Characteristics of Functional Families

Commitment  Each person cares for and is invested in the well-being of the others  They show this through respect, support, and consideration

Functional Family Activities  Take out a few pieces of notebook paper  Label at the top “Functional Family Activities”

Commitment Activity  Write a paragraph on the following topic: –Who in your family do you feel closest to and cares the most about you? –What makes you feel that way (be specific)?  Write a 2 nd paragraph on the following topic: –Who in your family do you feel the least close to? –What could you do to improve that relationship?

Spend Time Together  Make spending time with each other a priority – even schedule time  Do things together that you all find fun.  Examples: Game Night, Hiking, Shopping, Cleaning the House, etc.

Spending Time Together Activity  List 12 activities that you think your family would enjoy doing together (these can be whole family activities, or things you would do with just 1 or 2 family members)  share top 3 ideas with your table

Communication  Sharing what you think and feel  Being considerate of others thoughts and feelings  When there is respect family members can disagree without feeling hurt or put down

Communication Activity  Think about the 1 or 2 things in your life that are the most stressful right now.  Share your answer with a partner.  Answer the following questions on your notebook paper –How well did your partner listen to you? –How did that make you feel?

Appreciation  Thanking each other  Showing affection

Appreciation Activity  list each member of your family,  for each family member write 5 specific things you could do to show them that you love them, and are grateful for them.

Shared Beliefs  Shared beliefs and values are the foundation of strong families  They reflect what is important to the family members  They base decisions on these beliefs.

Shared Beliefs Activity  describe the 5 most important values or beliefs you have learned from your family.  What, if any, values do you want to teach your kids that you didn’t learn from your parents?

Coping Skills  How they handle problems  Being willing to admit when you have problems  Being able to identify the problem  Communication

Coping Skills Activity  Describe a crisis that your family has gone through?  How did your family react?  On a scale from 1-10 (1 being really badly and 10 being perfectly) how well do you think your family coped with the situation?  Looking back now, what could have made the situation better?