Spending quality time together as a family should always be a priority, especially with how chaotic things can be juggling different aspects of life. Depending on your preference, taking a few hours each week or month to connect and bond with one another is important for a happy and healthy home. Whether this is having a movie night and cooking, getting outdoors playing football in the garden or creating a gallery wall with homemade paintings, there are plenty of engaging, fun and collaborative activities everyone will enjoy. Here are 8 things you can do with your partners, parents, children and other family in 2024 from the comfort of your own home!

Step Away From The Screens

First, the most important family bonding opportunity is putting down the phones, tablets and laptops. It’s 2024, and everyone is obsessed with watching videos, streaming, and doom-scrolling. When this is happening, very little connection and bonding is happening. Designate specific hours of your day or evening with the family as ‘tech-free time.’ Investing in a fun lockbox to place your tech items in to avoid temptation is a brilliant way to ensure everyone is engaged. Use this new screen-free family time to have meaningful conversations, get outdoors on a long hike or play your favourite childhood board games.

Movie Marathons

We guess this one still counts as screen time, but it’s screen time you can bond over! Most households love a classic movie night, from The Lion King to retro horrors; whatever your favourite genre, there will be one that you all agree on. You may even choose to host weekly or monthly movie marathon nights; this allows everyone to pick a movie. Grab your favourite snacks, decorate the space with fairy lights and blankets and then get cosy.

DIY & Crafting

It’s time to get creative. Let the family unleash their inner artists, spending time making homemade prints. This could simply be grabbing some A4 paper from your printer and some paints, letting the kids go wild. To create fun family memories, you could pop these new masterpieces into some A4 frames around the house, decorating your home for each season and occasion. Whether you’re a family full of artistic talent or do it just for fun, this is a great way to get messy, have fun and bond over your creations.

Cook Up A Storm

Whether you’re looking for a quick 30-minute bonding activity or something to take you a few hours, everyone can get involved with cooking. You may bake a quick cake, choosing a recipe everyone will love, assigning roles to different family members and enjoying the treat afterwards with a cup of tea. On the other hand, you could opt for a fun competition evening, having each family member create a different dish, rating each other on taste, creativity and appearance, almost like your own family Masterchef! Cooking together or for each other requires effort and teamwork; however, the results will always be worth it.

Family Game Night

From Monopoly madness to cluedo chaos, everyone loves a games night. It’s a fun, engaging and inclusive way to get everyone together and involved. Who doesn’t love a bit of friendly competition and endless laughter? If board games aren’t your thing, you could also consider card games, childhood games like hide and seek or video games if you own a game console. Gather around and get ready for an evening of fun; you may even take the games out into the garden if it’s a lovely summer’s day.

Start A Book Club

If you’re a family of avid readers, host your own family book club. Select a novel that everyone can enjoy, whether that romance, historical fiction or sci-fi. Hundreds of thousands of books are out there; I’m sure there will be a few you can agree to read. This could be added into a weekly or monthly routine, taking turns to host and providing snacks and drinks to discuss your takeaways from each book. It’s a great way to bond and connect over your love for the written word.

Decorate Your Home Together

If a few of the rooms in your house are in need of a spruce, take this as an opportunity to spend time with the family. Pop to your local DIY store where you can pick up paints, brushes, tools and accessories and head home for an evening of decorating. For smaller projects, you may opt to move around furniture together, hanging themed prints, updating the memories on display around the room or picking your favourite family photos to hang in new frames. This is an activity everyone can have input with, creating a space you can all enjoy and love spending time in.

Build Your Own Fort

Finally, channel your inner child and build an indoor fort together; this is a fun one, no matter how old you are! Scramble around the house collecting blankets, pillows and fairy lights and use your imagination and teamwork to construct a cosy fort to chill out in. Put on some music or a movie, sit down with some snacks, relax and bond as a family in your new creation. Not only will this be fun for everyone, it will be entertaining and require you to work together to get the job done!

If you’re looking for ways to stay present, keep kids entertained or get creative, these shared moments will create lasting memories, strengthen your teamwork and see you bond over the finer details. From starting a family book club, letting your inner child shine building forts, or letting the competition take over with a weekly game night, these are the simple activities that leave a lasting impression.