We know how it seems at times to keep things in mind with our busy schedules. For parents with young kids, this is even more difficult, especially when one considers that so much developmental progress takes place in the first decade of life. Kids grow daily, they learn things in school – and some of these things they learn can shape and guide their perspectives.
How then can both busy parents slow things down and spend more time with family? We have 6 amazing ideas to share with you. If perhaps you have some that are working for you, kindly share them with us.
1. Dinner Nights
One of the effective ways of maximizing time with family is through dinner – I know this because it works for me. Dinner should be more of a communal event, set up a calendar and agree on which time of the week you all will want it. Also, let kids have a say in some of the menus that would be picked. Kids like it when their ideas are taking into consideration, if not, the whole idea of having a nice dinner with the kids won’t be interesting to them.
2. Don’t Drive Everywhere (Walking)
It can be easy to fall into the habit of driving everywhere, just to save time. This at times creates an atmosphere where the kids feel they are not getting parental attention. Rather than driving to a nearby neighbors house, use the opportunity of walking with them to help build on your relationship with your child – it can also lead to spontaneous conversations, games, and other little adventures that really foster a child’s imagination and feeling of interconnectedness.
3. Bedtime Stories
Bedtime can be another great time to put in a few extra minutes of your time with a child. Reading bedtime stories has double functions, it does not only serve as a good way to maintain and grow with your child but has also been shown to impact their educational success and scope of imagination by introducing them early on to reading.
4. Getting Off Your Smart Phone
One of the biggest wasters of time whether or not you accept is the use of devices, be it smartphones or laptops. Technology is neither a good nor a bad tool, it totally depends on how one uses it. This isn’t to say that spending some time on a laptop can’t be productive, but especially for working parents, this is something to take note of.
Instead of checking your Gmail, use that time to interact with your child by asking questions and showing an interest in their responses. It is also possible to integrate their time into yours – you can show them throwback pictures on your system, listen to songs together, and dance. You can also direct their focus toward educational or interactive websites.
5. Always Make Room for Play
Play is important. The importance of play in a child’s growth phase cannot be overemphasized, this makes it even more important for parents to have a participatory role in this playing. Be it soccer, or some wild imaginative role-playing, letting them live in their fantasy world can also be therapeutic for you – it might be what you need to get work stress off you.
Hands-on activities are the best, try to limit or if possible restrict the use of computer games; this will help encourage them to think on their own and work towards their own solutions. No matter the number of toys you give to them, time is the most valuable thing you can give when raising a child.
Parents do not realize this until the child is fully grown. Using multiple strategies and dedicating the time to work and play with your kids will bring you closer to them, and give them the tools they need to succeed in school and later on in life.
