One easy weekly habit that will help you build a stronger family

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Sunday evenings are one of my favorite moments of the week because they are all about family time! We have an early dinner together and then we dedicate half an hour to one of the best habits that we built as a family: our weekly family meeting.

I first started the family meetings out of necessity but they quickly turned into a habit that brings us closer and helps us feel more connected.

In time we created a family meeting agenda that works great for us and spending half an hour every Sunday focusing on family matters really makes a difference in our home!

This is why today I want to share with you all the details about how we plan and hold our family meetings and encourage you to try this in your home! Once you have this habit in place you’ll see all the benefits it brings, and I’m pretty sure you’ll get to enjoy it as much as we do!

Also, at the end of this article, I’ve included a printable family meeting agenda that you can download and use for your weekly meetings.

How to plan a weekly family meeting

The easiest way to transform the family meeting into a weekly habit is to schedule a special time for it and make it a priority. We chose to schedule it on Sunday evenings because this is a relaxing time in our home and it also allows us to plan ahead for the next week.

Invite all the family members to the meeting, and make it enjoyable for everyone, especially for young kids who might get bored quickly. We always try to keep the meetings under half an hour because this helps us stay on track and focus on what is really important.

Also, I try to prepare a special treat to enjoy during the meeting (like some cookies) because it gives everyone a better mood. Another good idea is to end the meeting with a fun family activity (like a game or a movie) to get everyone excited about this new weekly habit.

What is included in our family meeting agenda

I created a standard format for our family meetings because this makes them more predictable for our son, and it helps me keep track of everything we need to talk about.

Here are the topics that we include in our family meeting every week:

1. Favorite thing of the week

To start the meeting in a positive way we first talk about what was the favorite thing of the week for each of us.

2. Sharing time: Recognition and appreciation

Then each of us shares something nice about the other family members: a way someone helped us or make us happy during the week, a compliment we want to give, a gesture that we appreciated, and so on.

3. Sharing time: Gratitude

Sharing time continues with each of us mentioning one thing that we are grateful for. This is a nice way to remember all the positive things in our lives, and also a great opportunity to teach our son about gratitude.

4. Schedule for the next week

Then we talk about the schedule for next week. We write down any special activities, appointments, or plans that we have for the next week to make sure that we keep track of them.

After the meeting, I usually make sure to add them to the family calendar as well.

5. Family time: Planning fun activities for next week

During this section of the family meeting, we plan family activities for the next week.

We decide:

• what we will do during our weekly family night (we get inspiration from our list of family night ideas),
• when to plan our family movie night (it usually happens on Saturdays but sometimes we change the schedule, especially if we want to go to the cinema instead of watching a movie at home),
• and if we want to plan any other special family activities (especially during the weekend).

6. Setting goals and reviewing last week’s goals

At every meeting, each of us sets a goal for the next week and shares it with the others.

We write down these goals and the next week we review them before setting new goals.

This section of the meeting is a great opportunity to teach our son about goal setting and the importance of working to accomplish what we want. He learned how to set small goals for himself (like learning something new that he is interested in) and it’s nice to see him putting his ideas into practice.

7. Discussion time: Family contributions

During this section of the meeting, we talk about the family contributions for next week. This includes all the tasks we need to do for our home and how everyone can help.

(Setting family contributions instead of chores is a very effective way to get kids involved in a playful and positive way – here is how we implement this).

This is when we also talk about the family meal plan for the next week.

8. Discussion time: Support and encouragement

We included this topic on our agenda because it’s a wonderful opportunity for us to ask for support or share any worries or concerns we might have. It really helped us open up when we needed more support and brought our family closer.

9. Allowance and screen time coupons

At the end of every family meeting, our son receives his weekly allowance. (here is how we implemented an allowance system in our home)

Also, he receives the weekly screen time coupons that help us limit screen time without power struggles.

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For us, the weekly family meeting is a habit that makes our family stronger and closer. It helps us feel more connected, and it encourages us to face challenges together and celebrate all the little joys in our lives.

If you like the idea of holding a family meeting with your kids, I hope that these tips and ideas are the inspiration you need to get started!

More tips for moms

⭐ One easy idea that will help you create the best after-school routine for kids

⭐ How to create an easy and stress-free school morning routine (+ checklist)

>> Want to remember this? Save these ideas to your favorite Pinterest board!

photos from depositphotos.com

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