5 Tips for Spending Quality Time with Each Child

I don’t know about you, but one of the toughest challenges of parenting for me is making sure I’m spending quality time with each child. As a mom of three, this can be tough to do – especially when you throw after-school activities, sports, playdates and, well, life into the mix. 

But here’s the thing: while I used to think quality time meant an extensive and well-thought out date outside the house doing something fun or adventurous, now I realize that what my kids (and I) really crave is simply uninterrupted time together. In fact, research has shown that it’s not the amount of time spent with your children, but rather the quality of that time that counts. 

So, if like my family you have lots of people in your home (read: a higher kid vs. parent ratio) and a busy family schedule, you can still enjoy quality time with each of your children on the daily and weekly. Here are some of our favorite tips and tricks for making sure each child gets quality time and attention:

• 10 minutes a day. This is all about quality over quantity. If your evening or weekend is busy and your family doesn’t have much time for play, simply set aside 10 minutes for each child. Believe me, 10 minutes of your attention goes a long way in building trust and maintaining strong connections. 
• Join in their favorite activity. Rather than you always suggesting something to do together, join your child in doing something they love. One of my children enjoys art so we often color together. Another loves games, and usually suggests we play a board or card game together. My oldest enjoys special hang-out time before bed. We lay together and read, play games, or do nighttime yoga. 
• Schedule regular dates. Instead of winging it each week, try scheduling your “date” with each child in advance. You might even put it in your calendar as a recurring weekly event. Maybe one child always has their date on Mondays after school, while another always has theirs on Wednesday mornings? This way, you and your kids always know when your time together is occurring and can look forward to it all week long. 
• Morning or bedtime routine. The morning or bedtime routine can be an amazing time to connect with your kids. Each night before bed, I like to spend 1:1 time with each child – reading a book, coloring, talking about the day, or playing games. My husband does the same and we rotate through so all our kids get time with us. If bedtime doesn’t work, perhaps the morning routine is a good place to sneak in some quality time – brushing teeth together, singing a song while getting dressed, having a silly dance party in the kitchen before breakfast.  Get creative and have fun! 
• Cook a meal. Allow each child to pick (or at least weigh in) on a dinner idea each week, then prepare and cook that meal together! A great way to get your child comfortable in the kitchen, and enjoy some bonding time together creating a family meal. 

Of course 1:1 time can absolutely mean getting out of the house with your child – going to the park, a movie, an amusement park, and so on – but it can also be sprinkled in throughout the week in simple, yet very meaningful ways. 

I hope you found inspiration here for some fun and easy ways to spend quality time with each of your children – even if, like me, your schedules have you running in different directions many days of the week! If you try any, let me know how it goes, and please share your ideas in the comments below! 

Cheers!