There are not many parents or families around that will comfortably say “we have enough spare time that we spend together being a family”. More often than not, everyday living gets in the way! Ensuring that you spend quality time with your sons or daughters can be quite a tough task, but it’s a thing that should get consideration. Within our hectic lifestyle, days quickly transform into months and months change into years. Before very long, your kids could have lost any interest in spending quality time with Mom or Dad! Bearing that in mind, allow me to share 3 suggestions to make certain you get the most from the amount of time you’ve got.
Write Up a Full Schedule
Although any parent will tell you no two days are the same in their house, there generally remains some constants that, rain or shine, will happen on any given day. School, work, household chores, extra-curricular activities and sports practice are all pretty common. At home, homework, meal preparation and favourite television programs cannot be missed. It can be easy to assume there are no spare hours in the day. However, by writing down every household member’s weekly routine, you can keep track of upcoming free time where family time can be planned.
Get Your Kids on Board
Children will always be far more facilitating for family time if they feel involved in the planning and organisation of any upcoming events. To this end, explain to your children that you want to spend more time together as a family, and ask them to make suggestions as to what they would like to do. You can collect these suggestions and filter through them as appropriate. Not only is this a great way of trying new things, but it helps build excitement throughout the family.
Have Meals Together
While not always feasible for every meal, it should always be the goal to have family meals together as a family. This is an excellent time to put away all distractions, including phones, toys, televisions and any other interruptions. If your children associate mealtime as a time for family interactions, then it will be something they look forward to. You can also extend that further by making the chores of cleaning up after dinner a family event too. Remember, quality time with your kids doesn’t have to mean going out or doing exciting things. Quality time can be as simple as snuggling up on the couch or having fun with the washing up. If you remember this, the opportunities for quality time become far more apparent.