Lesson 6 116 Copyright 2018 Marline E. Pearson Explain what often happens to fun later on:  Most new friends and couples start out doing fun things. Then, as life gets busy, people often let time for fun slip away.  It can be tough to find free time with work, school, responsibilities, and children. But here’s a question: How do we use the free time that we do have?  It is easy to slide into watching a lot of TV, streaming videos, playing video games, or glued to our social media apps. We could decide to spend some of that precious free time having fun with a partner, friends, family, or a child.  There is nothing against TV or computer games, or social media, but it can be awfully easy to make them the major thing we do.  Did you know research shows people are happiest when they are out doing things, spending time with others, or working on some hobby or interest?  People that make the effort to do fun things together, no matter how busy life gets, are rewarded. They feel more alive, more connected, and have more rewarding relationships.  Research on happiness and fun also tells us it is important to do different things—to mix it up. A great idea is to try out new activities for keeping fun alive. (PP) Divide into groups of four and announce there will be a three-minute competition. Each group is to brainstorm a list of ideas of fun things to do with a partner or friend according to two criteria: cost and time. Some ideas should be free, some should cost just a little, and others can cost more. Some fun ideas should take less than a half hour, an evening, all afternoon, the whole day, or longer. Tell them to mix it up and strive for variety, fun, and creativity. But they all must come up with some fun ideas that are free. Activity: Fun Brainstorm