Reaping the Rewards of Family Fun With a Fort Building Kit
Posted March 13, 2017 by Fort Magic
When was the last time you, your spouse, your kids engaged in some family fun? Played a game? Built a fort? Ate dinner together? (And, no, in the car does not count.) Has the routine and hectic pace of life left you starved for a few moments of togetherness? The natural course of our lives and the great opportunities of the world lead us too easily away from one another. Can you relate? Sure, you live in the same house. Follow similar routines. But, activity around one another does not prove to be the same as activity with one another. On the other hand, intentionally connecting through planned and spontaneous family fun strengthens relationships. Let’s look at 10 benefits of family time. And, for the sake of example, let’s use a Fort Magic fort building kit as the family activity.
Stronger Family Bond
Working and playing with one another, not just alongside each other, bring families together through emotional connection. Plus, these activities prove related to a family’s ability to adapt. Forts offer plenty of opportunities to build together, play a game as a family or take a mini-staycation right in the fort. No matter the activity you choose, the time will be well spent.
Better Behavior
When children learn to communicate openly with their parents, behavioral issues decrease. Building trust and engaging in family dialogue from young ages teaches children to hear the advice of their parents in difficult times. Building forts open opportunities for non-threatening conversation:
— During the activity of designing or building forts.
— In the private security of a fort design.
— Snuggling in a bed fort for a story and chatter.
Life Skills Learned
Problem-solving, communication, interpersonal and even parenting skills modeled today influence the future actions of your kids. And, while they may seem young for some skills (such as parenting), the lessons learned in family time remain cemented in our children’s minds. Think about it. You model:
— Attitude and problem-solving skills as the fort tumbles to the ground.
— The art of compromise and conflict resolution when family members fight during the design process.
— The value of intentional focus on and value of family fun (as well as other things) by your engagement in the activity.
Love of Learning
Communication with Mom and activity with Dad lead to increased academic performance in kids. And, parental involvement with school matters increases a child’s school success. Add to family time the natural learning of fort building and you have a powerhouse activity that boosts academic skills. Plus, learning together how to build a fort or how knights defended castles long ago inspires a love of investigation in kids.
Relational Connection
The gap that grows with busyness closes as families get to know one another. Hearing the highlights and lowlights of the day, learning one another’s love language or reminiscing over childhood memories make each family member feel loved and supported. Hosting a family dinner in a cafe fort, sharing nighttime exchanges in a bedtime fort or munching on an after-school snack in any fort capitalizes on the most conversational moments. Games or conversation starter cards work well to get the dialogue flowing.
Healthy Choices
Close family relationships guard children from risky behavior such as smoking, alcohol, drugs and violence. In these situations, parents involved in quality family time continue to influence their children’s choices. Family fort building not only offers an alternative high, it builds support and open communication about difficult topics within the family. Plus, the adventure of fort play offers appropriate risk taking opportunities.
Emotional Health
Time spent as a family proves to decrease the incidence of depression and emotional stress in children. More resilient kids develop as a result. Through family fort building, opportunities to succeed and fail in a safe space builds confidence and self-esteem. And, these qualities benefit our children into adulthood.
Cognitive Skills
Through the conversations and interactions of family time, children improve thinking and linguistic skills. These breaks in the rush of activity allows for room to think and express oneself. Forts similarly slow the day to a pace which breeds conversation. Whether interacting around design ideas, the next step in construction or the activity which ensues, families find plenty of free air space which improves these cognitive skills.
Knowledge of Social Networks
Through family interactions, parents learn of friends, teachers, social media relationships and more. This valuable information keeps parents abreast of bullying, inappropriate texts, quality friendships and more. Again, forts offer no shortage of time for open communication. Plus, when parents enter their kid’s world through fort building, a sense of support and trust is built within the child. Hence, more sharing.
Sense of Security and Stability
In truth, kids want to know that their world is safe and secure. When your marriage or family relationships are perceived to be on shaky ground, children struggle.
The quality time of fort building demonstrates to kids in a tangible way that the family unit works well together. Building this sense of security and stability is vital to our children’s development. How do you have family fun and make meaningful connections through fort building? Share your experiences below!
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Photo Credits:
Learn With Play At Home Blog: An inspiring educational blog created by a primary teacher that strongly believes in making learning FUN & seamless through childhood playtime ideas and activities.
All For The Boys: An inspiring & fun blog with lot of “boy” crafts and activities (girls love them too!) A truly fun blog for the whole family to enjoy.
Delia Creates: Delia Creates is a gorgeous lifestyle and creative crafting/sewing blog that celebrates all things family and personal expression through lovely photographs and posts.
Fort Magic Customer Photos via Facebook: Visit our Fort Magic Facebook page to see our customer creativity shine with fun pics and videos of families enjoying their Fort Magic kit during playtime.
Fort Magic Customer Photos via Instagram: Visit our Fort Magic Instagram page to see our customer creativity shine with fun pics and videos of families enjoying their Fort Magic kit during playtime.
