Let us all admit that ‘Life is busy!’. As a caring mom, you feel that you are no less than a juggler. One moment you are handling the tasks of parenting, another moment it is your work that needs your undivided attention, and in another moment there are other responsibilities on your shoulders that cannot be ignored too. With so much on your plate, there is a possibility that you may find it difficult to spend quality time with your children. After all, there is no denying the fact that the special bonding time of children with parents creates wonders in the lives of both parents and their kids.
Quality Over Quantity When It Comes to Kids' Activities With Parents
With the help of a study shown in the Journal of Marriage and Family, it has been reinforced that ‘the quality of time is as much important as the quantity of time’. Moreover, the time that is spent by parents with kids is positively correlated to the kids’ emotional well-being, academic achievements, and behavioral growth. We strongly believe that children, especially in their early years, immensely benefit from the high-quality time that they get to spend with their parents. It can be in the form of reading time together, a zoo visit on a sunny weekend, a picnic on the lawn, or engaging in some creative activities at home for your dear one’s cognitive development.
What Are the Benefits of the Time Spent by Parents With Their Kids
The time spent between parents and kids is extremely important for each other’s growth. Here are some of the benefits of the same.
1- Improvement of Mental Health
When we see children talking with parents, this face-to-face communication instead of digital interaction helps in significantly reducing the possibility of depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses. It is because being in proximity with our loved ones helps in creating strong emotional support in challenging situations of life.
2- Helps children in academic performance
When you spend time with your little one, you are planting the seeds of curiosity and confidence. Moreover, when you chat about their day or explore new ideas together, you are showing them that they are important to you. Additionally, helping them with tiny tasks like figuring out a puzzle or learning new words is like giving them little tools to build their path. Therefore, every moment you spend together becomes a building block for their future, and your love is the glue that holds it all together.
3- Builds Self-Confidence
When you spend time with your family, it’s like making a warm and happy nest where everyone feels safe. Your little one learns to solve problems and talk about their feelings by watching and playing with you. Furthermore, when you show them how to be kind to themselves and others, you are helping them grow strong, just like a flower in the sun. As a result, your toddler would feel loved and special, and that would make them happy and confident.
4- Enhances the Physical Health
Spending time with your little one is like giving both of you a big boost of health and happiness! When you eat meals together, like a yummy homemade lunch, you are filling their tiny tummy with love and good food that helps them grow strong. Playing outside like running around, playing in the garden, etc, keeps your toddler’s energy flowing and their body healthy.
Tips to Strengthen the Relationship of Children With Parents
Making your relationship with your child stronger than ever is super-duper easy now! Here are some tips to help you enrich your bonding with your darling kid:
- Express love to your childOftentimes we feel that our care and concern is anyway showing our love, then what is the need for a proper verbal expression of love to our kids. But it is really important to express love to our kids every day. Telling them that we love them and how special they are in our lives will be remembered by them for years to come and would also give them loads of confidence and strength.
- Surprise your child with small gestures
Whether it is dropping a smiley sticker in your child’s lunchbox, or giving them badges of appreciation and affirmations such as ‘Best Artist’ or ‘I am a happy person’, and likewise; each and every gesture will make your child feel valued and loved. - Eat meals with your childEven if you have a very busy schedule, always take out time for at least one meal a day with your little one. If you have time constraints then you can even grab some fruit and enjoy that with your kid over some hearty chats.
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- Plan your kid’s favorite activity
You can schedule a time for engaging with your kid in their favorite activity. Remember to plan the rest of the day in such a way so that there are no distractions while you spend quality time with your dearest child. - Create daily rituals
Create a special ritual for each day such as reading picture books at night time together, watching an inspiring animated film every weekend, going for a walk in the park every evening, doing fireless cooking every Sunday, and so on. These activities will help you get closer to your kid. - Catch moments where you can play with your kidIn the midst of a busy day, ensure to have moments of laughter, playfulness, and goofiness with your child. Your child will remember all these precious moments for years to come and will impact their lives in a positive way.
- Have a break from technology
To spend quality time with your kid, it is essential that you take a break from the clutches of technology. Try not to stroll through your mobile phone, watch television, or answer calls when you are with your child.
Meaningful connections with your child are built over the quality of time, not the quantity of time. Therefore, mold your lifestyle and day-to-day tasks in such a manner that you are able to devote complete attention to your child. Always remember that each and every moment of togetherness has a lasting impact on your kid’s life.
What Age Should Kids Stop Sleeping With Parents
In most of the cases, it depends on the preferences of the family and the cultural norms that they believe. However, it has been established that kids should stop sleeping with their parents when they turn 11 to 12 years old, which is the age of prepuberty.
Make Spending Quality Time With Family Your Topmost Priority - How ‘Mom & I’ Can Help
With all the amazing benefits of spending quality time and building positive relationships between parents and kids, you can see why family time is important. Furthermore, it is also a significant part of your child’s mental well-being, emotional stability, cognitive development, and physical growth. In addition, mother-toddler programs like Mom & I, from Mother’s Pride, Punjabi Bagh, help in deepening the bond of mother. With activities in the curriculum like pottery, yoga, fireless cooking, pretend play, arts and crafts, and many more, you get to spend more time with your lovely toddlers. Thus adding to the depth of the bond between you two.
Frequently Asked Questions
Spending quality time with children is important to create a positive impact in the lives of children. Some of the benefits include enhancement of physical health, reduction in stress levels, self-confidence in kids, and many more.
Quality time implies that parents give undivided attention to their kids, irrespective of the quantity of time. This can be done by simple activities such as reading books together, playing in the park, actively interacting with the child, and so on.
Quality time is important as it helps improve the health inside-out of both parents and their children. Whether the children are at any age, toddlers, preschoolers, young adults, or grown-ups, spending quality time with their parents will give them wisdom and strength.
It is recommended that the sooner the parents start training their children to sleep alone, even if it is in the same room as theirs, the better it will be. Thus, the age group of 1-3 years is the best to make children sleep in their crib.
When parents talk to their children, it makes them feel important, valued, and respected. Moreover, the children learn to have a conversation, by understanding when to answer, when to wait for their turn, and when to put across a question or a point.