Many families will schedule an annual summer trip when the children are out of school. Summer trips can be to amusement parks or simply camping for a weekend. Taking annual vacations is a good way to get away from the stressors of everyday life and to spend time and bond as a family.

Most households have two working parents and children who are involved in activities, which allows for very little family time. Getting away on vacation together is a good way to reinforce the family bond and values.

Christmas and other holiday traditions are fairly common amongst families. Many of these traditions are valued so much that they are carried down through the generations. Children are usually amazed to learn that their grandparents carried on these traditions and so forth. By observing these traditions, whatever they may be, you are passing on a piece of your family.

Security is another reason to observe family traditions. Adults and children alike usually take comfort in knowing and observing family traditions. You may disrupt your child’s sense of security if you abruptly stop observing a family tradition.

Sometimes it may be impossible to observe a tradition, for example in the case of an emergency. However, try to make plans to observe the tradition as soon as possible. Most people will not care if the tradition is observed later, as long as an attempt is made.

Allow modifications of a current tradition as the need arises. For example, if you usually have Thanksgiving dinner at your house, but this year someone has had a baby and really doesn’t want to or cannot leave the house, offer to hold the dinner at their house. Traditions such as Thanksgiving dinner are typically more about being with the family than always gathering in the same place.

Allowing flexibility with your traditions ensures that you will be able to conform to any changes that arise year after year.

Family traditions are important to observe for many reasons such as family bonding and maintaining a sense of security. They are usually passed down among generations and as a result some variations may occur. Welcome these variations on your family traditions and you will ensure that they last for many more generations.

Many families these days have allowed their schedules to dictate how and where they eat. Rather than spending dinner time together as a family around the table, there are meetings, sports practice, and other obligations to meet. As a result, they may be growing further and further apart.

One of the many benefits of sharing family dinner together is that it keeps the family connected. The children know they’ll have their parents’ undivided attention at that time. The family can talk about their lives, share concerns, and seek support and advice for dealing with problems.

For many people, as they were growing up, having dinner together as a family was one way to share their love for one another. There was time to communicate opinions without fear of reprisal, and few topics were off limits. For children, having their parents’ undivided attention was an expression of love.

Sharing meals is also a way for a family to develop trust among the members. The family dinner table was the place parents could teach their children to share their feelings, reinforce the family’s values, learn to take turns talking, and explain why family traditions are important.

Research has proven overwhelmingly that children who have meals with their family at least twice a week are less likely to try drugs or alcohol, less likely to become depressed, and more likely to make good grades. Who knew eating with your family around the dinner table could be so good for children and teens?

Another benefit of having a family dinner is helping your family develop good eating habits. When you’re eating at home, you’re less likely to be eating as much junk food. If you’re running from place to place, you’ll likely pick up fast food in between activities. That’s no way to eat on regular basis. Eating at home allows you to provide fruits and vegetables, control sweets, and control the fats your family eats.

Eating at home is also considerably cheaper than eating out. You have control over how much you spend, the serving sizes your family eats and the types of foods you buy. Since you’re at home, why not teach the children and teens in your family how to cook so they’ll have that skill when they move out?

It is possible someone in the family will have an activity or appointment that can’t be broken, and that’s okay. Having an occasional meal where the whole family can’t be present isn’t a problem. When you’re trying to create a nurturing tradition such as family dinner, it’s important to be flexible but not allow the interruptions to your family dinners become the norm.

Try these nine family activities for an exciting end to your summer:

1. Make a memory book. Have everyone in the family get together and make a memory book or scrapbook. Collect photos from your summer or other scraps and artwork that would fit into a book of memories. This will give you a lasting memento of the good times you had over the summer.

2. Have a splashing good time. The summer usually means a good time around water. Throw a pool party or play around in the sprinklers. Have a water balloon fight with your family. Involve water while you still can, before the cold days of winter arrive.

3. Make summertime recipes. Pick out your favorite summertime recipes and make food and drinks with your family. Start with drinks like iced tea and lemonade, or pick another family favorite that you associate with summer. Then, make summer treats or throw a barbeque.

4. Throw a summer party. Get together with your family and throw an end of the summer bash for all of your friends. Your family can plan the party together, cook the food and make decorations. Take lots of photos of your party so you can remember the good time you had.

5. Go to the zoo. Summer is a great time to enjoy the zoo during your free time. Go to the zoo with your family one last time before school takes away much of that free time. It’s also a great way to learn about many different kinds of animals.

6. Play video games. Video games can be fun for the whole family. Some game consoles even have games that’ll get the whole family active. Choose a sports game, a family board game or a racing game and compete against your family for an exciting time together.

7. Go to the beach. The end of the summer might be one of your last opportunities to hit the beach this year. Wear sunscreen to protect your skin. Bring plenty of towels and beach toys. Build a sand castle with your kids. Bury one of your family members in the sand.

8. Get ready for school. Enjoy getting ready for the school year with your family. Find the fun in shopping for clothing and school supplies. Get the whole family involved. Allow your kids to make some of the clothing decisions and to pick out some of their favorite school supplies.

9. Relax at home. Enjoy some quiet time at home before the craziness of the school year starts. Order takeout and talk around the dinner table. Rent some family friendly movies to enjoy while you beat the heat together.

Pick one of these, or come up with your own end of summer activity ideas. The most important thing is that you take the time to enjoy your family. The end of summer can be an exciting time for your family to bond and experience priceless memories.

Start by finding out activities that everyone in your family is willing to participate in. This could be bowling, bicycling, hiking, running, or simply walking. Any activity you can decide upon that everyone will do is a good choice.

Once you’ve chosen the family fitness activity, you’ll want to make a fitness plan with the whole family. Look at everyone’s schedules and see what obligations the family has. Mark all of these activities on a calendar so you can see when everyone is available.

While it would be best if the entire family could do something together, that simply may not be possible. Perhaps one of the older children works after school. Another may play in the school band which requires them to practice every night. Mom or Dad may also have business obligations which keep them away from home more nights than not.

If everyone can’t do the same activity at the same time, you can have a competition of sorts among the family members. Consider measuring and weighing everyone to find out what their starting statistics are for the fitness challenge. This will be the baseline information to determine how everyone is doing.

Create a fitness journal for each person. You can find premade fitness journals online if you have the time to look for them or you can create one which meets your family’s needs. They don’t have to be complicated. The journal only needs a place for the date, a place to specify what activity was done, and several squares to mark off each 20 minutes of physical activity they did.

Set realistic fitness goals for each person based on their current age, health, and abilities. For instance, if one person in your family is very young, they’re obviously not going to be able to lift fifty pounds. Likewise, someone with health concerns isn’t going to be able run the same distance as someone who’s healthy. They may, however, be able to walk the same distance or at least work up to reaching that distance.

The American Heart Association (AHA) has indicated that people from 18-65 should participate in moderately-intense physical activity at least 30 minutes for five days a week. Or they can do vigorous-intensity aerobic activity for 20 minutes a day for three days each week. If the people in your family have been sedentary for a long time, you’ll want to work up to the guidelines from the AHA. It is also a good idea to check with your family doctor to ensure each person is able to become more physically active.

Once you have your family fitness challenge goals established, you’ll also want to determine some rewards for meeting those goals. Rather than giving food rewards, choose something everyone can enjoy that doesn’t relate to food. Perhaps you can plan a trip to the beach or the movies.

Remember the ultimate goal when trying to determine how to get your entire family fit. You want everyone to be healthy and happy. Create a fitness challenge everyone can participate in, set reasonable goals, and then celebrate each member’s successes with a family reward.

Think back to when you were a child. Most likely you spent a good part of your summer playing outside with your siblings. Or you played with neighborhood children who were also out of school. What games did you play? Chances are your children will like them, too.

Summer temperatures are normally hot, so your children will want to cool off. Rather than letting them sit inside in the air conditioning, tell them about backyard water games you played as a child. Fill some water balloons and plan to have a good, old-fashioned water balloon fight! Make sure your children know not to throw the balloons at the head or face since injuries can occur. They’ll also want to pick up the pieces of the balloons after the balloon fight is over.

Ask some friends or neighbors over and have races using a filled water balloon. There are a number of ways to have a relay race. You can have two players on each team place a filled balloon in between their heads and have them try to reach the other side of a field. You can also have everyone put a water balloon between their knees and try to get to the finish line without busting their balloon.

Teach the children to play hopscotch. If you can’t remember the rules, they can be found online on a number of websites. Use chalk to create a hopscotch board on the sidewalk or driveway of your home. Give a stone to each child and tell them to get hopping.

Play Capture the Flag. Separate the children into two teams. Give each team a different-colored bandana which is hung at their “home base,” which is at two different ends of a field or yard. You’ll also want to have two areas set aside for “jails” – one for each team. While the teams are trying to capture the flag and members are tagged, they’ll be placed in the jail. Any member who can reach the jail without being tagged will be able to free their team members. The team who captures the others’ flag first wins.

You may want to teach your children to have an egg and spoon race. Give each child a raw egg and a spoon. Create a race course and tell them they’ll have to go from where they start around a particular landmark, and then return to their starting place. Put the egg in the spoon and send them off.

If they drop their egg and it doesn’t break, they can pick it up and keep going. However, if the egg breaks they’re out of the race. Be sure to remind the children they can’t use their free hand to hold the egg on the spoon. Whoever goes through the race from point A to point B and back to point A without breaking their egg is the winner.

You know it’s possible for your children to have fun without electronics – you did it. Use some of these fun summer outdoor games for children to get them outside and in the fresh air. They’re sure to have fun if they give the games a try.

Some people aren’t that familiar with fun runs. Fun runs are set up over a one to five mile course. Rather than racing against other runners, they are often set up as a means to raise funds for a community charity.

Quite often fun runs coincide with holidays. You may have heard of the St. Patrick’s Day fun run, Fourth of July fun run, or even the Santa’s fun run. Look in your local newspaper to see if there are fun runs planned in your area. Another place to look would be at the community recreation center. School athletic instructors or coaches may also learn of fun runs your family can participate in.

Fun runs are also often associated with fundraisers. Perhaps your local library needs to expand, the children’s hospital has needs to be met, or another organization or charity needs to raise money. Running for a charity or fundraiser may give your family the encouragement it needs to keep going.

Why do you want to participate in a fundraising fun run? Here are a few reasons to consider:

* Running as a fundraising event allows everyone in your family to make a difference as well as improve their health, enjoy the time outdoors, and help an organization or charity to boot. It’s a win-win-win activity.

* It’s easy to get involved in a charity family fun run. You don’t need special equipment. All you need is the time to train and then run and a good pair of running shoes.

* You can make new friends through fundraising runs. You’ll find people or families who have similar interests which is a great way to develop new friendships.

* Not only does running make you feel good, knowing you’ve done something to help others will make you feel good, too.

If your family plans to participate in a fun run, it would be best to work up to it. Even though the goal is not to win a race and you can walk if needed, you may still want to get the whole family to begin training. Begin training about ten weeks before the actual run so you’re ready.

Start out slow and for a short distance. A walk around your block would probably be a good place to start. Each day you can either add distance or walk at a quicker pace. Remember to keep in mind the speed of your youngest family member.

Your goal, rather than going as fast as you can or competing against one another, is to enjoy yourselves. Walk or jog at a pace where you can carry on a conversation. And don’t leave anyone behind.

Family fun runs can be a great day out for the whole family. Enjoy the time you’re together as you participate. When the fun run is over, why not keep running together as a family? It can help you stay connected as a family while you’re staying active.

Miniature golf, or putt-putt, was very popular in the past and seems to have fallen by the wayside. Recently, however, miniature golf is making a comeback. It’s a great family activity which can be played year round depending upon where you live.

Unlike traditional golf, miniature golf can be played by the entire family. Adults and children play together on the same course. It’s a great way to reconnect with your children and can be a whole lot of fun for the whole family.

It doesn’t matter if no one is a miniature golf professional. The point is to spend time together and enjoy yourselves. Each miniature golf course is different and has specific challenges to meet. With practice and perseverance you’ll soon be able to get your ball through the windmill and into the cup inside.

Where do you find miniature golf courses? You can look in the local telephone book under ‘Golf Courses.’ They should have miniature courses listed separate from full-size golf courses in the yellow pages. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to find more than one putt-putt business in your area. If not, you may have to expand your search a little further away from home.

You can also look on the internet to find miniature golf courses within driving distance. Larger cities may have several to choose from. While you’re looking on the internet, be sure to pay attention to the individual websites for each course. They may have photographs of their courses, an explanation of the amenities (game room, grill, etc.), and a list of rates.

You’ll also want to pay attention to the skill level of the courses. This is particularly important if you have very young children. Try to find a miniature golf course which has games everyone will be able to play.

Look for a miniature golf course which has different challenging shots rather than simply flat surfaces with curves or corners. Better miniature courses will begin with easy shots and progress to more difficult ones. This will give each person a chance to sink some of the easier ones and get better as they continue to play each subsequent hole.

If you can’t find a suitable miniature golf course nearby, why not set up some holes in your yard? Pick a level spot in the yard, dig small holes to hold a 4-inch pot, and mow the grass extra short around each hole. Place borders leading up to each hole and make them a little harder to sink.

Miniature golf is fun for the whole family. Gather the family together and make plans to try your hand at putt-putt soon. You’ll all be glad you did!

Many families lead busy lifestyles. The parents may each have a job which means they’re probably away from home eight or more hours a day. Each child may have extracurricular activities outside of school. When you think about it, many families may not be able to gather together to have meals together, much less find time to reconnect.

It is important to stay connected with your family, both immediate and extended. Even if everyone is running in different directions, having a stable family to rely upon will help your children thrive. They need to know you’re there for them regardless of whether you and your partner are married, separated, or divorced. Children need something that is a constant upon which to build their lives.

How can you reconnect as a family? There are many ways; here are a few you may want to try.

* As often as your busy schedule allows, plan to eat meals together. Eating together helps you reconnect, talk about your day, and let the children know their family is available for them.

* Maybe everyone is running at all hours of the day during the week. Make a point to have one day where you’re together as a family doing activities. This may include planning a family game night, movie night, or participating in some shared sports activity. The point is to plan to spend time together rather than everyone running in different directions.

* Enjoy your children while they are young. Listen to their hopes and dreams for the future. Pay attention to them when they ask for your help. Be fully present rather than half paying attention to them and half to the television program that’s on. Let them know how important they are to you and that you care about what concerns them.

* Take time to develop thankfulness within your family. There are so many things to be thankful for even if we’re having hard times. Tell your children often how thankful you are they’re part of your family.

* Be silly together. There’s nothing in any parenting manual which tells you that you must be serious all of the time. Find a funny movie the kids will enjoy and watch it with them. Make silly faces while doing chores together. Surprise them by doing something that is totally unexpected but that you know will get them laughing.

Life goes by so quickly. You think you have all the time in the world to let your family know how important they are to you, but life gets in the way. Before you know it your children are grown up and you can’t get those years back.

Your children need to know how much they mean to you. They need to know you’re behind them and you’re proud of them. What better way to let them know their importance than by reconnecting as a family regularly to keep your family strong?

One of the many advantages of family volunteering is having your family work on a project together. Not only can you spend time with one another, but you help someone who is less fortunate than yourselves. If you look at it like that, it’s a win-win situation.

Perhaps your family is concerned about the environment. You can probably find environmental projects you can do in your own area. Call the local city park to see if they need help. They may ask you to help pick up litter, plant trees or flowers in flower beds, or place markers to identify the trees along a walking trail.

Another family volunteering activity you can do is to work at a soup kitchen or center for homeless people. They have to feed those staying at the shelter every day so they’d probably be thrilled to have someone come to the center to help cook, serve, or clean up after meals. Many people consider helping during the holidays but there are needs at these shelters and centers all year round.

Is anyone in your family handy with tools? You may want to volunteer as a family to work on a Habitat for Humanity home or some similar project. If you get involved when the project first starts and see it through completion, your family can feel proud of a job well done and see the joy on a deserving family’s face when they are handed the keys to their new home.

What are some other advantages to family volunteering?

* You’re teaching your children about giving to others rather than always asking for something.

* Volunteering allows children to become involved in their community in a tangible way.

* It teaches your family to become stronger, promotes positive values, and teaches them how to work as a team.

* Having your children volunteer while they’re young will probably encourage them to continue volunteering as an adult. They may even pass the volunteering tradition onto their own children.

* Family volunteering can be a lot of fun!

Bring your family together by volunteering. You can strengthen your family, have fun, and benefit others in the process.

Scientifically it has been proven that families who eat meals together are more emotionally connected and more stable. And since everyone has to eat, why not start your fun family night in by cooking a meal together?

Family meals don’t have to be elaborate or tedious to prepare. They can be as simple as cooking hamburgers, having chips, and drinks. Of course, you may want to prepare something that will get everyone involved in the cooking process. Someone can cut up vegetables, someone else be in charge of cooking the dessert, and another person in charge of the main meal. Have everyone pitch in and the work will be completed quicker. You can also use the time to reconnect and talk about what’s happened in each person’s life since your last family fun night.

Once the meal is complete, take time to set a nice table and eat there rather than in front of the television. You can make clean-up a breeze by using disposable plates and napkins if you like, but you can also make the dinner seem more special by using nice place settings which are normally reserved for holidays.

After you’ve eaten dinner and cleaned up the dishes, continue your family night by playing board games. Have everyone choose one of their favorite games and then decide together which one you’ll play first. Games are meant to be fun and relaxing, so try to avoid becoming too competitive if that’s your personality. Depending upon the game you’ve chosen, you may be able to play more than one game; and don’t forget to play games even the little children of the family can enjoy.

If games aren’t your favorite things, you can also plan a movie night. Find a movie everyone will like, or at least tolerate, and pop some popcorn. Comedies are usually a good choice even though people have different senses of humor. Unless the humor is extremely dry, everyone in the family should at least get a chuckle out of the movie.

Pull out the family albums and take a stroll down memory lane. Remember the way the children were when they were young. Everyone loves to look at pictures of or hear stories about themselves even if they can be slightly embarrassing. Talk about some of the things your children did as babies or toddlers that you found so endearing.

No matter how busy your family may get, it’s vital to take time to reconnect as a family. You can use some of these ideas on how to enjoy a fun family night in or you can come up with some of your own. The important thing is to do something everyone, no matter what their age, will be able to enjoy and look forward to.