Family time is memory-building time. It doesn’t have to be an elaborate or expensive vacation. It can be as simple as a family game or going for a walk together.
Here are a few suggestions for each season of the year.
Spring Traditions to Kick Off the Year
Around Mother’s Day our family usually shops for flowers and then spend the afternoon planting them. It’s a chance to be together and enjoy the beauty of the flowers. Our girls enjoy digging the holes and deciding where to plant each flower.
We also take this time to plant our garden. We plant various vegetables such as lettuce, kale, and peas. The beauty of this is that it takes time for the plants to bloom. It’s a wonderful lesson in patience.
“Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious land to yield its crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.
Springtime is also a wonderful time for hikes. We are blessed to live in Colorado near the foothills. It’s a short drive for us to a nice hiking spot near Boulder. Sometimes we travel a little farther to Rocky Mountain National Park or other scenic mountain destinations.
Summer Activities for Family Fun
In the summertime, we love to go swimming, camping, hiking, and horseback riding. One of our favorite destinations is the KOA in Colorado Springs. They have a wonderful mini-waterpark that the kids enjoy. It is also near our favorite horseback riding stable, the Old Stage Riding Stables.
We have two outdoor pools nearby. One has slides and is a bit of a mini-waterpark. The other is a simple pool, a little closer to home. We enjoy both.
If we want something more fun but also more expensive, we have Water World with lots of slides, wave pools, and other fun water rides.
Autumn Celebrations for Family Connection
When our girls were younger, they loved playing in the leaves. I would rake them into piles, and they would jump in and throw leaves at me. We had two tree swings that they could use to leap into the pile. I also had a leaf blower, and they enjoyed running away from the leaves it blew around. Each year, I would get my annual leaf picture of my two girls buried in the leaves.
In autumn, we also would take an annual trip into the mountains to see the fall colors. Sometimes we would drive Peak to Peak Highway and stop somewhere along the road. Other times we would drive further away to the Colorado Trail and go for a short hike.
This year, we plan to take the Cog Railway near Pikes Peak. It’s a 3.5-hour round-trip journey to the Summit of Pikes Peak. Going in late September or early October, we should see brilliant colors along the way.
Winter Festivities to Create Lasting Memories
Near Christmas, one of our traditions is to drive around the neighborhood at night to see all the Christmas lights that our neighbors have put up. We can spend half an hour or more driving. To make it especially fun, we count how many Grinches we see.
Winter is also a wonderful time to play family games. While we play games throughout the year, winter is especially nice. We can light the fireplace, sit nearby drinking hot cocoa, and play games. For some game ideas, check out this blog on fun family games.
Of course, there’s much fun to be had in the snow. We enjoy sledding and snowball fights. We love to go to the Frisco Adventure Park Sledding Hill. It’s a bit of a drive for us, but worth it. There is sledding within walking distance too. Since Colorado has been in a bit of a drought, that option has been less available than we’d like.
Intentiality
Creating memories does not need to be expensive, but it does need to be intentional. Often we go through life letting life happen to us. To create a lasting bond with your family requires intentionality. Plan trips. Set aside time to play games and be together.
What are your plans for each season?
What have been some of your favorite memories already?