Family Activities, Tips, and Resources for Busy Families

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What is Families with Purpose

Families with Purpose is an organization dedicated to helping busy parents create a meaningful family life for themselves and their children.  Through our articles, products, and resources, we empower families everywhere to take control of their family lives and live their lives with intention and purpose.  And most importantly we advocate the little things in life, because they really do matter!

What is a Family with Purpose?

A family with purpose is a family who knows who they are, what they stand for, and what they want from life. They have goals and dreams and plans to make them happen. They are families who live their lives with a purpose. 

How Families with Purpose Can Help You

Build Strong Families - Use our family life resources to help build a strong family life.

Conquering the Chaos - Practical tips and products to help even the busiest of families organize their family life, better manage their busy schedules, control clutter, organize their home, and better manage their family finances.

Shop - Filled with a variety of home organizing products, family calendar products, family games, personal finance and household budgeting products, and family travel gear, we work hard to provide parents with the best tools out there to help them better manage and enhance their family life.

Family Activities - Filled with a wide selection of ideas, our website can be used to find family night ideas and plan family activities and find family fun ideas.

Family Games - For game loving families, our suggestions for family games have something for every family as well as tips for fun filled family game nights.

Local Family Fun - Visit our local area family activity page for links to event finders in your state.

Family Crafts - Designed specifically for families who enjoy crafting, our family craft page is filled with ideas for hours of family time fun.

Science Experiments - For families who enjoy science or parents looking for interesting and educational activities for their kids, our Family Science section is filled with great suggestions for science experiments for kids and families.

Family Night Ideas - Inspired by real life family night fun, our page of  family night ideas provides families with a lot of great choices for family night enjoyment.

Family Volunteer Ideas - Created for families wanting to get involved in their communities, our Family Giving section is filled with lots of community service ideas for kids and families as well as unique and creative ways of teaching and inspiring compassion in children.

Family Life Blog - Filled with a variety of family life tips, musings, and news, our family life blog keeps busy families up to date.  Subscribe via our RSS feed

Family Newsletter - Delivered monthly to your mailbox, our electronic newsletter is packed with family life tips and family activities.  Subscribe today, it's completely free.

Easy Navigation - Use our family life sitemap to help you get around our website and find what you need.

Is Families with Purpose for Me?

Families - Inspired by real life families, this website is for every busy family out there struggling to keep up and looking for family life balance.  Filled with creative and unique ideas for family activities, family fun ideas, community service ideas, family crafts, and science experiments, we have something for every family.

Busy Parents - Designed specifically for parents on the go, our website provides many unique resources for parents.  From our craft kits for kids to our family night ideas our website provides a depth and uniqueness in family life content and ideas.

Group Leaders - Playgroup leaders, religious leaders, and parent group leaders can use our family life resources and family activities to lead group discussions and inspire parents and families.

How Can Families with Purpose Help?

Inspire - Filled with creative ideas and tips from real life families, our goal is to inspire families to spend time together and to make family time a priority.  Striving to make your family life a joy filled with fond memories and grand dreams.

Ease the Burden - Providing a one of a kind selection of deep and creative family life resources and family activities to minimize the planning and searching.  Striving to go beyond just offering the "what" by providing practical solutions for the "how".

Connect - Helping families create a sense of belonging and a special bond with inspirational stories, encouraging words, and helpful practical ideas.

Quick Family Activity Ideas

Family activities don't have to be elaborate, expensive planned out ideas.  Sometimes, simple is better.  Kids are looking for your time and attention, so don't forget the simple things in life.

• Read a book together
• Fly a kite
• Bake cookies
• Go fishing
• Plant flowers
• Build a tent and eat lunch inside
• Go for a walk
• Shoot hoops or play catch
• Play hide and seek
• Catch Fireflies

Successful Family Activities

Planning fun and successful family activities shouldn't be a chore for busy parents.  Most just require a little fore thought and a little planning to be successful.  So don't get bogged down in the details or overwhelmed with the planning.  The first thing to spoil family activities is a stressed parent, so go slow and ease into your routine.

• Alternate between planned and unplanned family activities.  Not every family activity has to be an elaborate outing.  Sticking around home and just "hanging out" can be just as fun.  Just don't let the TV, computer, and video games become a distraction.
• Be flexible.  Sometimes family activities don't go as planned.  The baby is tired, the car had a flat tire, or it rained when it was supposed to be sunny and hot. 
• Make sure the family activity is something everyone will enjoy or at least tolerate.  Talk over the family activities ahead of time and get everyone's input.  This will help prevent resistance later on.
• Schedule your family activities on the family calendar.  Plan out for a month when the family will be together and schedule the family activities accordingly. 
• Make them a priority.  Kids know when parents don't follow through with their promises and are often more hurt than they are willing to let us know.  Take the time for the family activities.  Your kids will thank you for those little things later.

Why is a Strong Family Life Important?

Parents often ask why its so important for parents to spend working on their family life.  After all, they spend time together everyday doing homework, going to sporting events, driving places in the car, and attending school functions, isn't that enough?  What's the big deal anyway?  Are our kids any better off for all the effort it takes?  Yes!! And here are the reasons why a strong family life is so important.

• A strong family life creates a sense of belonging for parents and kids alike.  Providing security and warmth in an often cool and harsh world.  Feeling like you belong is a fundamental human need and when gone unfulfilled in the home, kids and parents will look elsewhere to fill the void.
   
• A strong family life creates memories and builds a strong emotional foundation for our kids.  Passing on a legacy of love, compassion, and laughter are an important part of raising a child.  These are important values that can get over shadowed when we allow our family life to become disconnected.  Raising a child isn't just about the grades or awards they receive.  It's also about the person they become -- a person with a strong emotional maturity and intellect. 
   
• A strong family life reminds kids on a daily basis they are loved and valued.  Strong families are families who take the time to listen and talk without judgment and support each other in times of need

What are the Fundamentals of a Strong Family Life?

Routines & Rituals - Routines and rituals create a sense of normalcy, belonging, and comfort. 

Open Communication - Letting every family member have a voice and creating the environment and trust to let every voice be heard.

Unconditional Love - A sense and realization that you are always loved and unconditionally accepted.

Laughter - Families who laugh together, stay together.