5 Ways To Spend Quality Time With Your Kids Starting Now

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You can easily spend quality time with your kids starting right now. Your children are growing up and it’s not too late to focus on spending quality family time with them.

When did your kid grow up? When did mine!?

I often look at my daughter and think of her little toddler self and how she would reach upward for hugs all the time. I also remember one of my sons, who couldn’t go to sleep unless I was holding his hand. He felt so secure and peaceful in knowing I was there for him.

As my children grow older, I find myself more and more wondering and asking, “When did you grow up? Where was I?”

And I know the answer to the “where” (cooking, cleaning, changing diapers, working, and basically doing everything to create a secure and nurturing environment for my child).

It’s the “when” that always bothers me. When did they grow up and how can you and I spend quality time with our kids in the business of life?

Through all of the chaos that I call our loving home, there are certain activities my family and I take time to do together.

They won’t take a lot of time out of your already busy day, but I know they’re going to help you spend quality time with your kids as you grow and strengthen your family relationship.

They have for me and my family.

If you want to learn more about your kids and connect with your children, then you’ll love these questions for kids.

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5 Ways To Spend Quality Time With Your Kids Starting Now

Start A Daily “Us” Tradition

If you really sit down and write all of the time you have with your child, you can easily become discouraged to know that the older they get, the less time you have with them.

When my daughter started school, it took me a long time to wrap my mind around the fact that I’m going from all day with her to only a couple of hours.

I felt like I was sending her off to a 9-5 job at the age of 5!

And truthfully, this made my “Momma heart” sad. I miss her when her bright smile isn’t home, just like you find yourself missing your children when you’re not with them.

One of the ways my family and I connect together, even in the chaos of the day-to-day, is our “us” tradition.

For our family, we make having family dinner a priority where we sit and reconnect with one another. We ask each other questions that connect us to each other, such as, “What was your favorite part of the day,” “What was one thing you enjoyed doing with your friends today,” and “What’s something you learned today that you’ll remember tomorrow?”

A few more “us” ideas you can start with your child include:

• Picking up/dropping off from school and activities so you can talk together.
• Have a weekly date night.
• If your child has a cell phone, send silly emoji and text messages with words of affirmation. You can never spend too much time telling your child how much you love them.

Do Something That Is Special For You And Your Child

When my children were all really young we threw them all in the bath and scrubbed them clean. They had a blast splashing in the water and splashing each other.

As my daughter became a little older, my husband and I knew the time was coming for her to have her own separate bathtime from the boys.

So, when the boys were taking their baths, my husband and daughter would have a daddy-daughter date time. And he graciously played Princess Uno with her.

He realized that the time with our daughter was never about playing a game, but spending time investing in her and their relationship together.

Learn (And Do) Something Your Child Loves

When you and your child have similar interests it’s always easy to include each other and share one another’s enthusiasm for the topic.

But what if you and your child are on completely different ends of the spectrum. Then what?

When it comes to parenting, I don’t want you to give up hope. Instead, I want you to focus on what you can do rather than on what you can’t do.

How does your kid love to spend their time? Or, do they have an interest in something that is not easily accessible to them?

One idea you can do to spend quality time with your kid is taking a class together.

Focus On Quality Rather Than Quantity

If you’re starting to feel like you and your child are more like roommates, then it’s time to step back and reflect on how you’re spending your time with your child.

You need to be honest in asking and answering these questions:

• Are you eager and excited to greet your child when you see them and find out about their day?
• Do you want to mentor and guide them through the chaos in their life? Or do you find yourself diverting away from giving advice?
• How are you manifesting to your child that they are a priority in your life by your interactions with them?

I know life is busy for you and your family. I also know that no success outside of your home will ever compensate you for the failure you’ll find inside the walls of your home.

When you’re with your family, especially your children, you need to focus on how you can give them the best quality time you have available.

You can do this by wrapping your arms around them and reminding them of your love, ask them specific questions about their day, and make mental notes to remember the specifics in their life, such as important dates, friends names, and any other information they share with you.

Be Present For The Little Things So They’ll Come To You With The “Big Things”

When your children are young it’s easy to brush things to the side because a child doesn’t “realize how important this adult stuff is,” but in all honesty, the life experiences they’re going through is important to them.

If we don’t reach out and be present when we are with them for the little things in their lives, then how can we expect them to come to us with the big things.

I’m not saying that you have to spend every waking hour with your child to let them know you’re there for them. That would be absurd.

What I am saying is that when you’re with your family, be present. Turn off your tablets, get off your phones, and look up at them and listen.

Your children are growing up and no amount of wishing, begging, or pleading is going to stop this from happening.

There are still times I find myself looking at my daughter, remembering the first time I saw her in the hospital room. I find myself thinking, “Where did all the time go? How did she grow up so fast?”

As you focus on spending quality time with your kids and be present in their lives, you’ll begin to build a lasting relationship with them that will carry over into their adult years.

Remember, what you’re doing today is going to be the memories of tomorrow in your child’s life. Simply start.

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