How to schedule quality time with your family and keep on top of the chaos!

This very special blog post is written by our guest blogger,  Kelly Walter, Founder of Daily Orders, a small business that specialises in Aussie made acrylic wall planners. We are so very excited to support another small biz mama and have her share her expertise with us on the Cloth & Crown blog!

Sometimes there just isn’t enough time in the day. Whether you’re being pulled in the direction of work, home management, family obligations, or the million other things that take up your time, finding time for family bonding seems next to impossible. Even if you do find yourself with a spare hour, it probably conflicts with the busy lives of your family members. The key is to schedule time, and family activity planners help you do just that.

Why You Need A Family Activity Planner

While it can seem a little bit strange or forced to schedule in time with your family, it isn’t. We didn’t usually have to do this when we were growing up because the world worked differently back then. Family members weren’t necessarily juggling multiple roles, and the average family schedule was less packed overall. 

Both you and your kids simply live busier lives in this modern world. With more extracurricular activities on the table, longer work hours, more hobbies, and even more complicated friendships, it’s no wonder that our schedules don’t naturally align with our kids’ schedules. This can leave you realising that, at the end of each week, you’ve barely spent any quality time with your kids aside from mealtimes.

Family bonding isn’t just important for you to share with your kids, but for your kids to be with one another. Finding time in every family member’s schedule to spend time together as a unit can be tricky, but is invaluable. It strengthens connections between every family member and creates a safe space for your kids to grow in. A family activity planner allows you to make time for that connection without the stress.

How To Use A Family Activity Planner

If you have been wanting to start planning, but have no idea how to start, we have your back. Find time for family bonding in three simple steps with our wall planners.

Step 01: Schedule The Weekly Constants

Staring at a big empty planner doesn’t have to be intimidating. Simply start with the weekly time commitments that all families have. From school to extracurricular activities and work hours for parents, mark down the average week in your family household.

Step 02: Mark In Activities & Commitments

Next, start fleshing out your family activity planner. Put in commitments like homework and chores that take up weekly time. You can also block out time slots where you or your kids like to take time for yourselves or with friends. This will give you a thorough picture of each week.

Step 03: Evaluate & Align Schedules

Now that you know exactly what every family member is doing in a given week, you can look for free common time slots. There will usually be at least a couple of hours in the week when everyone is available. Block out that time and ensure that your family knows that this time slot is booked for the family. If there is no universal time slot available, shuffle things around until you can find at least one hour for quality family time where you can play a game, watch a show, or just chat. 

About the author

Kelly Walter is the owner and  Director at Daily Orders, a manufacturer of Australian made acrylic wall planners.

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