Photo Credit: Flickr
In today’s fast paced, plugged in world, finding time to do the things you love alongside the innumerable essential jobs in our lives; cleaning the house, doing the shopping, working, running errands; can be a very difficult task. If you have kids, spending time with them will be at the forefront of your mind; spending time with children is incredibly important when it comes to their development and happiness. So, how can we get to spend more time with our children without neglecting all of those important tasks that plague us?
One way to get back in touch with your kids could be a weekly ‘games night’. It’s highly likely that your children are in to computer games, so why not join in! There are tons of family friendly games out there and a good multi-player game will both have the excitement of competition while allowing you to spend more time with the kids than you otherwise would have. Bingo is always fun for all ages; perhaps mom spends time playing online bingo in her spare time? Get the kids involved either on the site itself or using a random number generator; you’ll be surprised at how engrossed the kids get in a game rather far removed from the digital times in which we reside!
If you’re going through an incredibly busy period and find it hard to make time for life’s essentials, bridge the gap until you can get spare time with your kids by engaging in so-called ‘phantom time’. Leave notes around the house, in lunchboxes, book bags etc, or even record short videos for your kids for an added surprise. Don’t let this be a replacement for spending time together, but these kinds of things can show your kids that you’re still thinking about them!
Photo Credit: Flickr
Cooking is often the preserve of the stay at home mom or dad, but teaching your kids to cook is a very important skill to teach and can bring you closer together. Crack out the novelty aprons, go through a recipe book with your little one(s) and get to it! Spending time together like this could be a weekly thing, and trust me, they’ll thank you when they eventually go to college!
Playing games in the house is always fun for the family, especially on a rainy day. Play hide and seek around the house, or if you have a larger family, play a game of good old fashion hide and seek with a twist! One person goes to hide in a nook of the house, everyone tries to find them, and when you find the initial individual, you have to hide alongside them! The loser is the last person left, who then hides next round. Games that are fair and have no real winners or losers mean fun without any tears at the end!
