Build your faith and nurture togetherness by adopting these family goals
Agreeing on and accomplishing shared goals within a family is a wonderful way to strengthen bonds, create lasting memories, and celebrate the blessing of the family God has given you. As you consider these suggestions, adopt goals that will benefit each member of your family by bringing you closer to God and to each other.
Family Goals for Connection
Family dinners
Make it a point to eat dinner together a few times each week as your schedule allows. Avoid using this time to conduct “family business” or to tackle difficult conversations. Instead, tell stories, encourage one another, and laugh a lot as you focus on enjoying each other’s company.
Stroll Down Memory Lane
Pull out your old home videos, photos, baby books, and keepsakes, and use them to laugh and reflect on your shared family memories.
Tech-Free Tuesdays
Decide as a family to go tech-free for 24 hours, maybe even weekly. Use this time for face-to-face interactions, games, outdoor excursions, or other activities that don’t involve screens.
Celebrate F5
Any given year typically has four months with five Fridays, so use those special days to celebrate F5 – “Fifth Friday Family Fun Fest!” Decide as a group how to make those evenings fun, unusual, and memorable for the entire family. If you’re feeling extra motivated, get matching shirts made for the occasion.
Listen to an Audiobook
The next time your family has a long road trip ahead of you, choose an audiobook to listen to along the way. Do a quick search online for family-friendly suggestions and use your library membership to check out an audiobook for free.
Escape Room Challenge
Find a local escape room and use teamwork and your collective smarts to solve the riddles and puzzles. Even if you lose the challenge, you’ll win in the memories you create.
Language Learning
Pick a new language to learn as a family. Use language learning apps, practice speaking together, and celebrate milestones in your language journey.
Family Book Club
Choose a classic book to read together and schedule regular family book club meetings to discuss the story.
One-on-One Time
Set aside time each month for one-on-one activities with the members of your family. Allow the younger person to choose the activity the first time, then let the older person choose the activity the next time.
Have a “No-Spend” Challenge
Commit as a family to go an entire week (or month!) without spending money on anything other than pre-scheduled household bills. To create buy-in, connect the challenge to a family goal, such as saving up for a family vacation.
Family Goals with Kids
Show Up for Big Moments
When one family member has an important event – like a concert, game, contest, or show – attend the event as a family to show your support. Purchase a card so each person can write a note to the one who needs encouragement for their big moment.
Embrace Competition
Have fun with silly, low-stakes competitions like cookie decorating or Lego building contests. Post your results online and have your friends choose the winners.
Family Game Nights
Designate a specific night each week for family game night. Choose a variety of games that everyone can enjoy, whether board games, card games, or video games.
Family Movie Nights
Choose one night a week or a month to watch a movie together. Take turns selecting films so that everyone gets a chance to enjoy their favorites.
Chore-Swap Day
Choose a Saturday to swap family chores. Tasks may not get done with the level of perfection you’re used to, but each family member will gain a greater appreciation for the contributions and abilities of each individual.
Have “Must-Go” Nights
Declare one night a week as “Must-Go” Night. On these nights, no one is allowed to cook anything new for dinner. Instead, all leftovers in the fridge from the previous week must go. It might mean pairing half a burrito with a slice of cherry pie, but it’ll save money and may even foster ingenuity with new recipes.
Family Game Nights
Designate a specific night each month for family game night. Choose a variety of games that everyone can enjoy, and rotate between board games, card games, and video games.
Family Goals for Fitness and Movement
Explore Your City
Take a few days to become tourists in your own city. Choose both well-known attractions and hole-in-the-wall places to discover and explore.
Family 5K or Fun Run
Depending on the ages and fitness levels of your family members, choose a 5K race to participate in either for fun or for competition. Train together for the big day, then celebrate your accomplishment with a family dinner at your favorite Italian restaurant. Splurge for dessert! You’ve earned it!
Camping Adventures
Plan regular camping trips, whether in your backyard or a nearby campsite. Embrace the outdoors, stargaze, cook meals together, and enjoy the beauty of God’s creations in nature.
DIY Home Projects
Tackle small home improvement projects together. Whether it’s gardening, painting a room, or crafting, even the youngest members of the family can find a way to contribute to larger tasks.
Go Thrifting
Go on an outing to your local thrift store. Give each family member a small budget and challenge them to find a new outfit in less than fifteen minutes. Require each person to wear their new ‘fit the next time you go out.
Spiritual Family Goals
Attend Church Together
Make a commitment to attend church together on a regular basis. Set aside time afterward to discuss the sermon and share how God is growing your faith.
Read the Bible
Choose one book of the Bible to read together as a family. Take turns reading passages out loud, then discuss what it means and how it can apply to your life.
Become Neighborhood Missionaries
Join together to minister to the families in your neighborhood. Make cookies. Help with yard work. Invite people over for supper. Develop an awareness for the needs of those around you and meet those needs as a family.
Memorize Scripture
Choose one Bible verse or short passage each month to memorize together as a family. Practice often, hold each other accountable, and review previous passages each month. At the end of the year, see who can recite all 12 passages at once.
Service Project
Make a commitment to volunteer as a family for a cause you all care about. You’ll not only find success in giving back to the community, but you’ll also enjoy a shared sense of purpose and accomplishment as you discover the impact your family can have when you work together.
Forgive Freely
Unfortunately, we often hurt the ones we love the most. Make it a point in your family to say “I’m sorry” often and to forgive freely without strings attached. Let your disagreements bring you closer together rather than farther apart.
Pray Together
Go beyond saying a blessing before family meals. Instead, create an atmosphere of prayer with morning or evening prayer time, prayer request text threads, and spontaneous times of prayer as needs arise.
Choose Your Own Goal
Review this list with your family and choose five goals that fit within your current season. Then create one additional goal that is original and unique to your family and begin working towards family togetherness today!
Emily E. Ryan
Emily is a minister’s wife, mother of four, and junior high English teacher who loves encouraging women with practical advice and biblical wisdom. She is a regular contributor to Guideposts’s Mornings with Jesus, and her virtual door is always open at emilyeryan.com.
