Family bonding time is essential to regain all those energies that were lost from work or school. Therefore, it is necessary to make sure that everyone, primarily the kids, is fully engaged and open to a more emotional connection. That same goes for the parents.
However, it is quite a challenge to keep the kids’ attention without turning into gadgets as a saving grace these days.
Research shows that technology increases anxiety effects on both children and adults. That said, make use of these ten ways to bond with your children without any technology or devices at all.
1. Read a Good Book Together
Make use of your child’s innocence and explore a new book together. You can either read it aloud to them or make them read it for you if they are old enough.
Explain the new words that are unfamiliar at their age and ask for their opinion about the story.
Ask relevant questions such as, what is the moral of the story? Or what they would do if faced with the same scenario?
They may be young, but their innocence is what makes them unique and entertaining.
2. Turn Bath Time into Spa Time
Get some scented candles or essential oil and turn your bath time into spa time. Blow-dry your daughter’s hair and get some facial masks too.
After the bath session, you could also book nail services at home so you don’t need to go out and just spend the rest of the days indoors while watching a Disney film on Netflix.
3. Toss Out Open-Ended Questions
Spend some time after work and school and talk about what happened throughout the day. Or maybe use that to also plan for what you are going to do at the weekend coming.
Eat dinner together while you do that, or perhaps if you arrived a little bit later than dinner time, then have ice cream together instead.
Tossing out open-ended questions trains your kids to think more critically. It encourages curiosity, creativity, and reasoning skills.
4. Let Your Children Help You
Look at your children as someone who can help you. Make them feel more visible and engaged.
Cook pancakes together or let them bring one of the brown bags when doing groceries. And when doing groceries, ask for their opinion about what to have for dinner the whole week.
Wash the dishes together. Clean the house together or let them put their toys away after playing before your cleaning services in NYC provider comes in to clean your unit. It will give them a sense of responsibility by doing so.
5. Let Her Give You a New Hairdo
No matter how crazy this may sound, think about what sense of fulfillment this would give your child.
Maybe plan it during the weekend, so you don’t have to go to work in case it won’t turn out how it’s supposed to be. And, keep all your scissors away from the kids.
6. Play Pencil-and-Paper Games
Go back to the basics and make use of what you have at home, surely that would include papers and pencils.
Choose a letter and list all the things that you can find at home that start with the chosen letter. List as many as you can, and whoever wins gets their favorite chocolate.
Other games to choose from would be building words, sprouts, or dots and squares.
7. Play Hide and Seek
Hide and seek can also be played indoors. Think about the kitchen cupboards, the closet, under the bed, and even the balcony. Make use of it. After all, it’s still part of the house anyway.
If your kids are older, take the game a notch higher by playing in the dark. Just make sure to put all the furniture on the side to avoid stumbling upon them.
8. Take a Walk Together
Get out and breathe some fresh air as you explore the neighborhood together. Take it slow and just follow your kid’s pace.
Talk about their favorite cartoon show or if they found out a new toy at the market scene and encourage them to research it more in the next coming days.
Test their curiosity and engage their interests.
9. Teach Your Kids About Faith or Spirituality
Do not be afraid to talk about your faith and what you believe. Let them ask questions and be ready with knowledgeable answers too. Encourage them also to find the same belief from within and reinforce it.
They say that faith is just as important as the air we breathe. Faith nourishes the heart and soul so let your child experience it through you.
10. Develop and Maintain Bedtime Rituals
Create a night routine and make sure to maintain it no matter where you are. Yes, even when you’re apart.
Say by eight PM, you have to brush your teeth, wash face, and change into PJs. Then by nine, both of you should be in bed, have a new storybook to read every night, drink milk together before bed, or just talk about random stuff.
Make it a point that you maintain it because it is nice to have something to look forward to every night.
Over to You
Staying at home does not have to be boring and bland. Spice it up and make the most of it. Remember that your kids will not be kids forever. It is essential to be in the now and present in your kids’ life as much as you can.
