Doesn’t it sometimes catch you by surprise how hectic our world has become?
We’re running all over the place, scheduled to the absolute limit of space and time. There are some days when I have been so busy it has taken me until 4 pm to notice that my kiddos still have a smear of breakfast Nutella on their faces!
It makes me worry. Life, for all of us, is only going to get busier and busier. And If I can’t even find time to really look at them for breakfast smears how on earth am I going to stay connected to them as they grow up??
Thankfully, with just a little bit of intentional action, there are lots of easy ways for us to stay connected with our kids.
I’ve made a list of 100 of these. Many of them only take about 10 minutes of real, quality time, and some not even that. Doing just a few of these everyday will create a deep and meaningful connection that will keep us bonded together despite our hectic lives.
Bookmark this page and come back to it often to spark up some new ideas in your mind to stay connected throughout the year. OK, here we go –
- Read together
- Cuddle on the couch while watching TV
- Say “yes” to something you’d normally say “no” to
- Give them a hug
- Draw together
- Feed some ducks at a pond with them
- Visit your local library and see what books inspire them
- Build something with them – Legos, toy models, dog houses
- Spend a Saturday together at a museum
- Pick a day to leave work early and spend that time with them
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- Teach them how to make their favorite cookie recipe
- Go to the park
- Play a video game where you are on the same team
- Take them swimming
- Build a fairy garden with stuff from the dollar store
- Play a board game or card game with them
- Teach them the Cat’s Cradle yarn game
- Listen to their favorite music
- Leave messages in their lunch box or backpack
- Learn about one musician they love
- Journal with them
- Do yoga together
- Ask them about their favorite things
- Have dinner together
- Have a post-dinner dance party
- Go out on a parent-child date
- Show your child what happens when you put Mentos into a 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke
- Have a water balloon fight
- Play catch
- Hit the road for a weekend road trip
- Have them clean with you
- Watch a movie – at home or in a theater
- Make a movie
- Play dress-up or costume maker
- Go fishing
- Give them a compliment about something they struggle with or have been working on
- Let them sit on your lap
- Say “I love you”
- Let them plan an outing for the whole family
- Walk them to school
- Have them explain Pokémon, or Little Pony, or Transformers to you
- Share a secret
- Tell them you believe in them
- Write a story together
- Go camping overnight together, even if it is in your backyard or in the living room
- Go hiking away from technology
- Take them to a concert
- Enjoy an ice cream at the neighborhood ice cream shop or right at your dining table
- Take lessons together where you both learn a skill
- Have a at bedtime routine where you do at least one thing together (brushing teeth, getting ready for the next day or reading together – they all count)
- Be silly
- Take them to a sporting event
- Have a picnic
- Go on a train ride
- Get them to tell you about a book they read or a game they played at school
- At dinner go around the table and talk about what you are grateful for
- Talk to them in the car, whether it is deep meaningful conversations or silly goof off topics, they all count
- Make cards and decorations together for whatever holiday is coming up next
- Tell them riddles and have them find some of their own to stump you
- Help them throw a birthday party for their favorite stuffed animal
- Invite them to a tea party (real or pretend)
- Fold origami cranes together
- Make these simple suncatchers
- Tie-dye t-shirts in the backyard
- Get everyone together for a family game night
- Sit with them while they do their homework
- Hold their hand when you are walking together (somewhere, anywhere)
- Fold clothes together
- Make up silly poetry together
- Do some Mad Libs with each other
- Build a Dungeons and Dragons adventure to play as a family
- Find a nice path and go for a bike ride together
- Tell them about someone from history and why you admire them
- Make pizza together
- Tell them one thing about them you think is awesome
- Take them to the Renaissance Festival and spend the day speaking like knights and queens
- Go fly a kite
- Pick flowers and arrange them in vases
- Make them breakfast in bed
- Let them make you breakfast in bed
- Talk about the pet they would get if they could get anything they wanted
- Go to a flea market and find something to fix up together
- Rake up some leaves and have your kids jump into the piles
- Find a big hill and go sledding with them in the winter
- Make a fleet of paper airplanes and see which one goes the farthest
- Tell them about how you met their dad (or mom)
- Tell them how happy you are to be their parent
- Go to a pick-your-own farm and pick some fresh fruit – apples, strawberries, blueberries
- Take some of that fruit and make smoothie, fruit salad or jam together
- Go on a nature walk and pick up leaves and sticks to make into a hanging mobile
- Make a bird seed feeder and see what birds come to visit
- Help them learn to roller skate
- Tell them stories from when you were a kid
- Listen to a book on CD together
- Watch them when they practice their instrument or sport
- Paint their toes and have them paint yours (boys and girls, doesn’t matter)
- Let them cry on your shoulder whenever they want, for as long as they want
- Enroll in mommy-and-me class (music, swimming, Zumba… it’s all good!)
- Have them teach you about emojis
And the absolutely bestest way ever to connect with your child…
- Listen to them. Honestly and earnestly.
So, there you have it. 100 different ways to stay connected with your kids. Even though it looks like a monster list, I know I have only scratched the surface. I’d love to hear some of your favorites.
What do you do to stay connected with your kids on a day-to-day basis?
Think it over for a bit and leave a comment below. Let’s put together the most awesome list ever that we can all come back to time and again!