We all want ways to spend quality time with our children. But sometimes the usual routines need some shaking up! Read on to find five helpful ways to reconnect with your whole family.
1. Move your bodies
For both mental and physical health, almost nothing beats moving our bodies. Exercise is a powerful tool: it improves mood, decreases tension, and helps you sleep better. (Just don’t do especially active exercise right before bedtime or nap time, since it can take a little while to wind down.)
Everyone’s abilities and access to the right kind of space will look a little different. Ride bikes together, hike a trail while wearing your baby in a carrier, or have a living room dance party. Maybe you do some physical therapy beside your kiddos while they try some YouTube yoga, or your whole family works in some gentle stretches before bedtime. Whatever feels right for your family.
2. Find a mellow or focused activity you can do together
Build block towers, start a challenging puzzle, paint (or color, or do whatever else is crafty and calm based on your kiddo’s age), turn the lights low and make shadow puppets, read together, take turns making up stories, take a nature walk or a neighborhood stroll and do a visual scavenger hunt, talk about your favorite part of the day — whatever feels like the right pace for you and your little one.
3. Meditate and breathe together
Find some quiet time for a different sort of focus. There are a lot of free meditation apps and guided meditations online — plenty that are kid-friendly and fairly short — if you want to try meditating as a family. You can also teach your little one to breathe deeply, a calming strategy that they can then use later on their own when they’re feeling upset, frustrated, or mad. Here are three easy exercises to do together that teach kids how to find calm through breathing:
- Lay on your backs with a favorite stuffed animal on each of your tummies (they’ll have to let you borrow one!), then breathe deeply, watching the stuffed animals rise and fall as you breathe.
- Stand or sit upright with each of your hands placed on your heads, and then imagine you’re blowing up like a balloon as you inhale, sending your hands up overhead, and deflating as you exhale, with your hands returning to your heads.
- Hold a hand out in front of each of your faces and pretend that your fingers are birthday candles. With five deep, long breaths, blow them out one by one.
4. Take them along to learn about something you love
Although we often let our children’s interests be the focus of planned activities, try sharing something you really love. This can range from a simple trip to a bakery to more elaborate outings to museums or skiing. Challenge yourself to make your own interests a priority, and share your love for (insert here). It may lift your mood, which in turn lifts the mood of the whole group.
5. Weekly theme nights
Once they’re able to pitch in, have a rotating game or movie theme night. From week to week, each family member gets to pick the menu and the game or movie. Being the host of the evening gives kids some much-needed autonomy and can be a great way to share interests!
Reviewed by the Ovia Health Clinical Team
