Childhood tends to fly by, and it’s important to create memories for your children that they’ll appreciate for the rest of their lives. Trying new activities with your kids will also result in a happier, closer family. Don’t miss out on these 4 opportunities for learning, growing and sharing with your kids before they leave the nest.

1. Travel to Another Country Together

Traveling to a new place isn’t easy. It requires planning, ingenuity and an open mind. This is especially true if there’s a foreign language involved. However, all of these factors make it the perfect family activity. Your kids will come home from traveling with a wider sense of the world. After seeing how much is out there waiting to be discovered, they will likely form their own desire for travel and new experiences.

These trips are beneficial for parents, too. Traveling serves as a reminder that new adventures are always available, even when you have lots of obligations back home. Some of the best family destinations include Ireland, Greece or the Galapagos Islands, but the possibilities are truly limitless.

2. Create a Unique Tradition That Nobody Else Does

If there’s one thing that makes each family distinct, it’s tradition. Though many families engage in similar routines and celebrations, every family does things in their own particular way. It’s those quirky, family-specific habits that kids claim as their own, and that make them feel proud to be part of your family.

Don’t limit your new tradition to special occasions or holidays. You can have a new weekly tradition of going out every Sunday morning for donuts, or having a dance party at home every Friday after school. You can have movie nights every weekend or bake your own cookies every Monday. Perhaps, every time someone celebrates a birthday, you plant something new in a garden.

Whatever it is, make sure it involves something that everyone in your family looks forward to. The idea is not to make it feel obligatory or stressful, but rather to create a regular low-key event where everyone can come together and have fun in each other’s company.

3. Own and Live in Your Very Own Home Together

As the American family has become increasingly urban, it’s also become less common to own a family home rather than rent. While renting offers its own benefits, it usually means moving around fairly often. Owning your own home is something that every family should experience. It offers stability along with the chance to make a house truly your own.

The sooner you buy, the better. Your kids will forever associate this house with their loved ones. Choose the home’s location carefully. Do you want to live in an area that is new and still developing or a place where there is already a community culture with a strong presence of people who have lived there for quite some time? If the former, then you should look into new homes in Davis County, Utah, or in another developing place that is closer to where you live.

4. Learn Something Entirely New

One of the fastest ways to deepen a bond with someone is to attempt to learn something entirely new together. It could be a language, craft or any other skill. The important part is that everyone is given an important role to play. By working towards a common goal, the whole family will have to lean on each other and support one another.

Kids are usually made to feel that they know less than adults. By learning something that’s new to everyone, kids get to feel pride in having conquered a new feat with their families. The result is that children feel proud and capable. They also feel closer with the rest of the family.

Sometimes, you have to shake things up a bit to remember just how special your family is. By creating new challenges like traveling or learning a new language, you’ll be showing your kids that life is an adventure — and that you’re all in it together. Pick one of these 4 ideas and see how it transforms your family.