4 Super Fun Family Challenges to Help You Stay Connected

A few years ago, I read about an interesting study in the New York Post. The destination marketing organization for the city of Anaheim, California surveyed 2,000 parents with school-aged children across the U.S. and found that American families get just 37 minutes of quality time together per day. According to the New York Post article:

The top things to blame are, inevitably, long hours at work (67 percent), weekends spent doing chores, and the kids' school schedule.

Wow, I definitely related! We spent the majority of our family time in the car driving back and forth to school and afterschool activities. But we were usually distracted by thoughts of our upcoming work or school day, sports practice, or other things we needed to accomplish. That meant we weren't in the right mindset to soak up some good conversation. Our drive counted as together time, sure ... but there wasn't anything quality about it.

Why is connecting with your family so important?

When I was raising my eight kids, it felt like they'd be little forever and I had all the time in the world. But when people tell young parents that the years fly by so quickly, they aren't kidding! It seems like my kids graduated from high school in the blink of an eye. Then, they were off to college for the next phase of their lives.

Once my kids started kindergarten, I feel as though I spent nearly half the time with them that I had before they reached school age. And that time got even shorter as they got older and more involved with friends and outside activities.

That's why, when I read that article in the Post several years back, it really resonated. Before long, our kids are grown and living lives of their own. Family together time is the best time to connect with your kids, engage with their daily lives, and learn more about the passions that drive and motivate them. It's a time to teach life lessons and help them build the foundation for successful adult life.

Creating a connection with family challenges

Although our busy 21st Century lives seem like they're custom-made to interfere with family connection, there are still creative ways to sneak in a little quality time. One of my favorites is family challenges. I...

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