Harley A. Rotbart M.D., from Parents Magazine, writes, “Every day brings new growth, new milestones, and new wonderment, but the challenges of juggling our adult lives often prevent us from fully appreciating the delicate nuances of childhood.”
Rotbart recommends these ideas to optimize the time you spend with your kids:
- Practice parenting meditation: When you’re feeling overwhelmed, it’s easy to switch into auto pilot with your kids. To try to stay in the moment with your kids, focus on really seeing them, hearing them, understanding them, and really take a minute to be amazed by the little one you’ve created.
- Take pajama walks: The hour before bedtime can be chaotic, especially with young children. To help them calm down, weather permitting, take a walk in your pajamas! Not only will it give your kids time to decompress, it will also give you time alone with them that might otherwise be spent in front of the TV.
- Don’t drive everywhere: If you’re able, try to go to the park, or a friend’s house by foot. Walking with your kids is a great way to get exercise, and spend some quality time together.
- Have a special treat day: Create traditions like having ice-cream sundaes after dinner on Friday nights, or a movie night once per week where you have popcorn.
The key to all of these tips is to focus on turning every minute you spend with your children during a busy day into a memorable moment, rather than worrying about how much time you can spend each day with them.
At Little Angels, we spend a lot of time promoting friendship, creativity, imagination, and exploring nature. At our preschool in Ann Arbor, we know that every minute your child is learning and growing is important! To learn more about our teaching approach and curriculum, schedule a tour of our facility! Visit our website to learn more.
