How To Strengthen Your Family Relationships: 10 Tips To Bring You Closer Together

It can be hard to find time for your family, with work and kids and everything else. But the truth is that nurturing a strong family is one of the most important things you can do for your health and well-being. A lack of adequate social connections is linked to a greater risk of premature death, so if you want to live a longer, happier life, it’s more important than ever to have a healthy relationship with your loved ones. In this article, we talk about some ways that you can strengthen your relationships with your family members—even when you feel like there just isn’t enough time in the day.

1. Have a family meeting

Whether it’s every month or every once in a while, have an informal family meeting to discuss your family’s plans for the coming year. Are your kids signed up for any activities? Will your mother-in-law be joining you on a trip? You don’t have to commit to anything in the meeting, but it’s important to have some open lines of communication with your family.

2. Have a weekly family dinner

Most families miss out on the joys of spending quality time together at meal times. Family dinners provide an opportunity for conversation, bonding and reflection. But with busy schedules, it can be easy to get caught up in activities or sports and let family dinners fall by the wayside.

However, as our culture becomes increasingly collaborative, less we individualistic, it's important that we look at the benefits of living as a family, rather than as individuals. When we make an effort to spend at least one evening a week, no matter how busy or hectic our lives are, with the people we love, we not only feel happier and healthier, but also the connection we have with our family members strengthens.

3. Hire a babysitter once a week

Most couples in long-term relationships can agree that maintaining a strong and healthy relationship isn’t easy. But a new study found that a full 30% of couples aged 20 to 45—that’s almost 10 million Americans—say that keeping up with the demands of a relationship is one of the greatest challenges they face. A full 14% of those couples say that maintaining a strong and healthy relationship is their main challenge, with the pressure of children and work another serious concern.

But here’s the great news: improving your family relationships doesn’t have to take a long time or a lot of money. Here are three suggestions for how you can make a real difference in your family life, without having to add any time to your schedule.

4. Make time for family fun day

A family who does something together every day is likely to be closer and stronger than those who don’t. In fact, research shows that doing a family activity together each week can create bonds that will last a lifetime. As a father of four young children, I know this firsthand. If you want to start building a closer family relationship with your loved ones, you can start by planning one big fun day a month.

One thing that I do in my family is assign each member of the family a day of the month that they can set aside for doing something fun as a family. For example, if my wife and I want to take the kids camping, the kids can pick a date in September when they’d like to go and we can go away from home for a weekend with the kids.

5. Go on a walk together

Walking may seem like a simple thing to do, but it’s an especially good way to strengthen your family relationships. Studies show that couples who walk together tend to be in better moods, and their relationships tend to be stronger than those who don’t. This is likely because walking together helps people connect to each other and to the natural world. Plus, if you’re feeling frustrated, it’s a good way to relieve tension and feel more connected with those you care about. The American Heart Association recommends spending at least an hour on a walk a week to achieve cardiovascular health and stay socially active. You can do it at any time of day, but the best time to go for a walk is early morning, after your child has gone to bed, before dinner, or before your spouse has gone to bed.

6. Take turns cooking dinner for the family once a week

There is something about cooking a healthy dinner together that bonds family members who don’t have much to say to each other otherwise. Everyone knows how to work the stove and cook a healthy meal, which is why spending time together in the kitchen is such a great way to connect. Not only do you get to spend time together, but you’re also having a chance to really focus on the other person’s personality. You can get to know your family members better that way.

You can even start a small tradition. If you do choose to cook a family dinner on a given night, see if you can split up the responsibilities so that one of you cooks and one cleans up. Then you can have a shared meal, whether or not there is a huge discussion going on.

7. Take one family vacation each year

Do your family and friends need some me time? Take one vacation each year with them! Studies show that vacations actually promote families being closer and making better decisions, because when you're together, you're less likely to engage in the kinds of destructive behaviors that keep families from being close.

8. Go on a road trip with friends and your kids

Since your kids are all young, there’s no real rush to start driving with them. But it may be worth taking a few lessons first, especially if you have a car accident or get car sick easily. Another good reason to learn how to drive is so you can start making solo road trips with your kids once they’re a bit older. (Note: Going on trips with kids is a great way to bond and spend quality time together—especially if they can sleep in the car.)

9. Play games as a family every Sunday night, like charades or Pictionary

Using silly game ideas to get everyone involved in conversations and bonding is a great way to get everyone moving and interacting in ways they might not do otherwise. This gives your family a chance to slow down and have fun together, so it’s great for everyone.

10. Create traditions

Many families are great at coming together for special holidays, but they forget about birthdays and other family celebrations throughout the year. Take advantage of the precious few opportunities you have to celebrate together by creating a handful of traditions and doing them every month or so.