One of the best things about a home is the way in which is gives you a space to escape the world and spend time with the people who are most important: your family. After all, surely it couldn’t be easier to spend time together when you literally live in the same place, right? Well, it turns out that it can actually be quite a bit harder than you might think. This is because far too many homes are set up in a way that causes people to stay surprisingly separate from one another, hiding away in their respective bedrooms and offices rather than coming together for some real family time. In order to help you avoid this, here are some ways that you can really make the most of the communal areas of your home.

The garden

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Since the summer is finally here, what better way to spend time together as a family than you get out into the yard and enjoy the sunshine? Whether you want to get out for a barbeque, or you set up the sprinkler system so the kids can play in the water to stay cool, there are plenty of things that you can do to really make the most of your outdoor space. Of course, you’re never going to be able to do that if your garden is a total mess. Make sure that you keep the lawn trimmed and that you deal with any weeds that grow up through the patio. An overgrown backyard isn’t an enjoyable space for anyone, no matter how nice the weather is.

The dining room

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A lot of people tend to ignore their dining room a lot of the time. This is because a lot of families tend to sit and eat their dinner in front of the TV. Not only is this not very good for you but you miss out on something important, the chance to sit down and just talk to each other without any distractions. Not only that but sitting down at the dining room table is a great way to spend an evening with your family. You can have yourself a board game night, or perhaps spend some time doing crafting together. Whatever you want to do, it’s a great chance to enjoy each other’s company without any distractions.

The living room

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If you spend time with your family at home, there’s a pretty good chance that you do it in the living room. After all, that’s the room where you couches are so you’re likely to be a lot more comfortable in there than anywhere else. However, most people have their couch pointed squarely at the TV. Because of this, it’s hard to make any real connections with the people around you. Why not rearrange the room so that you’re actually sitting opposite each other and can see each other more clearly. That way you’re going to much more inclined to just sit down in the evening and talk to each other. Even if you’re all watching TV together, it’s much more connected experience than if you were are all just vaguely in each other’s peripheral vision.