Do I have to set a “Date” to have quality time with my toddler?
Date :
Wednesday, December 16 2009
Source:
Autourina Mains
It seems that life is getting busier every day and many families are pressed for time. Both parents working to provide for their families can be stressful. Many parents are returning to school in hopes of securing better employment and juggling work, family and education is not an easy task. Add the guilt of “spending quality time” with your family to the existing stresses of parents and it can be overwhelming. However if you view “spending quality time” with your family differently, you’ll see that any time spent with your family is truly quality time.
Toddlers need a lot of attention and they are not afraid to demand it. They will get the attention they need in either a positive way or a negative way, so why not give them what they want and make it a positive experience. You don’t have to pencil your toddler in for a date in order to spend quality time with him. Many parents with small children lack the funds to do “special” things with their children, but including your child in everyday tasks is just as fun for the child as it can be for you. You can plan simple fun, free or inexpensive weekly activities to help you spend quality time with your toddler. It might even help you relax and unwind after a long, hard day’s work. Here are some simple ways to spend quality time with your toddler:
- Include your child in your daily household work, even though it may take you a bit longer to accomplish the task. For instance let your child help with laundry, hand the toddler wet laundry as you take it out of the washer for him to put in the dryer. Let your toddler help you wash dishes because washing dishes is actually therapeutic. Playing with warm water is relaxing (a prime reason for having a sensory table in preschool rooms). Your toddler can help you with the dishes, by setting him on the counter with you and let his clean feet dangle in the soapy dish water. She/he can help you dust, set the table, fold laundry, get bath ready, prepare meals, etc.
- Set aside ½ hour each night or in the mornings to play with your child. Children learn through play and you can play simple games like: puzzles, give horsey ride, hide and go seek. When my oldest was 2 years old we were playing hide and go seek. I was in the kitchen preparing lunch and counting to 10 as she hid herself. When I began searching for her in the living room, there she was sitting in the middle of the room with a pillow over her headJ . To her that was hiding which was very appropriate for her age.
- Let them help you check your mail and pay bills. I used to have a folder for my little ones and as I opened up my bills, they got the envelopes to keep in their “impotant papes”. They had a pencil, paper and crayons and scribbled as I paid my bills.
- Set aside a picnic night. Living in Wyoming we have 9 month of winter so we had picnics inside quite often. I had a vinyl table cloth we spread on the living room floor, used paper products and had sandwiches and chips for dinner. The kids helped set up and we had very easy clean up.
- Movie night is always fun, but when I could not afford to take the family to the movies, we went to the library and checked out movies for free. I turned down the lights or put in blue light bulbs in the lamps, popped popcorn and had juice as a treat.
Take these few simple steps to build a life time of memories with your children. They will help you relax from your busy life and your children will remember the time you spent with them. My children still talk about our movie nights, our picnics, our library visits, and how they have learned to be clean and tidy by helping me around the house. Children are never too young to help, it is up to the adults to be patient and allow them time to complete tasks.