Instead of a movie, how about a puzzle?
Maybe you have this tradition too: over winter break, we like to assemble a puzzle as a family. This year we tackled one with 1000 pieces! As we worked on it on the card table temporarily installed in the family room, conversations “happened.” Various groupings would find themselves chatting as they looked for the corners or edges, or the weird shape that would fill in the sky: college aged brother with ten year old daughter, dad with a son, two sisters and a brother, and even family friends who came for an overnight visit (pictured here).
If you didn’t assemble a puzzle over break, why not try one now? It’s a nice activity for kids who are listening to a read aloud while a fire roars in the background. Puzzles have a way of facilitating conversations with some of the more quiet kids in your brood. Plus, there’s nothing like the triumph of having completed the puzzle together! So while winter lingers, how about putting a puzzle on the table this week and engaging in a soothing, family activity sure to bring smiles?
My mom passed away 20 yrs ago at home. One of the good memories we have is going to the farm house to visit mom her last weeks and 7 brothers and sisters reminiscing at the dining room table over a large puzzle. I don’t think any visitor left that house without making a contribution to that puzzle. 5 years ago we did it again when my father passed away at home. Pleasant memories.
Diane
Diane, thanks for sharing that memory.