Your family is busy.
Sometimes, you get to the end of the day and you realize you really haven’t even LOOKED at your kids. You’ve just shuffled them from breakfast, to the bus, to homework, to bed.
And then, the guilt sets in. You know connection is important, but it’s hard to fit it all in!
Making meaningful connections with your kids throughout the day doesn’t have to be time-consuming.
Look for ways to make mini-connections with your kids throughout the day. While driving home from school, standing in line at the grocery store, or when they are just hanging around the kitchen waiting for dinner to be ready.
Mini-connections are simple. They don’t require a lot of extra materials. And usually take zero prep.
Here are some ideas to get you started…
50 Simple Ways to Connect With Your Kids
- Smile
- Laugh
- Hug
- High Five
- Snuggle
- Wrestle
- Ask about their favorite (music, food, time of day…anything!)
- Play a board game
- Play a card game
- Make up your own game
- Sing a song
- Make up a song
- Have a dance party
- Be quiet together
- Color
- Read a book
- Tell a true story
- Make up a story
- Talk about when they were little
- Look at family pictures or baby pictures
- Write in a journal together
- Do a craft project
- Bake
- Cook
- Tell a joke
- Be silly
- Get down to their eye level
- Look them in the eye
- Share a snack
- Ask more questions
- Write a note
- Talk less
- Make paper airplanes
- Play Simon Says
- Play Tag
- Play Hide and Seek
- Give backrubs
- Paint nails
- Brush hair
- Take a walk
- Do yoga
- Watch a sunrise or sunset
- Make a fort
- Give them your full attention
- Be curious
- Join in their play
- Ask them to play with you
- Offer help with a complicated/unpleasant task
- Listen
- Say, “I am so thankful that you are in our family!”
It’s good to have a variety of ideas to try, but don’t be put-off by this list. Make it work for you (or make a list with your kids!)
If your kids are older, you probably won’t be playing Simon Says, but you could definitely listen or write a note. Maybe there’s no way you would do a craft project, but you wouldn’t mind looking through old picture albums together.
Let’s face it. Life is busy. And your kids need to feel connected to you.
When you start to focus on “mini-connections” throughout the day, you may find that you can do both!
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