Being a working parent, finding ways to spend more time with your kids can sometimes be challenging. However, if you want to create a stable relationship with your children, you must give them the time of the day no matter how occupied or busy you are with your work. You might not be able to take them to the park daily or play with them for hours but there are certain daily activities that you can do with them to create a strong parent-child bond. These daily activities will not only make you feel less guilty as a working parent but will also help your kids’ overall development.
Start the day together
This is one of the easiest daily activities that working parent can do with their kids. Once you are awake, wake up your children with some cuddles, kisses, and happy songs. Your little ones will not only wake up fresh and happy but you will also have a rush of happy hormones in the morning. What a great way to start the day!
Starting the day together early will give you sufficient time to sit and talk with each other, have breakfast and even discuss the day’s schedule in a relaxed manner contrary to the yelling, snapping, and rushing out of the door that everyone tends to do when they wake up late. Also, don’t forget to say positive affirmations to your kids before they head to school. Phrases like, “You are very special and I love you so much,” “ I know you can do it,” “You are doing great,” and so on will boost their morale and confidence.
Read together before bedtime
Reading does wonders for kids. It helps stimulate children’s language skills, imagination, and cognitive development. So, no matter how tired you are after working all day, read some books with your child, even if only for half an hour. You can even read bedtime stories to your little ones.
This way, you are not only spending more time with your child but by asking questions about the story and discussing it, you are interacting with your child and trying to understand them better. Plus, kids see this activity as a bonding time with their parents. Eventually, they start looking forward to these storytelling sessions, with the memories living within them till adulthood.
Go out on a walk as a family
Once you finish your dinner, go out for a walk whenever possible. This daily activity will not only rejuvenate you and your little one but will give you all a much-needed screentime break. So, take a stroll in your nearby park, treat your child to ice cream, or simply talk about your kiddo’s day while walking hand in hand. On days when you are not able to go for a walk, snuggle up with your child in bed, play some board games or memory games, talk to them about their school or something they like. On weekends, you can even watch a movie together while munching on snacks.
Do chores together
Involve your kids in every age-appropriate household chore and give them responsibilities, if possible. Make sure to do this activity daily with your child, as it will give you a chance to spend more time with them. So, be it doing laundry, folding fresh laundry, or even cleaning the room after playtime, ask for their help whenever possible. You can also ask them to help you in the kitchen to cook meals together. This way you all get to spend some family time, all while your child learns a new skill without much effort.
Kids simply want their parents to give them undivided attention, even if it’s for a short time. Make sure when you are with your children, your attention isn’t diverted to a screen. So, put away your gadgets while doing these activities with your kids. These daily activities will surely create a strong bond between you and your kid, despite you being a working parent.
