Parenting
Ways To Spend More Quality Time As A Family
By
Oct 27, 2005, 23:07

(NAPSI)-Multitasking, over-scheduled kids, dual-income households; families have busier schedules than ever, making it even more important to dedicate ways to enjoy meaningful and fun time together.

According to a recent survey by ORC International, eight in 10 parents want to spend more quality time with their children. They identified lack of time (49 percent), the high cost of family outings (27 percent) and difficulty finding meaningful activities that appeal to the entire family (18 percent) as key reasons why they have trouble carving out time for family bonding. To help inspire families to slow down the pace, take a break, reconnect and learn something new about each other, consider these suggestions:

• Read together. While a quiet way to share time together, reading is also an important part of role modeling. When kids see their parents read, they're more likely to take an interest in it themselves.

• Family game night. Not only are board games a fun way to interact as a family, but they're an inexpensive form of entertainment that gets everyone involved. One example is the Cranium Family Fun Game, which packs in loads of new, innovative activities in less than 40 minutes. The creative challenges encourage players, young and old, to have their moment in the spotlight, build self-esteem and laugh out loud.

To successfully advance around the board, each team must harness its collective talents to complete 16 activities that will have everyone building, flipping, sketching, sculpting, guessing and, ultimately, high-fiving through outrageous family fun sure to create long-lasting memories.

Since you're not likely to forget your brother acting out "supermodel" or Mom pushing an alarm clock across the floor with her nose, why not celebrate the shining moments of family game night with customized awards? You can download awards-at www.cra nium.com-or make your own.

• Movie night. Don't just plop down in front of the DVD player; make it an occasion. On a regular basis-weekly, monthly, etc.-let each family member plan out the whole evening, including the film(s), the menu-maybe even a bit of decoration. Whether it's making your own pizza and watching "The Incredibles" or eating hot dogs and popcorn to accompany "Fever Pitch," the food, the flick and the family make it special.

Visit www.cranium.com for tips and ideas about how your family can play and laugh together or to share your "family fun time" ideas with others.

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