5 Favorite Family Bonding Activities

Since I hit my teenage years, it has been hard to set family time down where we all are enjoying what we are doing together. It's even harder now since my sister is a social teenager and I go to college three hours away. When I come home our time together is typically short so we try to make the most out of it. There are a lot of simple ways to set time aside and do things with your family that you an enjoy. I'll share a few things my family does together to spend time together and have fun.

1. Watch Movies

Whether we go to the movies or stay in we love to watch movies. Picking movies is hard because my sister loves anything with dogs or from one of her book series. My dad loves all action movies, and my mom and I love romcom's. We somehow have made it where we find a movie we can agree on or take turns rotating. My dad ended up enjoying the movie A Dog's Way Home and my mom was kept on her toes when we watched American Made with Tom Cruise!

2. Try New Places To Eat

Although my sister wasn't there that evening, my parents and I went to a new restaurant to try it out. We sat at the bar while they drank drinks and then we eventually all ordered and ate there. It wasn't anything big but we were sitting there having fun conversations about different topics. That night ended up being a blast in my opinion. I'm already the type of person who has fun with my parents so when we were going out to eat I knew I wasn't going to be miserable of course. I was still surprised though at the fun the three of us just had sitting at the bar laughing.

3. Do Something Different That You Haven't Done In A While

When we were little my parents would take Isabelle and I sledding. Since we've gotten bigger we will go to Perfect North Slopes with friends or not go sledding at all in winter. To try something that they maybe haven't done in a while, my parents agree to go to Perfect North to go sledding with my sister and I. It was a lot of fun and of course their rears hurt from it but it was nice to do something for once that we might not normally do!

4. Don't Take Your Friends or Significant Other On Vacation

Don't get me wrong I love getting to bring my boyfriend on the beach and annoyingly take as many beach selfies as I possibly can!! My family goes to Florida every year for Christmas, it's our mini tradition we've formed. This year it was just my parents, Isabelle, my grandma and I. It was one of our best trips because it was just us. We drove to new cities we hadn't been before, tried new restaurants, had a few beach days, and even cooked together a few more times than normal. We somehow took our regular vacation and turned it into one of my favorites without realizing it because we just focused on having fun together.

5. Actually Spend Time Together

I come home from school and swear I spend a lot of time with my family and not rushing to hang out with Dylan. However I know sometimes I'm not it just feels like I am because I live with them. Sit down and grill out, try a new recipe, or make a favorite old one. In the summer my family has my grandmas over every Sunday to eat and hang out just to make sure we are spending real, quality time together. On a night we don't have plans and prefer to stay in, we play games. The family favorite is Trouble. The rounds go fast so when we want to be done we can be unlike Monopoly. We always have fun even when we are breathing down each others necks and being competitive.

The hardest part in my eyes is making sure you set the time aside for your family. I'm always with mine, whether I'm with my parents and their friends, my family and my boyfriend, etc. Those don't always count as family time because although you're together, you are most likely not focused on bonding with them but having fun with everyone. That's where I found myself getting caught up. Saturday morning with my mom while she makes me a waffle can't be the only time I spend with her. Family is one of the most important things, especially to me. Spending time with my family is also one of my favorite things to do. Maybe this can give you some thoughts on things to do with your family or motivate you to get lunch with someone.

What are some of your favorite things to do with your family? Let me know in the comments! :)