The things that make life beautiful are often the ones people take for granted. When you finally realize that bonding with the people around you could be the best way to spend time, you immediately begin to wonder how that can happen. At this point, many people get stuck in the planning phase. The ideas they are contemplating become so elaborate and complex that they lose sight of the main goal: finding the best way to spend time with their loved ones. Before you get wrapped up in ideas and planning, jump right into the activities that will bring you and your loved ones closer.

Do a Self-Care Routine Together

While a detox foot bath or a hydrating cleanser might be foreign concepts, nothing brings people together like a moment of relaxation. When your body is calm and relaxed, you might find that it allows your body to begin loosening up too. During these activities, you can begin to shrug off the anxieties that keep you from connecting with the people you love the most. Once you’ve shed off the stress, you will begin to notice things you might have missed. Maybe someone is getting taller. Maybe it’s been a long time since you heard one of your loved ones talking about their passion project. Perhaps someone is developing a new sense of self-expression. This could be an opportune moment to find out how everyone is doing emotionally. By making a bid for connection, you open up the space that allows true bonding. The best way to spend time during the other person’s reply is to listen keenly. Observe their words. Note their choice of words. Consider the tone of their voice. Even the silences in between can speak volumes to a listening ear. Asking questions about the challenges people are facing might be uncomfortable at first, but if you’re looking for the best way to spend time as you soak, it could lead to becoming far more involved in the lives of the people you care about.

Take a Trip

A change of scenery is always a welcome retreat. When things at home get a little tense as everyone navigates their way through the stressful aspects of their lives, one thing that could restore joy and bring on a sense of relief is a road trip. If you don’t think you have the energy to plan out a full trip, you can bring everyone into the planning. Teaching the younger individuals in your group about the intricacies of planning a trip may be frustrating, but with a little patience, the best way to spend time with them is to allow yourself to learn everything you can from them too. An open mind usually signals an open heart. Indicating to the younger loved ones that you have an open heart enables them to trust you with the difficulties they face. If they’re talking to you about how tough homework is, or how difficult it is to be in middle school, you are laying a foundation for their later years when they would like to chat about work and the challenges of raising their own families, should they choose to do so. You can plan a wide range of activities. If your loved ones enjoy sailing, plan a boat tour. If you find it too overwhelming to pull together a long trip, even with the assistance of your trusty helpers, you can always plan a day’s vacation. The best way to spend time on a day trip is to make sure you get to interface with every activity available at your destination. Whether a theme park, nature trail, or amusement park, you can set aside a Saturday where everyone’s free and have a day full of carefree fun.

Consider a Mature Outing

For people with teenagers or young adults in the family, a day at an amusement park might not be as appealing. At this stage in life, it becomes increasingly important to begin differentiating oneself from the family you come from. This might show up in ways that make you uneasy, such as a change in the way your child dresses and the values they begin to hold as they get older. But the best way to spend time with these individuals begins when you lay aside all the worried voices in your head. Trusting that your loved ones will find the best path for their lives and grow to align with values that benefit them and others is one way to affirm them towards this path. For these loved ones, you can arrange an outing that is more age-appropriate. Think about the things you wanted to do and explore as a young adult. But, before you bring those dreams to life, ask your people to see if it’s at all what they would be interested in. Releasing the reins of planning while providing them with a budget and a few ground rules could lead you to all the greatest bonding experiences you’ve had together. The best way to spend time with teens is to be your authentic self and allow them to be theirs. As soon as they understand you are a responsible person who can be trusted, even with less kiddy fun, you will have won their hearts. A teeth whitening treatment, a concert, an art show, or even chaperoning that trip to get a piercing, are all wonderful ideas that allow you to embrace the youthful process of growing into the person you want to become. This is the best way to spend time with loved ones who you might also be experiencing some kind of disconnect with; allowing them to be mostly in charge can indicate that you’re willing to enjoy things from their perspective.

Learn How to Be Sustainable

Climate change could be a topic of discussion in your home. While everyone’s specific leanings might differ, there is always common ground to be found in practices that allow everyone to take good care of the environment and good care of their space. You can start simply with compostable food containers. Learning sustainability isn’t a one-and-done thing; it takes time and dedication to the goals. Swapping to more sustainable products and immediately going zero-waste might not lead to sustainability. For this season, the best way to spend time is to grow slowly towards the place you want to be. Collaborating, even at the stage when you agree on what your goals are, is important. Getting everyone on board ensures that you don’t start a bonding activity that leaves everyone feeling disconnected and out of sync. As you do your research, your deep dive into information can also provide an opportunity to figure out what everyone is experiencing emotionally. Talking about sustainability reasons can bring up other topics concerning the future. Perhaps your loved one has been wrestling with a sense of dread surrounding the environment. This provides a space to work together through these emotions.

Have Your Kids Help With Car Maintenance

For some people reading this tip, the answer from them is an immediate no. The idea of having children and even more daring teens working on your car is frightening. Working past the aversion, allowing your kids to help with car maintenance gives them great training for the day when they finally own theirs. If your child knows how to handle a variety of auto repair situations, they will experience ease in the places that demand this kind of knowledge from them. When auto accidents happen, you don’t want your child to be stranded without any idea about insurance, auto repairs, or medical emergencies. As you work on your beloved family car together, the best way to spend time here is to make sure your children completely understand the car and can confidently apply their knowledge whenever they’re called upon to do so. During auto accidents, the only things a person remembers are those things they know by heart. By teaching your children to know about auto repairs by heart and giving them pointers on how to respond without panicking during a tragedy, you will be setting them up for the best response, should this unfortunate event take place in their life. It’s never too late to start either. Every moment counts.

Learn a New Skill Together

This tip counts both for your youngest family members as well as the elders you know and love. Learning a new skill is the best way to spend time doing something challenging and fun. As everyone shrugs off their ego and taps into that childlike space where rich learning begins to take place. Pick a skill you have both been looking to learn. Website development could be handy for many personal and professional situations. If tech innovation is not your thing, you can also join a cooking class together. Using this opportunity to learn something completely new can be a way for you all to become comfortable around one another again. Being able to make mistakes, ask for guidance, and experience the satisfaction of a job well done are hallmarks of people who have great relationships. With older people in your life, you might even find that you need to rethink the negative attitude you have towards them. Society often writes off the elderly, seeing them and their ‘outdated’ thinking as a burden. However, as your children watch you interact with the elderly, it also informs the way they will interact with you in your old age. If you model an attitude of accommodation and a patient heart, they are more likely to mirror these same behaviors when the tables are turned.

Do a Full House Clean-Out

This tip is almost guaranteed to draw a groan from the youngest to the eldest. The idea of cleaning together brings to mind sweat, dust, and a lot of mess. But, once you put on some good music and get to work in your designated corner, your joined forces can rejuvenate the entire space. The best way to spend time cleaning is to have fun with it. Putting in that elbow grease and ensuring your space is cleaner than when you found it is good. But, the goal of the activity is to spend time together. Let your breaks be filled with calmness. If you can, now is a good time to talk about dumpster rental companies. Because of all the trash items that could be collected, it is important to consider whether your current service serves you well. And get the whole family to chime in. Another warm aspect of cleaning together is finding mementos. Whether it’s an old picture or a knickknack that hasn’t been getting enough love, reminding yourselves of the beautiful memories you’ve made as a family is the best way to spend time together.

With this awesome arsenal of tips on your belt, you are ready to apply yourself and find an activity your family will love. As you seek out the best way to spend time together, hopefully, you learn much more about yourself and the people you love. The solution to your problem lies not in the quick fix, but in allowing everyone to settle into their space within the family. It may be discouraging at times, but if you get caught up in the negative emotions, you will not move forward toward the beautiful moments of family bonding you have envisioned. These emotions will bog you down in the process of discovery and derail you with anxiety and disappointment. Feel your emotions, but do not stop working towards the realization of your dreams for your family. Let the anticipation of joy carry you through the frustration of learning from young people, and the awkwardness of being yourself around teenagers. Do not be discouraged. With these tips and with the shared innovations of many minds, you can find the best way to spend time with your family.