Posted on: August 3, 2012

How to Spend Time with Your Kids

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In today’s Family Minute, I talked about the importance of spending time with your kids – just for today.  But, it needs to become a regular occurrence in your relationship with your kids.  And, if you are saying right now, “I would love to spend more time with my kids, but I don’t know how,” here are 10 ways to do just that:

  1. Sitting together reading a book out loud.
  2. Hiking or camping with them.
  3. Teaching them to play chess.
  4. Teaching them to play dominos (and how to win and lose gracefully).
  5. Building and flying a kite together.
  6. Building and racing a Pinewood Derby together.
  7. Making up a story one paragraph at a time (you start, then your child does the next paragraph, and so on.)
  8. Teaching them basic cooking skills (8 years and older).
  9. Teaching them how to critique a movie (teens).
  10. Taking them to serve with you to volunteer at a homeless shelter.

 

Once you schedule a couple of one-on-one times, you will come up with your own ideas.  Remember, your kids would be more than happy to help.  Ask them what they would like to do with you.  Involve them in the planning.  And, just have fun!

What are some ways that you spend meaningful time with your kids? Please share your ideas with me in the comments section below.

  • Dlmuller1

    My daughter painting nails together and chatting. My son, playing video games and sports with him. For me acting like a kid again and doing things like wrestling, playing on play ground equipment, etc. They love it when I get involved with the things they love to do.

  • Shadow

    I did nearly everything listed in the article, but I alway remember what my dad (who also did most of the items) told me.  He didn’t believe in quality time…he did believe in quantity time.  He put me in the middle of many of his work projects (building, gardening, etc.)  I sweated and growled about it then.  Now they are some of my fondest memories. 

  • Hans

    I like all the ideas above because it will always works especially when you show to your kids that you have take time off from your everyday to-do-list and choose to be with them….just make sure you turn off your cellphone, no reading of emails so you will have an undivided attention with them, for me, my best bonding time with my daughter is to reward ourselves with an order of agreathralthyand yummy yogurt because that’s her favorite snacks and she always tell her friends of those moments! Remember , not all couples are blessed to have kids. So cherish and treasure the ones the Lord has blessed you with! Who knows, one of them might become the greatest preacher of all time!!!!

  • Kjtaggart

    My daughter loves to bake.  She’s only four so I let her do things that are age appropriate like adding the ingredients I measure and letting her mix.  Depending on what it is she gets to grease the pan and put it in.  Of course I do the hot stuff.
    She loves to help “build” stuff in the garage with daddy and they often go to the park or playground together during the day whole I’m at work.