Tips and fun things to do as a family this summer and strengthen your bond

With summer vacation starting soon, children will end the school year with a list of holiday homework and projects and this break is also a great way to spend more time with your families and make some fun and exciting memories together. There are a lot of outdoor and indoor activities that you can do as a family and bond over them because as the days of summer roll by, you’ll find an itch to do something meaningful and enthralling with your family. 

To add fun to your days together, you can plan and follow a healthy lifestyle schedule together. In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Devina Kaur, radio host and producer and the author of Too Fat Too Loud Too Ambitious, shared, “There are various activities like martial arts, meditation, Yoga and exercises that you can do together as a family. Martial arts will help your children physically and help you as a family to enrich your lives, mindfully. Martial arts are an affordable way to help release any tension that’s there in your body and the meditative practice gives you time to look at life more calmly and gain perspectives. Together, you’ll also be able to motivate each other to stay in better health.”

If you want to create memorable moments but wondering what to do during your family time this summer, Dr Kriti Israni, Child Development and Parenting Expert and the Founder of Hale & Hearty Kids listed a few fun ideas:

1. Pool time – Take a dip with your family and cool off the heat. Relaxing mind fosters positive connection.

2. Picnic days -Sometimes all we need is a change of atmosphere and exploration together.

3. No technology day – Schedule a no technology day; just do whatever comes to mind as a family.

4. Dessert day – summer is a time to bond over desserts; create, present & relish together.

5. Family Workshop – It is a good idea to indulge in some therapeutic or creative workshops together. .

6. Clean-up time – Simple reorganizing, and cleaning up the house acts as mental detoxification. It helps to reduce stress; you feel together we have accomplished a goal and this in turn creates positive opportunity to reconnect.

According to Dietician Vidhi Chawla, Founder of Fisico Diet Clinic, summers call for cooling down our bodies as children and aged people especially are at a higher risk of catching heat stroke. Hence to combat the heat, she suggested a recipe that will be beneficial to fight the heat as well as bridge the gap between your family members. She revealed, “The old trick up the grandma’s sleeve is the famous Gulkund. Making it is super easy and a frolic-filled activity!”

Dietician Vidhi Chawla instructed, “To begin, wash the rose petals and drain all the water. Then chop them roughly and mix cardamom powder and fennel seeds with the necessary amount of sugar. Following this take a dry glass jar and spread a layer of rose petals then spread a layer of sugar evenly over the layer of rose petals and again add a layer of rose petals and repeat this step until all the petals are placed in the jar, close the jar and keep it in the sunlight for 6-8 days. Mix the Gulkund every other day using a dry spoon and now your gulkund is ready, store it in an airtight container and refrigerate.”

Asserting that summers are that one time of the year when even nature forces us to be inside our homes and spend some time with them, Ruchita Acharya, Founder of Glow and Green, recommended some fun DIYs that you can take up with your child/parent/grandparent that will make the time you spend together a “quality time” and will be fruitful too instead of the kiddos and aged being glued to their gadgets:

1. Making DIY natural soaps – The existing beauty products are heavily laden with paraben, sulphates and other chemicals, so try making homemade natural soaps for starters. They are super easy and creative and the soaps will be harmless to your skin as well. For example, a summer soap would be Lime Soap. Here’s what you will need:

4 drops – Lime Essential Oil

8 drops – Vanilla essential oil

1 cup – Grated Natural Soaps’ Base

1/2 cup – Water

Green colour

Using the melt and pour method, you first melt the grounded soap base with a little bit of water. After everything is melted and consistent you can add your essential oils and even bits of lime pieces, especially to the skin. Then pour into your soap moulds. Now add a little bit of colour and set it to rest. Take it out after an overnight and there you have your own homemade soap.

2. Involving in simple beauty regimes, you and your family member can invest your time in applying face masks over the weekend by making DIYs face packs using the most common natural ingredients like neem, besan, turmeric, rose water, etc. You could also look at recycling your kitchen waste by including them in your beauty regime, For example, citrus peels and potato peels can be used in making face peels and scrubs.

3. You can have simple manicures and pedicures at home using the most easily available ingredients like aloe vera, walnut shells to exfoliate, coconut oil, and petroleum gel, which can be a fun-filled activity too.

4. Having thorough hair care days which involve intense hair massages, hair cleansing, and hair steam is a rite of passage we have inherited from our grandmas. Their therapies involving especially gooseberries not only provided relief to our tensed minds but also promoted healthy hair growth.

5. Lastly, all these said it is important to note that the most crucial element is to be mindful of each other’s presence and actively listen to each other!