5 Family Bonding Activities to Try at Home
Every November, The Goddard School® hosts Family Appreciation Week to celebrate the families who make up our Goddard Village. We know how important it is to create space for families to feel supported and valued, and you can recreate this same energy at home. Because feeling loved and connected should happen year round.
Some of the best family bonding activities are simple things you can do at home together: sharing what you're grateful for at dinner, making a family vision board or creating special keepsakes. Each one gives kids and grown-ups a chance to be present, laugh together and feel seen.
Here are five of our favorites.
1. Start with Gratitude
Make time to express gratitude with your loved ones. It could be at the dinner table or before bed and doesn’t have to be elaborate. For younger children, this can be as simple as saying, “I love when Dad makes funny faces” or “I feel happy when Mom reads to me.” You could also create a family gratitude jar where you write notes for each other (or have your children draw pictures) and read them together at the end of the week.
2. Make a Family Vision Board
A family vision board can be a wonderful way to celebrate who you are as a family and what you want to do together. All you need are some magazines, paper, scissors and glue. Invite everyone to cut out pictures or words that represent what they love most about your family. With younger children, pre-cut materials or have them draw something for the board. You could also change it up seasonally to celebrate your family’s evolving story!
3. Create a Family Playlist
Music is something that connects all of us together. Ask each family member to pick a few favorite songs and then create a playlist together. Let each person take turns as the DJ during family time, car rides or while cleaning up together. Dance parties and singalongs make for some of the best memories.
4. Go on a Family Memory Hunt
Create a treasure hunt using family memories or inside jokes as clues. You can hide small notes around the house with prompts like, “Where did we make our famous pancake breakfast?” or “Go to the place where we all laugh the hardest.” The treasure can be anything: photos that go into an album, handmade “thinking of you” gifts or a surprise family outing.
5. Design a Family Keepsake
Create a family handprint picture. Using a large canvas or sturdy paper, have each family member dip their hands in paint and press it onto the canvas. If the canvas is large enough, you can date it and add new handprints over the years.
It’s About Connection, Not Perfection
Each of these activities is a way to remind each other, “I see you, I love you and I’m glad we’re a family.” There’s no right or wrong way to celebrate, so embrace every messy, happy, sappy moment.
