Ideas for fun spaces for the whole family

It is very important to enjoy the family spaces in which we share with our children, as this has a great impact on our children’s development and helps to maintain and enhance family unity.

Here are some key points that are important when creating such family spaces:

1. Develop happy families
2. Strengthens family bonds
3. Improve family communication
4. Facilitates the anchoring of values such as respect, love, etc.
5. Builds and reinforces children’s confi dence and security.
6. Promotes children’s cognitive, affective and social development. Let’s add that many of our expatriate children are going through a process of adaptation to a new country with all the elements that this entails.
7. Such spaces are safe for children to express their feelings, challenges and changes, where they feel valued and/or listened to.
8. It allows them to get to know each member of the family and to communicate more closely with each other.

We know that having or creating a space of this kind can be quite a task nowadays, as many parents are rushed by daily work, commitments, household chores and the hustle and bustle of everyday life makes it sometimes difficult to find an age-appropriate activity that is also fun for parents, it can become a challenge.

That’s why we want to show you some ideas of simple activities that you can do at home and outdoors to have this space in the family.

1 Board games as a family: Board games are always a good option, simple and easy to do, as they are very entertaining and help children develop their skills. Checkers, Chinese star, chess, Monopoly, ludo, hangman, monogram, theatre.

2 Create a family recital. Let each family member choose their own performance, from learning a song, a poem, poetry, singing a song, declaiming, reading a story, telling a made-up story, choreographing a choreography.

3 Watch a film as a family. Choose a children’s film that you like as a family by voting, prepare something to eat during the fi lm and then discuss what was good and what was not so good about the fi lm.

4 Cook together. This can be a challenge where each family member is responsible for one dish: starter, main course and dessert. Set the family table as if it were a restaurant, everyone has a role to play and enjoy together as a family.

5 Spa afternoon. Create a space for family relaxation with foot massages, back massages, baths in aromatic water, face masks, etc. .... A space to enjoy.

6 Go to a show together. Look for a show that adapts to the age of your children so that they enjoy it even more. A musical, a play, a puppet or marionette show, a micro-theatre?

7 Visit a restaurant or have a picnic. You can take the opportunity to have lunch or dinner at your favourite restaurant. You can also prepare food at home and organise a picnic in a park or nature reserve.

8 Visit museums. Visit the country’s interesting children’s museums, where you will fi nd a wide variety of subjects. You and your children will learn a lot from this visit.

9 Organise a trip or excursion. There is nothing more exciting for the whole family than the opportunity to discover a new place together. You don’t have to go far, even in your own town you can find treasures to visit.

10 Take part in the activities of Expats Kids in Eindhoven as a family. At Expats Kids in Eindhoven we have created family activities (art, music, cooking, games and much more), so don’t miss the opportunity to take part in them. They are designed to strengthen the bonds between families.

On 27 November we will be holding our last family day of the year, where we will have Sinterklaas as our guest, who will answer the children’s questions and tell them a little about himself. We will have fun activities for the whole family and of course gifts.

Silvia Ardila, Expat Kids in Eindhoven

To find out more about us, visit www.silviaardilalovebygrace.com and check out our Facebook page Expat Kids in Eindhoven or send an email to expatkidsineindhoven@gmail.com.