Celebrating Family Accomplishments

The four of us were smashed into our love seat for worship and were getting ready to pray.  We were sharing what we were thankful for and it was fun to hear the girls talk about ice cream and splashing.

I was thankful for what we accomplished by working together.

It really hit me at the moment that our day wouldn’t have been as productive, fun, or satisfying if we hadn’t done all these things as a family.  Yard work, climbing over obstacles, swimming, eating ice cream and a whole bunch of other basic things was improved by doing it together.

Here are a couple of things that I learned during the day that helped us accomplish stuff together that maybe will find helpful.

1. Variety helps keep kids and adults engaged.  We knew lawn work was only a morning thing and so we kept pretty motivated.  Climbing over logs was a challenge but the girls knew there was fun on the other side.  Each activity was challenging but not overwhelming and the day was filled with anticipation.  This kept us all positive.
2. Don’t let efficiency and time be in charge.  It takes time to teach kids things.  They have been learning to rake and do yard work but it still requires teaching and encouragement.  The good news is that with time, they will be much more independent and take more initiative but that will never happen if you don’t slow down at the start and focus on relationship and teaching rather than time and efficiency.
3. Affirm your family.  There were so many chances to catch my girls doing things well.  They stuck with projects, did things that were hard, focused on listening, took initiative, and were brave.  It was meaningful for both me and the girls to take time to focus on what they were doing.

How have you grown and witness maturing in your kids as you accomplish things together? Any ideas for family activities?