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Warm Weather Rituals of Connection: Ideas for Couples and Families

Here's a list of warm weather activities to try together!

As the weather heats up, even in a global pandemic, it’s important to remember to make time to share joy. We dreamed up some activities to enjoy as a couple, as a family, or even at a safe distance. But this list is just a start! We encourage you to come up with more ideas that speak to your unique family or couple unit. And of course, adapt any ideas to your level of comfort and feeling of safety. Have fun!

  • Make an obstacle course in your backyard or a nearby park. See who can get the fastest time.
  • Have a picnic indoors
  • Paint pots and garden
  • Walk around your home and tell the story of different objects or furniture pieces
  • Do some research and learn to identify the local fauna and flora growing in your backyard/neighborhood
  • Go stargazing. Try to find different constellations
  • Play music outside
  • Have a backyard movie night or host a Netflix Party
  • Make sock puppets and put on a show
  • Make popsicles
  • Run through the sprinklers!
  • Have a chalk draw-off: invite the neighborhood to participate and have a curbside art walk!
  • Find ways to volunteer. Clean up a park or get involved in your community!
  • Watch a Bob Ross video on YouTube and paint along
  • Have a bake-off or make the same dish together
    Make a refreshing summer drink. Try a new recipe or share a favorite
  • Host a blindfolded taste test of different treats.
  • Have an outdoor scavenger hunt
  • Try an at-home science experiment!
  • Learn how to tie-dye
  • Dress for a specific theme and invite a friend to judge how well you did.
  • Paint rocks with positive messages and hide them around your neighborhood for people to find
  • Tell a story one sentence at a time
  • Read a summer-themed novel together

What else can you come up with? Share your dreams with each other and make new warm weather traditions.

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The Gottman Institute’s Editorial Team is composed of staff members who contribute to the Institute’s overall message. It is our mission to reach out to individuals, couples, and families in order to help create and maintain greater love and health in relationships.

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