The most precious gift that any parent can give to their child is the time spent with their child. Toys, video games or other gift can not be measured with socializing with your children. Numerous studies show that children whose parents devote them more attention, grow into confident and capable persons, because they recognize that they are loved. But sometimes it’s not easy to find a suitable activity for quality time with children. The fact is that modern society imposes many obligations to mothers, who are often unable to fulfill them, causing a feeling of guilt to them, but also to those who suffer the most because of the multitude of obligations of their parents, and these are children. Regardless of whether you are a housewife or you are an employee parent, it seems that due to many obligations, you do not get to spend as much time as you like with children. Here are a few ideas to devise creative time with your little ones.
Include your child in a hobby
If you have a hobby or favorite activity, consider whether it is possible to bring the child with you. Of course, if it comes to pilates after hours, it will be impossible. But if you do something creative, be sure to familiarize the child with what you do and teach him/her how to help. If you are making jewelry or something similar, engage your child to help you. It can, for example, sort and string beads, and in order to “use” this moment until the end, ask the to arrange them by color for example. It’s fun and helpful.
Cook together
Whether you have a boy or a girl, each child, especially a little one, will have fun helping in the kitchen – passing the pans, baking the dough … When lunch is prepared, give the child to fold the napkins and decorate table as it wants. If the child is older, the opportunities for the expression of creativity in the kitchen become larger. In addition to helping to prepare the meal, allow your child to think about what you can prepare on certain days and then prepare it together. In this way, the child will have a feeling that it is useful and that it contributes to an important ritual such as preparing a family lunch or dinner. For instance, choose a cake day and be sure to make only those cakes where your child can participate, or those with “funny” look. Let a cake day be cute and fun!
A fun trip
Be sure that your child is very interested to going on a trip. You need to give it the whole day together and go where it wants. You can ask him to suggest a place where you could go and then adopt his proposal (of course, if it is not like a jungle or some inaccessible place). Show the child that you are standing at its disposal, with various proposals: one day in the park, visiting the aquarium or zoo, the match at the stadium. In this way, the role is changing: today, it is what the child wants, not what mom and dad say. Really nice surprise, right?
Tell children stories
Younger children really enjoy when you tell stories to them. In addition, this is a very fun way to spend a time with your little one. Make sure you choose an interesting story and enjoy the world of imagination together with children. Imitate animal voices, speak their language, make funny faces, just conjure up the story to be more interesting, but no doubt it will be to you. And do not forget that they will not mind if you do not have narrative skill, the fact that you have tried to conjure up a story is enough to make them watch and listen without blinking.
Turn off the TV
Although we have long been aware that children spend too much time watching TV program, in most of our homes it is turned on from morning to evening. Children under one year already have their favorite cartoon heroes. If your child is accustomed to watching television, and if there is an established ritual of watching cartoons at a certain time, do not forbid it for him or her, in order not to create resistance. Slowly reduce the time that child spends while watching TV and replace it with a creative activity, or simply go out with him.
We do live in a fast moving world, but it doesn’t have to mean that we should spend less time with our children. They are our biggest treasure and we should nurture it, starting from being around our kids as long as we can.
Vanessa Davis is a 32-year-old fitness enthusiast, mother of two and content writer at www.diet.st. She’s originally from Long Island, New York, and when she isn’t cooking up some new health and fitness article, she enjoys doing yoga and figuring out new, delicious organic recipes for herself and her kids.