How to Involve the Whole Family in Home Projects
Your home needs a lot of constant care and maintenance to keep it in great shape. Along with the regular cleaning and minor repairs, you may want to occasionally embark on a larger project to improve the appearance of your home or the enjoyment you experience.
Whatever your next project is, try to involve the whole family. It can be a challenge to work together in some cases. Different ages and interests mean that not everyone will have the same talents and enthusiasm for each project. However, it's important to teach skills that involve working together and compromising.
Choose Your Next Project Together
A family project can take many different forms. You may choose to do an in-depth seasonal clean of your home and property and enlist the help of everyone to get everything in top shape. Even the small children can go through their toys and select the ones they still place with and set aside the others for donation.
Maybe your next project will involve living a healthier lifestyle. Perhaps someone has a health concern and wants to adjust his or her diet or get more exercise. You can support this person by having the whole family play an active role and offer encouragement. You can come up with menus and prepare meals together. Perhaps you start to take vitamins or supplements to boost your health. Le-vel Thrive reviews give information on what to expect from taking this supplement program.
You could start to play ball or other activities outside in the evenings. This approaching any issue from a positive viewpoint so that it can be corrected while pointing out healthy activities, and not judging.
Another type of family project would be an addition or expansion of some kind that everyone can get excited about. You could build a pool or convert your basement to a game room. Get the input of everyone in the family. You can even vote on the project that you will tackle next. When each person is able to take an active role in choosing what they will be working on, they are more likely to put the most effort into it.
Give Everyone a Job
When you begin a new project, everyone should have some kind of job. Make an outline of your plan before you begin so you can identify each step and the materials and resources that you need. This will make it easier to assign roles to everyone.
Keep in mind each person's current age and skill set so you don't risk any injuries. If it's a labor-intensive project like remodeling, then younger children could fetch you tools or help to pick out paint colors for the finished project. It's important that you value their input and participation even if they can't contribute a lot of physical effort.
Teach Age-Appropriate Skills
A new project at home is the perfect opportunity to teach skills. You can show your family how to recognize different types of tools and how to use them safely. Show them how to determine what type of tool is needed for different jobs. Learning how to drive a nail with a hammer, tighten a screw with a screwdriver, and saw off an uneven board are all useful things that may come in handy later.
As the kids become older and can handle more responsibility, you can increase the intensity of the lessons. You may even find some shared interests and potential for a career later in life. By involving your child when you fix your car, he or she may discover a passion and natural talent for putting things together or finding the source of the problem.
Add Some Extra Touches
One good way that you can involve everyone in a project is by encouraging them to incorporate some of their preferences and interests. If you are choosing to plant a garden, then have each person pick at least one vegetable to plant.
For children that are too young to help with the construction of a project like building a deck, instead, have them paint some flower pots that will be displayed on the finished area. Colorful accents and unique embellishments will make the project more special, and your kids will love to see that what they made is included.
Encourage Teamwork
Learning how to work together, in any capacity, is a solid skill that will serve well all through life. Encourage your family to work together and praise each member for help. Even if the task is to collect sticks and leaves from trimming the bushes around your house, show your appreciation.
You can pair less knowledgeable younger children with their older siblings for some added teamwork experience. This will foster good communication and build better relationships. Both parties will learn patience and how to tolerate each other's differences.
It's also a great idea to have one child show another how to do something. The teacher reinforces their own knowledge and the student gets a new perspective and useful information. Even everyday chores are a fantastic way to build responsibility, balance, and communication.
Get Excited
When you start out on a family project, remember that your kids look to you to see how to behave. Act excited and they will get excited too. Maybe the project itself isn't particularly thrilling. After all, cleaning out the gutters is hardly a fun afternoon spent. However, you can make it something special.
Emphasize the need to complete the task and how it will improve the state of the house and benefit everyone. You can even use the least fun chores as a lead-up to something that will capture everyone's interest. Perhaps after the yardwork is complete, you will set up a new swing set or sandbox. This can be excellent motivation and show that hard work has its rewards.
Family projects don't have to be complex to be worthwhile. No matter what you have on the agenda, consider involving the whole family. They will learn to take pride in their participation and contribution. Besides, the more time you spend together, the closer you will be. Having a tight-knit family provides many advantages, from support during the hard times, to a ready friend throughout your life.
