Quality Time with your Children: Fun and Cheap Ideas

Kids are truly the biggest gift you can ever get. However, every once in a while, we get preoccupied with work, money issues, household chores and a hundred other things and we forget to appreciate our kids. So, if you want to spend more quality time with your little ones, here are a few fun and cheap ideas you can include in your schedule.

Have themed dinner nights

Family dinners are fun and precious on their own, but you can make them even more fun with different themes. Have an occasional taco night, pizza night, breakfast dinner, Chinese night or sweet dinner. These will make your kids even happier to sit and have dinner with their family. Don’t forget to have appropriate decoration (think Italian bistro tablecloths and wine glasses for blueberry juice) and make sure to involve your kids in food preparation. Stacking tortillas, mixing salsa and washing veggies and fruit are activities suitable for all ages.

Go on a picnic

Surprise your kids with an occasional picnic. Pick them up from school and take them straight to the park for a cute al fresco lunch. Fresh air and sun will make any meal taste better and you can let your kid tell you all about their day at school.

Take part in video games

If you allow your kids to play video games, make sure to take a little interest in their virtual world. This is great because your kids will probably get to beat you very hard and realize you’re just only human and not perfect. Additionally, your weak skills will probably cause a roar of laughter and friendly teasing. And who knows, you might like it a lot!

Ditch the car

Next time you’re taking your kid somewhere near your home like a neighborhood park or friend’s home, try to ditch the car and have a relaxing walk. These short car rides will not save you a ton of time, but they will certainly take away precious minutes with your kids. Walking with your kids will help you slow down and spend some relaxing and honest time with them. You can talk about anything you want—people you pass, places you see, places you want to visit, friends you like…really anything and everything that crosses your mind. This is the perfect way to see the way your child thinks. You’ll probably get to know a bunch of new things about them, no matter how well you think you know them.

Break some sweat

Having family workout sessions is a great way to spend some quality time together. So, next time you decide to work out, make sure to involve your little ones. They can do all sorts of exercises and help you with timers and reps. You can also buy your kids some new kids’ swimwear and hit the pool to swim, dive, play ball or just splash around in the sun! You’re guaranteed to come home full of amazing memories and ready to hit the sack. There are also plenty of kid-friendly activities you can do right at home, such as playing tag, throwing frisbee or playing with your dog. All of these will keep you healthy and in shape and allow you to spend even more time with your little ones.

Fix things together

Next time something breaks in the house, use it as an opportunity to show your kids how things work and how they can be fixed. Kids are very curious and they will love to help you with tools and manuals. Some easy things you can teach your kids are how to fix a leaky faucet, tighten loose screws, do light bike fixes, grease squeaky hinges or sew up ripped clothes and missing buttons.

Get them hooked on reading

Start a book with small chapters and read it every day. You can make reading times extra special by including hot cocoa, cookies and all your kids’ plushy toys! Before you know it, they will be begging you to do another chapter.

These quality time ideas will help you create countless memories with your kids that will last a lifetime. Spending quality time with parents is the best gift you can give to your children—better than any material present.

Your attention and time may seem free, but to your children, they are priceless.