Dish out kisses and hugs to the little ones. For your teens, you might have to settle for a high-five as you pass them in the hall. Your spouse or partner needs affection, too. Take the time to gather as a family early in the morning or before bed to share your thanks. This is a good way to show kids how to be thankful and it makes everyone consciously think of new reasons to be thankful every day. Tell a knock-knock joke. Start a tickle fight. Laugh for no reason. As the saying goes, laughter really can be the best medicine. Besides, who doesn’t want to hear those tiny shrieks of laughter from their favorite people in the world? You don’t have to sign up for a family boot camp. Just find simple ways to keep your family active indoors or out. Everyone gets moving and the time together helps your family bond. For teens, get them excited by asking about whatever the latest young adult fiction trend is. Take turns reading a page or designate a family member to do all of the reading aloud for the evening. Remind the kids to turn off the water while they brush their teeth and turn off the lights when they leave the room. Not only will your kids get into an eco-friendly routine, but those green habits will also save you money on your water and electric bills. It only takes 20 minutes to get your rooms tidy, especially when you have a small army to tackle the mess. If everyone works together every day, it will be much easier to keep your home organized and get chores done on time. Turn off the TV and put cell phones in a drawer. Get everyone to pull up a chair to the family table and enjoy a meal together. There are many benefits to a family meal and spending time with your loved ones every day of the week is just one of them. Explore each other’s days and really pay attention to what your kids have to say. Even if you were with them all day and know exactly what they did, you’ll still learn something new when they share their perspective of the day’s events.
