Do you feel like you should be spending more time with your little ones? If so, you’re not alone, as most parents will feel like they could be doing more sometimes. But try not to be too hard on yourself. Instead, concentrate your energy on nurturing your children and creating memories together.
After all, it’s true that children can work many things out for themselves, and it’s important to foster that sense of independence. But they still need lots of help along the way, and that starts at home.
Below, read why you should spend more time with your children while they’re young, plus practical tips on how to do so.
Benefits of spending lots of time with young children
With work, family and social responsibilities to juggle, modern life might get in the way sometimes. But there are lots of benefits to spending as much time as possible with your children:
- You can build stronger family bonds by sharing your favourite activities and interests.
- You’ll encourage open and frequent communication and help your child feel confident to talk about anything that’s on their mind.
- You could boost their academic performance by helping with schoolwork and reading and talking through any issues they struggle with.
- You’ll build their self-esteem in all areas of life by helping them feel valued and loved at home.
- You’ll help them become better friends to others by leading by example and teaching them important values like sharing and kindness.
How to spend more time with your little ones
Many of us are time poor, but there are lots of ways to give our children the attention they deserve.
From a practical point of view, working from home will allow you to enjoy more family time by skipping the commute. Since 2009, the number of remote workers has increased by 159%, with 16% of all global companies being 100% remote. Popular flexible roles include writing, software development and investing through tactics like CFD trading.
You could also team up on tasks that need doing around the home, like preparing meals or tidying up for example. Throw on some music, give them some responsibility and have fun! On a similar note, take your children along with you for errands outside the home and find ways to tag on something interesting, like woodland walks.
Creating a special bedtime ritual to share together every day is important for forming those bonds too. That might mean reading them a story, for example, brushing your teeth together, or simply tucking them and saying goodnight.
Whatever it is, even spending a few minutes away from your hectic schedule each day can make a positive difference in both of your lives.
Do you plan to start spending more time together?
