looking for 6-12 year old family bonding ideas

Jakki - posted on 04/26/2012

We go on bike rides together or for walks in national parks. Getting all hot and tired is bonding - then you have an ice cream or whatever and everyone feels really good.

I find that going away from home on weekends away (eg camping or renting a cabin) is great for bonding because our kids are forced to play with each other - we have a similar age range as yours, and the middle child is a boy who sometimes thinks he shouldn't play with his sisters because he's too cool. But when we go away it's much better.

A couple of years ago we went travelling for 3 months and you can't believe how bonding it was. I believe the kids will remember it for the rest of their lives as a golden time they shared.

Amanda - posted on 04/25/2012

My husband and I wake up saturday mornings make breakfast and if the kids are up they help, we eat (of course) then we get ready and go to lowes or home depot do their projects. then go to the park play and have a picnic then go to the dollar movie. we all have a blast lots of fun and bonding. and it doesnt cost a lot cant beat that these days! oh sometimes we go fishing instead of the park, and we have a compost pile so we dont have to buy the worms. hope this help any of you we sure love it...

Denise - posted on 02/24/2009

For the older group or the young and computer savy I would suggest letting them do the "research" (read the paper, internet) to find out what is going on in the local area. Then let them pick what the family should do :) You can set price limits or whatever boundaries you may have. Then the family can take turns doing different things. Fun is where you make it :)

Courtney - posted on 02/24/2009

bowling?

Alicia - posted on 02/24/2009

At our house we dont call them "family nights" they are "date nights" because my husband and I have "date nights" the girls 7 & 9 feel left out because we do something special after they go to bed.  For our "date night" the girls help me make dinner (they generally make all of it I'm just there to help...*FYI that is what they like to do) we all sit down together as a family have dinner and desert then play a game of the girls choice, usually monopoly.  We will also do crafts from a magazine we found, or fish when the weather is nice.  I'm hoping to go camping this year

Lee Ann - posted on 02/20/2009

I have kids that are 8, 10 and 11...some of our best family time is spent playing board games like Clue, Pay Day, Life and Apples to Apples.   Wii has also been a big hit - Mario and Sonic at the Olympics, Rock Band, Mario Kart, etc.  We also like to bond over dinner - some of our best conversation happens at the dinner table.  The nights we are are on the go and don't sit down at the table seem to really bum the kids out.

Movies aren't as good for bonding since talking during it somewhat defeats the purpose of the activity.

Tina - posted on 02/20/2009

Family game nights are a hoot. Especially when you let your kids play games that are above their age level. It makes them feel so grown up. I have a five year old who absolutely loves Uno.

Lisa - posted on 02/19/2009

Oh, I just thought of something else. We go for long drives and DP thinks my family's habit of car games is a bit bizarre because all he did was sit and listen to his dad's music so he thinks the kids should have an ipod each for trips. In my family we used to play games like "I spy", "Spotto"(one person names an item and you all look for it, first person to see one wins), a game where we each had a colour car and had to count how many we passed (DP calls both these "How to shut the kids up" LOL) and another that involved making sentences from the letters on car numberplates. Possibly not quite what you're after but I think car trips are great chances for bonding.

Lisa - posted on 02/19/2009

DS, who will soon be 12, wants us to go out kite-flying sometime, so our plan for his birthday is to buy him a stunt kite then we'll all go out (weather permitting LOL) and afterwards he wants to go bowling. We tend to all play the wii or playstation as a family - raving rabbids on wii and singstar and guitar hero on playstation. I guess different families find different thing fun, but even my parents get into the game consoles! We do board/card games too if you need any suggestions specifically.