Depending on their age, kids have different needs at different stages in their growth. As a parent, you need to spend time with them to notice and nurture their interest in various activities. Not just time, or lots of it, but quality time.
When you spend quality time with your children, you are able to notice their behavior and how it changes, their development and growth, the types of personalities they are developing and what kind of activities they are interested in. You are even able to notice the talents that lies inside them and which needs to be nurtured.
By spending some quality time with them, you can develop a close and nurturing relationship with one another – one that will transition into adulthood.
Shared activities
You need to have shared activities with your kids. It doesn’t matter how they old they are, come down to their level. If they are at an age where they like shaking their rattles, shake it with them. Play with their toys together. It is the warmth and closeness you share that matters, not the activity you engage in.
Read and eat together with the TV off. Give them your undivided attention and listen to their stories without interrupting. Not spending time with your kids affects them in more ways than one.
Motivate
You build the self-esteem and confidence of your child when you encourage and motivate them. Nurture their strengths and talents. If, for example, you kids like singing, spare some time in the evenings and over the weekends to practice with them. If they like immersing themselves in general knowledge, gather information on sites like Fact SD and share with them age-appropriate and not-so-well-known facts. You can give tips to make them better at it, without sounding critical. Be generous with your praise for their efforts and achievements.
Attend their events
If your child is in the school team and they are having a game, create some time to attend these events. Learn how to create time for your kids even with a tight schedule. They’ll remember it for a lifetime. Attend their school plays and swimming competitions and be their loudest cheerleader. Do not, however, get too competitive. Remember the goals of these activities is to building the confidence and foster their teamwork skills. Seeing you on the sidelines makes them feel loved.
Your attendance alone means so much to them and shows that you indeed care about them.
Be a good role model
Be a good example to your kids. Remember children learn by imitation. Teach them the values of hard work and honesty by having those qualities yourself. If you promise them a gift or reward, keep your word. That’s how you build trust with your kids. Have a healthy relationship with your spouse, and they will pick that up when they are grown enough to have relationships of their own. Guide them into making good decisions and always remind them of what’s expected of them.
Quality time
Not every time you spend with your kids is quality time. The time spent watching TV late into the night, for example, is not quality time and may even do more harm than good. Also, the time you are short on patience because of a stressful day at work is not quality time.
Spend time with your kids when you are relaxed, and you won’t resort to shouting.