Family Time

By: Ryan Sargent

Photo by Abigail Keenan on Unsplash

In honor of April being the Month of the Military Child, here are a few things that are most important for children.

Quality Time:

Gary Chapman’s book The Five Love Languages has helped countless couples navigate how to best love each other. Within those pages, he mentions that every child’s love language includes Quality Time. The best present to give our child is our presence. Mom, dads, and primary caregivers (whatever role that may be) have way more leverage than they realize in a child’s life. Spend time with them, make time for them, learn about them, schedule activities they enjoy, and participate with them. Learn the latest lingo and embarrass them with it. Apparently, a grown man saying, “This will be LIT FAM!” is not appropriate, at least that’s what my 16 year old says… but, it lends towards a good laugh. Make it fun.

Here’s a list of a few local activities and resources in the Columbus, Ohio area. Similar things can be found in most cities, it can take some creativity and research. We may see them as activities or maybe one more thing to put on our calendar, but to our children, we are shaping their childhood memories in real time. When they’re grown, what will they look back on and remember? Use that influence wisely.

(Any of the below suggestions that are underlined, are clickable links to their websites. Click through, and plan your next activity!)

Parks:

These are great, free ways to enjoy the outdoors and each other’s company.

• Columbus’ parks website is a wonderful way to explore what’s out there. How many can you visit before winter?
• Ohio’s Rails to Trails is a pretty cool hidden gem. Old railways being converted to biking/hiking trails.
• Ohio State Parks. How many have you visited?
• National Parks. Here are a few national treasures in Ohio.

Museums:

Museums are a great way to spend a day trip. Some even have free admission days.

• Columbus Museum of Art is free on Sundays. They just expanded, too.
• COSI (Center of Science and Industry) is always a fun trip. They update their exhibits from time to time.
• National Museum of the Air Force is right here in Ohio. Check it out!

Other Attractions:

• Columbus Zoo. Watch for family day events and family pass deals.
• Columbus Library. They’ve remodeled the main branch and have built some new ones. They also have a homework help center (free), and free story times for toddlers/preschoolers
• History Here App. You can download this app and find historical attractions based on your location. This is a lot of fun for road trips.

What else can you find?