Home improvements/purchases that foster family time at home? Give me your best ideas!

[Lucy]

So, we have a full house - a very full house! As we have been looking at upsizing our home, we know deep down that we just can't afford it. Soooo, instead of getting a bigger home, we've decided to make this one as great as possible!

 

I'm looking for ideas of the best places to spend our money in order to encourage family time. For example, we got a firepit and chairs for the backyard, and we had a blast making smores the other night. I also just ordered curtains for our back deck to block the sun enough to have dinner out there.

 

Help me out: What has been the best project/purchase that has blessed your time together as a family at home?

[MIch elle]

Swings

Sandbox - large - it's now my raised bed veg. garden

Pool

Trampoline

 

Camping is a great way to spend family time and you don't have to go far or for very long.

 

How old are your dc?

[Cindy in FL.]

We have family night on Sunday afternoon/evening. We rotate through the family as to who picks the activity. I put out snacks and finger foods and everyone gets to have soda at that time. Some of the things we do:

 

Board games

Movies

Treasure hunt with clues

Basketball shooting competition

Archery/pellet gun competition

Volleyball/badminton

Mini disc golf

Baggo (corn hole)

Bocci ball (indoor set)

 

We reall love our time together as a family!

[Spryte]

You may have one already, but when we had a large patio (in addition to the existing deck) put in it was like adding another room to our house. DH built a beautiful fountain next to it and put in a swing, and we are out there nightly. The kids even like to swing softly to wind down from the day.

[Susan in TN]

KEVA planks. We keep them in their big canvas bag in the living room.

 

We are a "musical" family, so we learn instruments (taught by dh and I to keep it affordable) and play together regularly. No instruments? Try singing. There are some fun songs my kids have learned to sing together, especially from musicals. "A Book Report on Peter Rabbit" from You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, "Poor Jud is Dead" from Oklahoma, etc.

 

I love the fire pit idea - if I can find a safe place to put one, that is :). Sitting around a fire is so relaxing.

[kroe1]

1. Swimming pool

 

2. Open floor plan home

 

3. Combined kitchen, den and breakfast area. There is a large bar facing the kitchen where all the laptops go. Most of the time everyone is in this room with DH cooking and everyone else on computer games and/or surfing.

 

4. Fireplace in the lanai. It is a great hangout for us like your fire pit is for your family.

 

5. Bicycles. We do a lot of riding together.

 

 

[Harriet Vane]

I like having a good flow of kitchen and access to games. In our case it was most magical when we had the ping pong table in one room, then the kitchen, then the next room was the dining room with all our board games, and then the next room was the living room with the Wii and movies stuff. I much preferred having it all on one level like that, rather than our previous set-up of having the pingpong table in the basement.

 

Easy access is key. Having the space set up for everyone to have fun in generally the same area is also key.

 

Other than that, the best investment is your own intentionality in making the family time happen.

 

Oh--one other idea is to invest in plenty of nerf guns for family nerf wars. :laugh:

[jeninok]

Having an open kitchen, dining, and living room area has made a huge difference for us. We do still have a small den off the side which can be separate for quiet time or reading or whatever, and the bedrooms are upstairs, so it isn't totally open concept, but the big family room set up with the kitchen is soooo nice. The front porch is also right off that room, and in nice weather it all blends into one.

[Lucy]

Thanks for all the suggestions! We had discussed opening out kitchen up to the living room, but were unsure if the expense was worth it - now we are leaning toward doing it. Our kids are 13, 11, 9, 5, and 1. As they all get bigger, the rooms seem smaller! Right now we have an eat-in kitchen and a seperate living room - opening up the kitchen would mean losing the living room altogether and make it a big kitchen/dining area with a little place for a couple chairs or loveseat. That would leave us the family room as our only "couch" area. Better setup for just our family - not so good when we have groups over.

 

Thanks for all the game suggestions! My kids will love many of those activities!

[LibraryLover]

POOL