6 Ways to bring your family closer together

Busy school and work schedules, playdates and general day-to-day busyness can dramatically decrease the amount of time spent together as a family. It's time to bring your family closer together by making family time a priority and supporting one another.Here are 6 fun ways to get closer as a family!

Write notes to each other. Bring a smile to the beautiful faces of everyone in your family by reminding them how much you care. Tuck a note into lunch boxes, backpacks, briefcases, tape to the refrigerator or the car dashboard.

Cook and bake together. Teach your children how to cook by making it a family fun time. Pass down the family recipes from generations past and maybe even get creative and create some new family recipes together. Start out slowly and remember to always supervise your children in the kitchen.

Eat dinner together. With all the conflicting schedules it is easy to let the craziness take over. Make time as often as possible to sit down and have dinner together; turn off the television and listen to one another as you talk about everyone's day.

Create rituals or traditions. Rituals and traditions are not just for the holidays. Try integrating some traditions into your weekly or monthly routines. How about a family game night or maybe a movie night? Traditions and rituals create memories that last a lifetime.

Support each other. All the members of your family have special talents and interests. Take the time to go to your daughter's dance recital or your son's soccer game as a family. Show them that you (and the whole family) support them by attending the special activities for each family member. The members of your family will appreciate the support and love that you give them and it also gives you a chance to spend quality time together.

Everyone has a voice, so listen to it. You raised your children to have an opinion and to be their own person. So, when you are deciding how your family should spend it's time together, allow your children to chime in with their opinions. If your children feel like their opinions and preferences are considered they will be happier to hang out all together; they may even look forward to it.