10 Ways to Spend Quality Time with Your Kids

He was bored.  It hit me like a ton of bricks one afternoon as I watched my twenty month old totter around the room grumping, throwing his head back as he did. I hadn’t thought about if we had quality time that day, but instead I had done the usual mental checklist: 

Is he hungry?  No, he ate thirty minutes ago.

Does he need a diaper change?  No, I did that right before he ate. 

Did he hurt himself?  No, this is a different kind of cry. 

I sat watching him for a moment, looking around at all of his toys on the floor that he obviously didn’t want to play with anymore.  Putting my phone down, I felt a tinge of guilt, having been looking at social media and expecting him to play independently like he so often did. 

I need to spend time with him, I thought.  But what to do?  I don’t have any extra money for new toys or adventures, but I needed something new for him.  So I did what any mother or father would do next: I got down in the floor with him and began to play. We played blocks together, looked at books, colored, and so much more with the things he already had. I talked to him about the things we were playing with and narrated a lot of what we were doing together. He loved it!

Sometimes I feel like God just drops sweet little nuggets in our minds, fresh ideas that we as parents can use to have meaningful time and conversations with our children.  Our children need quality time with their parents, and it’s amazing how simple this quality time can be. You don’t need a lot of money or toys or gadgets to connect with your children. Just look at what you have and use your imagination!

What is quality time?

I love the definition that the dictionary gives for this: “time devoted exclusively to nurturing a cherished person or activity”. Who could be more deserving or cherished than our children?

Why doesn’t quality time happen?

Parents nowadays can get so busy with so many things, such as work, meetings, social media, and their own personal interests, that they spend more time on those things than with their children. Children of all ages need quality time with their families, and they need good examples in the home. I know through my own experiences, that the more time I spend with my son during the day, the more I see his behaviors change. He’s calmer, he’s not vying for my attention, he seems more content when he does play by himself, and he learns so much quicker.

Now, please don’t misunderstand me. I realize that as stay at home moms, working moms, or a little bit of both, we have responsibilities to spouses, homes, and ourselves. But too often I’ve seen in close family and friends, and myself, that instead of spending time with our children when we have a moment, we pick up or phones or open up the laptops or even turn on the TVs. So let me share some easy, simple ways to squeeze in that invaluable quality time with your kids of all ages and to possibly give you some tips that you can use in the future.

10 Best Ways to Spend Quality Time with Your Kids

Tip 1: Read

As a former kindergarten teacher, this is so important to do, especially at a young age. And I think, just from hearing friends talk, that it can seem overwhelming to have to read a whole story to your baby or toddler, or even school-aged child. But let me reassure you it’s easy! Check out my more detailed post on how to read to your children here. But here’s some quick tips you can do with your kids:

• Newborn-toddler: Choose books with colored and black and white pictures. Point out the objects in the pictures. If the story has a lot of words, make up a shortened version. Touchy-feely books are awesome for this age!
• Toddler-Pre-K: Choose books with flaps, finger trails, or stickers. Have your child point out objects in the pictures or point out letters and numbers. Make up a shortened version if the story is long.
• Pre-K-elementary school: Choose books with rich vocabulary, but also ones where your child can transition into reading his/herself. Practice sight words and letter sounds. Have your child retell the story after you’ve read it a couple of times. Identify the characters, setting, problem, solution, and how we read left to right.

Tip 2: Go Outside

This one can be hard for me, because as much as I love to look at the outdoors and feel the wind and sunshine, I usually prefer to be indoors. But one of the cheapest ways you can spend quality time with your child is to take him/her outside! If you don’t have a big yard, or a yard at all, drive to your local playground or park. Let your child run around while you actively engage with him or her. Take him on a nature walk and let him show you rocks, leaves, dirt, and even bugs! Use your senses to talk about the things around you. God provided us a great big world full of wonders, and more often than not our children love every aspect of it! Even if it’s raining, you can throw on your rainboots and coats, grab your umbrellas and go splash around. Use the rain as an excuse to talk about Noah and the ark and rainbows.

Tip 3: Cook together.

Or bake together. Either way, let your children help you in the kitchen! Even being under two, my son loves to come see what I’m doing in the kitchen. If you’re cooking a lot of hot food, let them help you prep. Only using canned food? Open the cans and let them pour the ingredients into the pot. If you’re apprehensive about making dinner together, then try baking. Your kids can measure and add ingredients, stir or mix them, and help pour the batter into the pan. As a child my favorite thing to do was help pour the batter so I could lick the spoon and bowl! Here’s some great kitchen utensils that are safe for little hands. Cooking and baking also offer some amazing opportunities to let your littles experiment with textures as they mix with their hands. It also lets your older children practice math with fractions, as well as teaches them life skills! Don’t be afraid of messes, because you can always clean up together.

Tip 4: Clean together.

In my experience, children LOVE to clean! I never ran out of helpers when I taught kindergarten when it came to cleaning up the room or lunchroom tables. And I found it interesting that parents would be amazed when I told them how wonderful their children were at helping. My toddler LOVES to help already. He will come grab the broom if I’m sweeping, or he’ll take off with my parent’s wireless vacuum AND turn it on as he runs around with it. He may not know what he’s doing, but he loves doing it and I’m definitely going to foster that. And trust me, I get it when little ones help clean the mess can get bigger. Just remember you’re teaching them life skills that they need. So make it game if your toddler or child hates helping out. Here’s a fun toy set to get them started. Set a timer and see how fast you can clean up together. Practice your basketball skills by tossing toys into a basket. If your child is older, consider a chore chart for the day or week, and once he or she is finished with all of the chores, they get a reward. Make sure it’s a small reward though. Extra play time outside, extra time on their gaming devices, a candy bar, etc. You can also do an extended chore chart where the activities are optional and not required. Every time your child completes one of those optional chores, they earn money for their savings. Then you can start teaching them about saving money and spending money!

Tip 5: Play together.

This one is also easier than you think. Parents don’t have to keep inventing the wheel. Just get in the floor with your child and build blocks together. My toddler loves when I do this! Push your children around in their favorite vehicles, play dolls, grab that ABC toy and talk about the letters. Let your children’s (and your) imagination run wild! Get a ball and roll it, throw it, or play keep away. Got a tool bench or toy kitchen? Role play! Grab some plastic cups and build a tower. Use what you already have and enjoy your children’s company. This one is such a fun and easy way to spend more quality time with your kids, and it really helps build the bond between parent and child. If you have more than one child, play all together or spend a few extra minutes with each child.

Tip 6: Teach a new skill.

Children love to learn, so use that love and nurture a skill they may be interested in. If you are already skilled in the area your child is interested in, that just makes it easier for you! But if not, look up Youtube videos together or take a beginner’s class together. My husband and I used to dream about who our son would take after before he was born. He’d always talk about taking him hunting and fishing and doing outdoorsy things with him. And I’d say, “What if he’s like me and loves to stay indoors and read?” My sweet husband always replied, “Then I’ll buy him books about hunting and fishing.” Amazingly enough, my toddler loves the outdoors and could stay out there forever, but he also loves books! So we might have a good mix of both in him. Either way, we can’t wait to teach or nurture those skills! Your children may be interested in sports, art, crafting, building, mechanics, cooking, cleaning, writing, music and so much more! Don’t be afraid of messes, and spend time with your child to see what he or she is interested in, not what you want him or her to be interested in.

Tip 7: Dance and Sing

As the mama of a toddler (and soon to be baby), nothing thrills my son more like getting up and dancing and singing with him. We turn on his favorite tunes and we get down! Sometimes I’ll be cleaning and singing, and he will join in with me. Then we stop for a dance break. It’s so fun to watch him do the movements to “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” and “If You’re Happy and You Know It”. Trust me, the songs annoy me, too. But my son loves it, so I indulge with him. Turn on your children’s favorites and go to town for 10 minutes! Get really fancy and dress up, then have an indoor or outdoor dance party! Notice your children are bored, or it’s raining? Play some music games where you guess the song by singing the tune, or you copy the moves to the people dancing on the TV. Again, this is another simple way to spend quality time with your children, while also seeing what music interests them.

Tip 8: Game Night

My family never had a game night, and to be honest, we never really played games together. Now, me and my siblings would play, but my parents rarely ever did. My husband, however, grew up playing games with his family but they are all super competitive. I’d like to see something in between as my children grow, where we play for fun each week or every other week. Whether is sitting together doing puzzles, playing board games or Jenga, or playing charades, I’d love to have this quality time with my family! Got little ones? Play games they know, like hide-and-seek or Red Light, Green Light. Get card games or trivia games for older children. Learn a new game together. There’s a couple of games here and here that would be great for little ones! Let your children choose the game. It doesn’t have to be an all-night, multi-hour event. Just take some time out of the evening and play games together. Take 30 minutes while dinner is cooking in the oven or play games after lunch on a Sunday if you have too many activities during the week.

Tip 9: Puppet Show

Don’t underestimate the value and fun of a puppet show! Kids love entertaining themselves and others with them! And the best part is that if you don’t have actual puppets, you can easily grab a few items to make some! Find some toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, popsicle or craft sticks, markers, glue, construction paper, or paper plates. Design your own masks or puppets. Then choose a story! Reenact your child’s favorite nursery rhyme, song, or fairy tale. Use different voices for different characters and get silly with it! Got socks with no partner? Draw a face on the end and use those as puppets! This one is a two-for-one deal, since you get the art activity and the game! If you need puppets, take a look at these that you make or these ready to go!

Tip 10: Eat together

Growing up, I can remember my family eating together a lot at the dining room table. We’d talk about anything and everything, laugh and joke, and have a good time over dinner. We didn’t eat at the table every night, especially as we got into our teenage years, but we did eat together. So make a point to have some good, quality time with your children over meals. Whether those meals are in a restaurant, at home in the dining room, in the living room, or in a picnic outside doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re spending time with your children.

Final Thoughts on Quality Time

Spending time with your kids is an investment into their lives and future. You are helping create memories that they can look back on and cherish. It doesn’t have to be hours on end every single day, but you do need to take an intentional step toward having some time every day spent with your children. If you’re a stay-at-home mom, find a way to stop the busyness and be with your children. If you’re a working mom, whether one or two jobs or three jobs, see if you have any available time in your schedule to invest in your children. Set up a calendar or planner if you have to (check out my Stay at Home Mama Life Planners here!). Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” I hear this usually spoken about spiritual things, but I believe it also can be applied to natural things. Teach your children the ways of the Lord, and also good habits, useful skills, that family time is important, and so on, and when they are older, they will see the value of it.

I’d love to hear from you! Scroll down to leave me a comment about ways you’ve found to spend quality time with your kids or your kids’ favorite time with you!