Every parent wants to bond with their children, and there’s no better way to do this than to spend some quality time with them. These bonding activities don’t have to be grand or complex. Here are some of our ideas on how you can spend your bonding time with your children:
Cooking with Your Kids
Involving your kids in making a family meal is an opportunity to both bond and pass on some valuable life skills. You can set some easy tasks for your children to do, according to their age. For instance, younger children can help you decorate pancakes or muffins with chocolate chips, jam, cut fruits and the like.
Cooking together will also be a good opportunity to pass on some family recipes, especially if your children are older and can handle the stove or oven.
Going Grocery Shopping Together
Bringing your children grocery shopping is one thing, but involving them in the purchasing process is another. The next time you bring your kids on your weekly grocery run, get them involved as much as possible.
For example, you can send them to find certain items, teach them the different names of fruits and vegetables, or involve them in the decision-making process of what to buy. This way, you’ll make them feel valued and part of the family.
Have a Movie Night
Let your kids choose a family-friendly movie or two and sit everyone down together to enjoy the show. You can even have a series marathon. Let your children choose which healthy snacks to enjoy as well.
Enjoying a movie together will also give you all something to discuss together later on. If you have many kids, you can prepare several movie options and have a vote.
Organise an Arts and Craft Session
You can sit your children down and have a family craft session together. There are many ideas you can adopt. For instance, you can have a recycling theme where you can repurpose waste items around the house into usable items. For this project, old milk cartons and toilet rolls come in handy.
If the festive season is approaching, you can also spend time with your kids making decorative pieces or greeting cards together.
Bedtime Stories
Bedtime stories offer more than just a way for you to put your children to bed. It can also be a time when you pass on important lessons and moral values to your children.
Apart from orally retelling stories from your own childhood, you can also consider reading a book together. Bedtime stories expose children to a host of moral values. It also allows you to pass down lessons from your own life. Through bedtime stories, your children can understand your thoughts and values better.
Play Some Board Games
Board games may sound a tad bit boring compared to video games. However, the board game culture has enjoyed a resurgence this last decade, with many new titles being produced. As a parent, you can explore the different board game cafes, or find out about family-friendly board games online.
These days, board games offer a lot more fun and complexity compared to snakes and ladders or checkers. You can have board games that focus on various quests, stories and cooperation. Board games are a fun way to bond with your child while training their critical thinking skills.
Family Karaoke Sessions
You’ll be surprised at how singing together with your kids can help you bond and feel closer. These days, there are many family-friendly karaoke establishments. They offer many features like children’s songs, bright lights, being alcohol free and buffet meal packages so that your family feels more comfortable.
These days, karaoke establishments have lost their sleazy reputation and many families go regularly. Alternatively, you can set up a karaoke session at home. Just make sure it isn’t overly loud so you don’t disturb the neighbours.
Bring Your Children Swimming
Playing in the water is always a fun way to connect with your children. If you live in an apartment, chances are that your apartment will have a pool. Otherwise, you can always see where the nearest public pools are, or consider a membership with a sports club that has a pool.
Always supervise your children when they’re playing or swimming. It’s always a good idea to go down into the water with them. Toddlers should confine their activities to the splash pool or kids pool which isn’t too deep.
Bring Them Out on Bikes
This is one bonding activity which you can carry out several times a week. Let your children hop on their bicycles, scooters, skateboards or the like and let them have a spin around the neighbourhood. The best way to bond with them is to get on a bike ( or any other wheels) yourself and follow them.
This is a perfect opportunity to keep your family fit and healthy, while spending time together. Your children will also grow up feeling loved and being more confident knowing that you are willing to spend time with them on a daily basis, even when you’re tired after work.
Outings to Museums or Galleries
Visits to cultural attractions don’t have to be limited to vacations or trips. You can always bring them to local attractions that have historical or cultural value. This bonding sessions will allow your children to learn about their self identity and heritage too.
It will also be beneficial for your young children’s cognitive development if they’re exposed to different forms of knowledge and art at an early age. Many of these attractions also offer school holidays and family-centric activities like guided tours, arts and craft sessions, overnight camps and more. You can take advantage of these activities as a bonding opportunity too.
Spending Time to Bond With Your Children
There’s no substitute to spending time with children when you want to bond with them. To clarify, you don’t have to invest much in the activities while you’re with your children, as simple activities will do. Even just running around and throwing a ball in your front lawn or a nearby playground is more than enough. In the end, your children will treasure these core memories, and it will form the basis for healthy self esteem and self-confidence.
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