50 Ways to Increase the Bond Between You and Your Child

Posted on December 05, 2013 by Nola Peacock, One of Thousands of Family Coaches on Noomii.

Do you ever think about the kind of relationship you want to have with your child? How do you want them to see you? When they have families of their own, do you hope that they will want to spend time with you? When you become an “empty nester”, will you have regrets? How do you want to be remembered?

After losing a child, my perspective on many things changed.Things that once seemed important, weren’t so important anymore. What did become important to me, was having time with my kids and making special memories together. I don’t want to look back one day and remember the meals I cooked, the housework I did or the homework I helped with. I want to remember the times I played with my kids. I want them to remember the fun they had with their mom. My guess is, you do too.

Life is so busy! It is easy to tell ourselves that we don’t have time to spend with our kids. Yet, we all make choices everyday as to how we spend our time. Here are some ideas on how to spend your time. Many of these take only a few minutes.

REMEMBER THESE ACTIVITIES ARE FOR BOTH YOU AND YOUR CHILD

1.blow bubbles in your milk
2.put on some music and sing and dance (you can even dress up if you like)
3.build a snowman, snowdog, or ??? be creative!!
4.lay on the grass and watch the clouds
5.jump on a trampoline
6.go bowling and don’t worry about the gutter balls.
7.play street hockey
8.throw a frisbee
9.tell knock knock jokes
10.make mud pies
11.build a sand castle
12.finger paint together
13.play a board game
14.bake cookies together
15.create a fort out of blankets and cardboard boxes
16.have a pillow fight
17.play hide and seek
18.ride bikes
19.have a picnic in the living room
20.make homemade pizzas
21.make play dough from scratch
22.make sundaes with lots of sprinkles
23.create a treasure hunt
24.roast marshmallows
25.have a water gun/balloon fight
26.dance in the rain
27.play in the puddles
28.build stuff with Lego
29.take photos – maybe while making funny faces
30.have a food fight (this is a great thing to do outside)
31.make a movie
32.shop at a thrift store
33.learn magic tricks together
34.do a science experiment (remember baking soda and vinegar)
35.create a scrapbook
36.play tag
37.pitch a tent in the back yard and sleep outside
38.create a play and perform for other family members
39.create an obstacle course using chairs and cushions
40.fly a kite
41.make popcorn and watch a movie
42.make popsicles (and of course, eat them later)
43.have a lemonade stand
44.make ice cream
45.tell stories
46.decorate gingerbread men or make a gingerbread house
47.build paper airplanes
48.play basketball
49.hula hoop
50.make cupcakes and decorate them

Now create your own list. Maybe you want to put your ideas on slips of paper and put them in a special jar. When you want to make some special memories, pull an idea out of your jar.