Many hardworking parents feel guilty for not spending enough time with their children. You leave early and come home late after work, trying to give your children the life they deserve. However, you cannot ignore their need for affection and attention. Your financial situation may not allow you to work for fewer hours per week, and you may not have much time to spend with your kids, but you can make every moment count. The secret is to be fully engaged in their activities whenever you have a chance to spend time with them. Here are some creative ways to strengthen your bond with your kids.
1. Allow Them to Choose Activities
Allowing your kids to decide the fun activities you do as a family makes them feel important and appreciated. Choose one day in the week when you spend time doing what they love. If you have more than one kid, give them an equal chance to pick an activity. You may not spend the whole day at an attraction, but spending one or two hours doing their favorite activities will strengthen the bond.
2. Take a Family Road Trip
Nothing brings a family together like a road trip. The experiences and activities shared will keep everyone talking for weeks. You can drive to your favorite holiday destination or a new destination. You get to spend quality time on the road and in your destination. If your kids have a favorite spot away from your hometown, take trips to that spot as often as you can.
3. Bond Over Art and Craft
If you want to create a strong bond with your kids, you must be willing to spend time on the floor with them. Getting crafty with your kids gives them an opportunity to explore and grow their creativity. You may have a mess to clean after, but it will all be worth it. Alternatively, make use of technology to build their creativity. For instance, you can make a collage together with a picture collage maker. You can use family pictures with special memories to create the collage, and then hang it on your wall.
4. Read Books Together
You have probably bought many children’s books but never read them to your children. You do not need much time to read a book with your children. You can pick one of their storybooks spontaneously and tell the story. Bedtime stories still work for children. Allocate ten to fifteen minutes before bed to read just one story. They will always look forward to bedtime stories. If you always come home after bedtime, schedule reading on your days off or weekends.
5. Try a Massage
Massages work best for toddlers. If you leave your child with a nanny as you go to work, practice giving him or her a massage every evening. Massaging the full body after a shower or just their feet and hands before bed will create a great bond. A gentle massage communicates love and affection.
Conclusion
You can create a strong bond with kids even with a busy work schedule if you know how to maximize each moment. Make each day different for them by introducing a new fun activity. It can be just ten minutes of storytelling or playing their favorite game together. Eliminate any distractions like phone calls or house chores during playtime. Pay full attention and allow your kids to lead the way at times. Your bond will grow stronger as you take simple but consistent steps to spend more quality time with them.
