. I will end here with an old saying to reflect upon: The family that plays together, stays together.

Have fun!