Adarsh Gupta, 20, looks back to savour the happy holidays he spent as a child at his uncle’s residence in Kolkata. The student from Bengaluru gets nostalgic about playing Monopoly, Ludo, and Uno indoors, as well as kicking football and having water balloon fights and family bonding with his cousins.
He says he did not realise how important those moments were until he grew up and went to college. “Looking back on my childhood, the most cherished moments were the summer vacations, when my entire family would come together every year and organise fun activities,” he says. Memories like Gupta’s are an integral part of our lives.
It is said that a family that eats together sticks together. It can well apply equally to a family’s recreation time, too. Creating happy memories together not only enriches our lives but also comes with its own unique rewards. These moments reconnect us with our loved ones, create meaningful experiences, and provide us with happy memories that we can look back on fondly.
Why should you plan activities with your kids?
“Family bonding starting from a young age is crucial. It fosters improved social skills, cognitive abilities and emotional growth in a child,” says Akanksha Kothari, Bengaluru-based child psychologist and special educator.
A study published in 2016 by Dr Robert Winston in the National Library of Medicine also states that early bonding with children is significant in shaping the long-term mental health and resilience of children and their social, cognitive and emotional development.
They also develop excellent problem-solving skills and awareness of their emotions. This reflects on the relationships they would later have as adults.
“Family bonding leads to better vocabulary and language development in children,” says Kothari. It fosters effective communication between parents and children, leading to better understanding and trust. “This helps children realise who has their best interests at heart, ultimately encouraging them to communicate openly with their parents,” says Nivedita Prasad, Delhi-based counsellor and special educator for differentially abled children.
A 2018 study published in the Journal of Advances and Scholarly Researches in Allied Education (JASRAE) and authored by Arti Bhatia, found a significant correlation between family bonding and self-esteem, which positively influenced performance.
Experts suggest fun-filled and enriching activities
“Any activity can be enjoyable and beneficial if done together – from cooking and doing laundry to organising things,” says Prasad. Instead of lecturing life’s lessons, parents can engage their children in stimulating intellectual conversations, trivia, or debates.
Bonding activities for your family
Here is a sample of what a family with children could do together.
- Cooking, baking together or sharing simple chores
- Reading a book every day
- Going to the park, eating an ice cream
- Feeding street animals
- Going on a hike or trek
- Swimming, playing indoor sports and developing a sustainable hobby
- Watching a movie and discussing it
- Gardening, planting a tree or walking in the garden
- Crafts, painting, drawing, or creating collages
- Visiting museums and historical places; and later discussing what made the visit memorable, or which aspects stood out.
However, while planning activities, it is important not to make them obligatory. “If your child has a specific approach in mind, it’s best to let them take the lead so they can fully engage and enjoy the experience,” says Kothari.
About his Kolkata holidays, Gupta recalls, “Ma would give us duties based on our skills. I was in charge of making lemonade and tidying up after board games. My elder sister organised the games and pa was usually the referee. This helped us be better team player. Occasionally, we would switch responsibilities.”
Give the child an emotional connection
“An emotional connection is crucial for a child to grow into a contented adult. If parents fail to dedicate enough time, their children may experience emotional deprivation,” says Prasad.
Kothari lists reasons why isolated upbringing can be problematic:
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- Children may develop poor social skills.
- They may be attracted to wrong company.
- It may lead to depression.
- They may tend to get lonely.
- It may increase anxiety.
- Academic underachievement or tantrums and emotional outbursts may cause fatigue in children, and the children may in turn lag behind their peers in development.
