15 Indoor Family Activities To Relax This Summer
Summer brings with it gorgeous sunny days, in which all you want to do is enjoy your time outdoors and soak in the sunshine. But summer also has those days in which the scorching heat makes stepping out seem like a punishment. The entire family has to spend time indoors. This time can be easily transformed into quality family time.
This summer, bring the family together with relaxing but enjoyable activities. Strengthen the bonds by sharing meaningful time. Here’s a list of 15 indoor relaxing family activities to get you started:
You might also consider this your summer bucket list of activites for the family!
15 Relaxing Indoor Family Activities
Testing out recipes:
Even preparing a meal or baking a treat becomes a relaxing and enjoyable experience when the whole family does it together. Allocate age-appropriate tasks to the children in the family. You can prepare a family recipe book, that can be handed down to generations. Everyone can suggest recipes they want to try, and the recipes might benefit from the creative suggestions of each family member. All family members can put their minds together and even create new recipes. You could even start a family recipe blog. If it is too hot to cook, the family can put together some cool treats or chilled desserts to enjoy together later.
Meditation and mindfulness exercises
You have to try meditation and mindfulness exercises with your family to understand the full extent of their ‘magical’ effects. Doing the exercises with family tends to increase involvement and commitment. If you don’t have much practice or do not know where to start, you can always opt for guided meditation. There are plenty of audio files available online that can guide the family through the process and ensure a fruitful session. There’s just one caveat though, once your family gets a taste of the effects of such exercises, it is going to result in an addiction. This addiction is great though and can be encouraged.
Sharing stories
For story time, all family members with devices (phones, tablets, laptops) must set them aside. This is a time to enjoy each other’s company in an unadulterated manner. Gather around and create the ambiance. The family members can share fictional stories or real-life incidents. This time lends a sneaky opportunity for the elders to teach lessons to the young ones. My daughters love to hear funny stories from when I was growing up and it usually ends in lots of giggles.
Reading books
If you want your children to read more, you need to be a role model. Children who see elders being passionate readers will grow up with a love for books themselves. For an hour or so, you can hand out books and everyone can read together. Term this as ‘library time’. Enrich your mind and that of your family members with different types and genres of books. Sometimes, even good comic books can help learn a thing or two.
Playing games
Games have been used as educational tools for a while now, but they are gaining more popularity in recent years. You could play some educational games with your family, or you could just choose to refresh and renew your energy levels with relaxing games. Play classic games like Uno or Scrabble. Indulge in a few board games or play free hearts online. Take advantage of the innumerable PC and mobile games. You could even compete against each other. Playing games can increase concentration power, improve motor skills, and enhance mental alertness. It’s a win-win situation. Check out my post on family game night for more ideas.
Solving jigsaw puzzles
The whole family can work together on one giant jigsaw puzzle. It would mean hours of quiet work. You can get the final solved jigsaw puzzle framed. It would not only become an interesting piece for your living room, but it will also serve as a reminder of happy family time. Jigsaw puzzles are known to reduce stress, improve concentration, and enhance hand-eye coordination. These days, you can even get customized jigsaw puzzles. Additionally, you can make puzzles online with your images and share them.
Watching Movies
Although screen time is normally discouraged, it is impossible (and a bad idea) to keep children completely away from screens (digital literacy and tech-savviness are advantageous). One of the ways to make good use of screen time is to watch some cinematic masterpieces together. It’s even better if the family gets to learn something from the movie.
Working on DIY craft projects
Use the supplies you have around the house and work on a family DIY craft project. Everyone needs a creativity boost, and craft projects provide the appropriate opportunities. You could even make innovative use of waste materials with a recycling project. Each family member can make age-appropriate contributions to the project.
Browsing old pictures
You may have old photo albums lying around. Enlighten the children about their family history with the help of these albums. Pictures of the more recent past are probably stored on a hard disk or USB flash drive. You can connect the storage device to a larger screen like a TV or laptop and revisit some old memories together. You may even get some inspiration for new photoshoots (like recreating a childhood picture/rephotography).
Organizing the home
Organizing the home together as a family is not only relaxing and therapeutic but it will also lead to better sleep and a good lifestyle. Apparently, you can enhance physical and mental health by organizing the home. One of the most significant benefits of home organization is the boost in productivity. You can spend hours sorting, arranging, discarding, and labeling items around your place, and all of these tasks will end up in a home that’s a treat to the eyes and soul. With this activity, you can teach the children organization skills that will help them throughout their lives.
Playing with pets
Family pets also deserve to be a part of family activities. Playing with pets gets them and the family members some extra exercise. For some pets like dogs, while playing indoors, you might want to utilize the leash. If you have toys for your pets to play with, then use those to entertain them. Or, simple items like a laser or a ball of yarn can also guarantee a lot of fun. Take turns to cuddle your pets or give them back rubs.
Indulging in self-care
This is an important activity, as it teaches the children to take care of themselves too. Imagine an afternoon when the entire family settles down with sheet masks (or even DIY masks), a cold beverage, and good books. The older children in the family can learn how to give each other a manicure, pedicure, or a good foot massage. Self-care can also take the form of a yoga or pilates session. Even simple breathing exercises can also count as self-care.
Holding peaceful conversations
Sometimes, all you need is to talk to each other. In our busy daily lives, many days pass by without families having a proper conversation with each other. If you have some free time, spend it just talking about things that matter to each one of you. Encourage everyone to share. Let the kids know that this is a safe place to open up. This activity will increase the closeness of the family.
Decorating the home
Undertake the decoration of your home as a family activity. If your home needs a fresh coat of paint, the family can DIY it together. It is sure to guarantee a few giggles and oodles of fun. If a family member is skilled in carpentry, all family members can help design and build an interesting piece of furniture. It is the members of a family that turn a house into a home, so decorate your home with that in mind. Your home should reflect the personalities of all those who live in it.
Writing
The whole family can spend some time writing together. It can be anything from letters to journals, or maybe even a family record. Everyone could use a common writing prompt and see what they can come up with. You could use this time to improve the written communication skills of your children. For the youngest children in the family, this can be a great time for handwriting practice. Watching the elders take part in the same activity will raise the interest and willingness of the children.
Conclusion
The family activities that you do together this summer will become memories for the summers to come. Additionally, these family activities provide opportunities to develop life skills among the children. Your time, attention, and involvement will also make the children happy. By the end of summer, you will have a rejuvenated family that’s closer than ever and a better home.
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