One of the best ways to strengthen family relationship is through building a friendship. And the best way to build friendship is through good old fashioned play. It might take some time to convince your family members to set a time to play with you but its definitely well worth the effort.

According a recent study, it shows that there is a correlation between love and play. Families who bond together and share recreational activities together rated their family relationship significantly higher than those that do not share recreational activities with. Furthermore, the study also revealed that families who build up the bond are more willing to support each other through tough times and lesser conflicts.

So how do you turn your family, even fighting siblings into best friends?

One way is to get your family members to participate in your hobby. One of the best thing my mom ever does is to get us to cook with her. In the past, we did sometimes complain about how awful her cooking was and forget that its not easy to prepare a meal. However, one day, she gather us and we cook with her, after that we realize its a tough job and appreciate her cooking more. Cooking is just an example of how you can turn a personal hobby into a family activity.

3 Tips on building strong relationships through activities

1) Make it a no scoreboardzone – There are ways to come up with sports or hobbies for your family to participate in. It doesn’t matter if you are good or otherwise, the most important thing is that you guys have fun.

2) Create an evening where you make a game out of talking to your spouse about some of your favorite childhood activities. Take turns describing how excited you felt every time you had a chance to play. Now see if you can come up with a family version that expresses similar qualities. If nothing strikes you, let loose and play “let’s pretend” and make up an activity of your own.

3) Create an exciting atmosphere – Find every opportunity to create excitement and have fun. Fun bring everyone together and also bring the “child” in the people you love. Spending quality time not only during that moment when you are playing but also when you are talking about it.

So, get ready to decide which family activity you want to do this weekend.

In the society, we are taught about the importance of a strong family relationships. Having a strong relationship with your family enables us to go through the trials of life because family becomes a support, a pillar of strength. One of the most important skill for building a strong relationship with your family is listening. You’ve got to actively listen to each other.

Strong families often have an open communication policy, where everyone in the family feel heard and respected. To increase your listening skill, start by focusing on what family member is telling you instead of thinking about your reaction or response to what is being said.

Next, drop whatever you are doing and give your family member your full attention. This is not just being courteous but also telling them that you care for them.

Lastly, relay to them about how they feel, making sure that they know you understand. For example, say something like “I understand you don’t like your uncle. You look pretty upset. Did something happen?”

Resist giving advice or your reaction until you have fully understood what the other party is telling you.

To continue building a stronger relationship, you have to encourage your family memebers to share more about their thoughts and feelings. Everyone should be expected to express themselves in appropriate ways. When people feel heard and respected, they feel better about themselves, are more open to solving problems, and are more likely to allow others to express themselves.