If you are mom, like me, you know what mom guilt feels like. Phrases like distracted parenting, working moms, do nothing to ease the guilt. We try to nudge in as much time in your schedules for our kids. And if you are that mom, you know how stressful that can be.
Here’s some good news for you.
Kids don’t need you with them all the time. Quality trumps quantity any day. You don’t have to be there all the time, watching Peppa Pig for the umpteenth time.
Studies suggested that the time parents are giving to their children is on an all-time high. In 1965, the average mother spent 10.5 hours a week with her child, which increased to 13.7 hours in 2010. The same increase has been observed in the father’s time which rose from 2.6 hours to 7.2 hours in the same time period.
Give yourself a break. Take a deep breath and repeat after me, ‘I don’t have to do it all’. I know that’s hard. The mom guilt often takes over.
And then there are times when you are clueless about what exactly what things to do with kids. It’s difficult to last even one whole hour of playing Hide and Seek.
10 Things To Do With Kids Every Day For Happier, Healthier Kids
Add value to your parenting time with these 10 things to do with kids every day:
1. Show Physical Affection
Family Therapist, Virginia Satir claims that ‘We need four hugs a day for survival. We need eight hugs a day for maintenance. We need twelve hugs a day for growth.”
How many hugs are you giving your child?
Get up and give him a hug right now.
Ideally, you should be hugging your child twelve times a day. Three times are very crucial: when your kid wakes up when he comes home from school and right before he goes to sleep. Shower as much physical affection during these times as you can.
Of all, the things to do with kids, this is perhaps the most crucial when it comes to your child’s emotional development.
Physical affection also doesn’t only have to be limited to hugging. There are so many ways a parent can show physical affection to their child. It can be as simple as touching their hair.
2. Play with them
This might be hard, after all the cleaning, washing, cooking and more.
Irish child psychologist, Dr Cliona Carey believes that parents should spend at least 10 minutes each day, playing with their kids. That playing time is beneficial for both parent and the child.
For the parent, it helps to de-stress. Stop thinking about the clothes in the washer.
The kids can learn from their best role models. They learn language skills, communication, and fine motor skills.
3. Watch an inspirational video
I see so many parents complaining about the crap their kids watch nowadays. YouTube toy review videos are getting millions, even billions, of views. This habit isn’t very difficult to break.
Have noticed that your kids copy your excitement?
If you are excited about something, they catch the same vibes. Use this to motivate them towards inspirational and educational videos. Ted Talks has some very captivating videos for parents and kids to watch together.
To make the most of this time, talk to your child. Share your views. Encourage them to express their own opinions. Start a dialogue. Get them thinking.
4. Turn off the Wi-Fi for an hour
Or more. I suggest starting with an hour.
Dedicate a no Wi-Fi family hour in your home. Plan it around dinner time. A time when all the family is at home. Simply turn off the switch and ban the screen altogether.
Talk to each other. Share your day’s adventures. Play board games. Laugh together. You can even make it a challenge. Whoever looks at the screen first has to wash all the dishes.
5. Read a Book Together
Reading not only improves your child’s academic performance, but it also improves their language skills, brain development, imagination, and emotional capabilities.
Make a habit of reading a book together every day. Reading at bedtime is the best time to read with your kids. It calms down your kid, gets them to stop running around and sit down with you.
Choose a book appropriate for your child’s age. For younger kids, choose books with lots of pictures to hold their attention.
6. Go Outside
With so many entertainment options at home, it isn’t very surprising that our kids don’t even want to go outside.
Kids between the ages of 1-5 years need at least 180 minutes of physical activity. Going outside gets them to be physical. Let them run. Take a walk around the block. Ditch the car, if you can. Get bicycles. Swap your toys. Instead of a play station, give them a skateboard
7. Eat Healthily
Almost every other mother I talk to complains about her child being a picky eater.
‘He won’t even touch fruits’.
‘He hates the smell of milk’
But in all this, we fail to raise the question of the eating habits of the average American adult. 90 percent of the Americans aren’t eating enough fruits and vegetables.
Tell me, can we even blame the kids?
8. Express Gratitude
Stop complaining. Start appreciating. Research suggests that expressing gratitude makes you happier. We take a lot of our blessings for granted. By expressing gratitude, we get an extra pair of content eyes.
Every day, appreciate the good things in your life. Appreciate the good food, the weather, the new dress. Express gratitude for at least three things each day. Ask your child, ‘What are they happy about?’
9. Give to Charity
When talking about things to do with kids, I think charity is perhaps very important. By the word charity, I mean the act of giving. Every day, give something to others. It could be as simple as a smile, or as big as donating their loved toys to a kid’s foundation. But do it every day.
Giving to charity changes your child’s perspective. As children, our tiny human beings are mostly used to receiving. The concept of sharing is a little hard for them to adopt.
By giving to charity together as a family, you will set a great example for them.
10. Forgive each other
There will always be times when one of you does something wrong. Often the things we say or do often consciously or unconsciously hurt our loved ones. It’s a cycle of every relationship. But we shouldn’t let those mistakes define our love and relationship with each other. There are so many times when our kids get on our nerves. At times, we even shout at them.
Learn to forgive each other. Say sorry frequently. Lower the bars for your family. Learn to forgive yourself too.
If these 10 things to do with kids got you excited, we have more helpful information coming up. Be sure to like our Facebook Page to stay updated on all that’s happening with us.
