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Module 2 – Participating in enjoyable family activities

Having fun together as a family is important for building strong bonds and family wellbeing. When your day is full of responsibility and caring for others, sometimes it feels like there is no fun left.

Many families plan lovely times together such as camping, fishing, bike riding, going to the playground or even Family Funday Sunday! These activities create great shared-memories.

While prioritising spending time doing these enjoyable activities together is very beneficial, it is important to not forget about smaller interactions that are more frequent and maybe more spontaneous that require less planning.

Step 1. Identify your current situation

It can be helpful to think about how often your family has fun together at the moment, and if this is an area you might like to improve. Take this survey (developed by Hoffman et al., 2006) to help you understand your current satisfaction with your family interaction.

My family enjoys spending time together
My family members talk openly with each other
My family solves problems together
My family members support each other to accomplish goals
My family members show that they love and care for each other
My family is able to handle life’s ups and downs

Also, over one week take time to observe the frequency and type of activities you currently enjoy as a family, and what activities family members enjoy the most.

Over one week write down the fun and enjoyable activities you completed together (big and small). Look at the example and then write your own, using one line for each activity.

What were you doing?

Example:
Had a water fight washing the car together

When and for how long did this occur?

Example:
Saturday morning, 10 minutes

Who was involved?

Example:
Me and Sam

How did you know everyone was having fun?

Example:
We were both laughing