Free ways to relax and bond as a family

Finding fun activities to together as a family can sometimes be very costly, especially if you are a large family! So, we thought we would put together a list of relaxing and bonding activities for you to do as a family and the best part is that all the activities are free, or cost very little to do. It is important to find time on a regular basis to connect with one another, even on busy days, you can find easy ways to bond.

Here are our favourite ways to relax and bond:

Read together – This is a great way of spending time together, as well as learning new vocabulary and expanding children’s minds through books. It can be fun for kids to choose the book you read together, as well as the format, so this could be a print book, digital or audiobook. The book choice or format are not as important as the time you are spending together, and it gives you an opportunity to discuss favourite characters and elements of the story. This activity could be incorporated into your daily family routine and will allow you all to grow closer with one another through the shared interest in books.

Break a sweat – Many studies show that regular exercise is not only good for your body, but it also plays a big part in reducing stress and improving your overall mood. You can do many exercise activities for free and as a family, for example walking, running, visiting parks gyms etc. If you set a regular time to exercise together as a family, you are more likely to stick to it and incorporate it into your lifestyle. To keep things fun, why not let the youngest family members choose the activities? This will encourage family bonding and help your children develop basic skills in team sports, and even help reduce anxiety they may face during sporting activities at school.

Cook up a good time – It is never too early to get the little ones into the kitchen and teaching them how to cook up a good meal! Making nutritious food is vital in keeping our brains and bodies working to their highest standards, by engaging children in the cooking process you are encouraging heathy eating habits, as well as helping them develop skills they will need later on in life. Make things fun by asking your children about food ideas or their favourite thing to eat, this can eventually lead to a certain recipe being their ‘speciality’ within the family. You can look for ways over time to expand the child’s role within the kitchen overtime – Just make sure you don’t forget to compliment the chef!

Learn to meditate – Meditation is a free and powerful way of connecting with yourself as well as your surroundings, enabling you to live a more relaxed and stress-free life. Meditation is a tool that both yourself and the whole family can take part in. Research has shown that regular meditation can decrease stress, anxiety, pain, and depression. The other positive points to meditating are it can also boost your mood and self-esteem. There are various ways you can meditate which can be done together as a family, one popular example is putting on some soothing background music, find somewhere comfortable to sit and inhaling and exhaling with your eyes closed for a five to ten minute period. If you practice this daily, not only will this allow you to bond with your children, this is also great way of promoting healthy wellbeing within the family.

Worried minds often distract us from the positives around us but by practising these simple relaxing activities, it will enable you and family to build a stress-free environment. If you are looking for other ways to incorporate relaxing activities into your routine, you can view more at, here.