We may find that doing specific tasks with one hand may be a very challenging experience. Many times individuals enjoy completing tasks on their own and feel they don’t need assistance. There could be situations where someone may legitimately need assistance but do not know how to communicate and ask someone for it. In this activity, family members practice teamwork and try to complete a task, each person with hand placed behind their back. They must communicate effectively and work together to complete the task.

Thinking about the characteristics of our family members can provide great entertainment when sharing stories about one another. Some family members may be known to do a particular action or may be predictable in certain situations. In this activity, participants will choose random scenarios or questions to share with their family. For example, “Who would lose track of the group at a theme park because they are distracted at the gift shop?” After hearing the scenario/question, family members will make their vote on which one of them would most likely be in that situation.

Reminding ourselves of what we appreciate allows us to think about what it would be like if we did not have it. Many young children and even adults say they appreciate their technology and digital devices. Aside from technology, think about all the things you are thankful for in your life. Some examples are mom, dad, grandparents, school, teachers, and great friends. In this activity, participants will toss around a round object that represents the “hot potato” that is too hot to hold or handle. Each person who catches the object must share who or what they appreciate and quickly toss the object to another player. To make this activity more exciting and engaging, family members can add claps or chants during the activity as the object gets tossed around.

Having conversations with your family about your funniest, most embarrassing, or most memorable moments can provide great entertainment and stories to tell for years to come. What if you wanted to remind your family members of a funny experience but couldn’t use words to tell the story? Let’s see how well you can tell a story using only nonverbal communication.

Knowing information about our family members (such as their experiences, childhood activities, favorite foods, or the most memorable places they’ve visited) can impact what we take interest in as we grow and develop. One of your family members could have been face-to-face with an angry, wild animal and didn’t know what to do! This activity will allow you to gather this interesting information and hold great conversations with your family.