Building Family Bonds That Last

Communication Building Activities:

1. Sit down with a teen in a quiet place.

2. Each member has a pen and paper.

3. Write down 3 things you like about each other and 3 things you would change.

4. Take turns discussing what you both wrote down. Agree that you both will listen to each other and agree to be respectful.

One on One Sessions: Schedule one-on-one time with each family member. Participate in a hobby together, etc. Use the time to build a bond, discuss problems, etc.

Family Council Meetings: Have a meeting where a problem is discussed, an opportunity is presented, or an issue is shared. During the meeting, the issue is explained, and each person is invited to share their opinion about the matter.

Trust Building Activities: Blindfold one person. The person not blindfolded walks the blindfolded person around the house for 10-15 minutes. Have a discussion about the experience.

Analyzing the Event: Sit down in a quiet place. Each member writes a 6-sentence poem reflecting how each feels about an event or situation that involves both parties. Each member reads their poem out loud. Each member tries to guess what event or situation is being reflected in each poem. Each member discusses their feelings regarding the event or situation and the impact of the event.

Thankfulness Challenge: Each member has a partner. Everyone has 1 minute to run around and find a gift for the other member and put it in a bag. The receiver takes the gift out, shows the family, says thank-you, and says something complimentary about the giver.

Family Trivia Night: Divide the family into teams of two. Each member asks questions about their partner, e.x, “favorite color?” The partner then answers the same question about the other member in another room. The goal is to see how many things know about each other.

Who, Where, What: Brainstorm a list of people, places you all have been, movies you enjoy or things done together. Break into teams and play charades and the other family members have to guess what place, person, or thing they are acting out.

Back to Back Pictures: Divide family into two’s and have them sit back to back. One member gets a pre-drawn picture, and the other member gets a piece of paper and a pen. The member with the picture gives instructions on how to draw their picture without telling what it is. Discuss the activity.

Memory Wall: On a poster board, come up with phrases that can be illustrated through pictures, e.x, “birthdays”, “vacations”, “achievements,” and create a collage.

Pick an M & M: Each color of the M & M represents an emotion. Each member selects an M & M without looking and takes a moment to share an experience or memory that aligns with the color of the M & M selected. As everyone shares, a natural conversation can happen.

Family Planning Sessions: During the family planning sessions, the calendar is reviewed to ensure the upcoming activities and events are noted. During the session, everyone can clarify needs for the week, etc.

Other relationship-building activities:

• Board games

• Family movie night

• Work on family contract

• Work on family budget

• Start a scrapbook

• Do a scavenger hunt

• Ask some would you rather questions

• Have a dance party

• Have a meal together- No phones allowed. Talk about your day.

• Have a cooking bake-off invite friends/family to be the judges

• Teach family recipes through cooking together

• Drive around the neighborhood

• Learn a new skill together (gardening, cooking, painting, drawing, etc.)

• Create a family time capsule

• Write poems and stories together

• Bake something together

• Go for a walk

• Go camping

• Watch favorite tv show together

• Make ice cream sundaes

• Plan a trip

• Write a thank-you letter to the family

• Read a book together

• Start a new hobby

• Exercise together

• Have a drawing contest

• Charades