Mothers and Fathers often neglect to play with their younger children or spend some time with their older ones on a day to day basis.
Work, housework and other commitments in our busy lives sometimes leave you with little time to wash your hair, let alone spend time with the children!
So just how do we achieve that life balance?
Well, it really isn't as difficult as it seems (bear with me here!)
The key is in those spare few moments or when you can easily multi task!
Hide and Seek / Peek-a-Boo!
Little children, in particular, love this! (in fact, all 4 of my children, still play this every so often!)
When dressing your child, you can make a game of it.
"Oh no! Where's Che gone?"
*pulls T-shirt down over his head*
Don't forget to continue this came with arms in sleeves, and legs in trousers/dresses and toes in socks/tights until they are fully dressed."There he is!!"
When I am cooking, the kitchen gate is always closed, but all 4 of my children love playing hide and seek at this time of day!
The little two will just run to the gate and shout "BOO!" at me, and I will then act surprised!
The older ones like to crawl/tiptoe/sneak to the gate and see if they can catch me out! (I don't often hear them anymore, they're getting good at this game!
Stories and Educational Games
When the house is a mess and there are toys everywhere, get the children involved in the clear up and have some fun with them at the same time!
"The building blocks container is hungry! Can you find all the red blocks to feed him?"
"Oh no! The Blue Car is sleepy! He needs to find his friend Red Car, so that they can go to bed"Children love this kind of interaction, and you can continue with the other housework while this is being done around you, thus spending some fun time with your child/ren and getting some tidying done too!
When out grocery shopping, give the list to older children and ask them to read out the items. My older children also love to collect the items from the shelves and put them in the shopping trolley.
Younger ones can spot numbers on the isles and colours, and babies can play Peek-a-Boo! with you, while you are pushing them around the store.
Kiddie Dash!
While vacuuming, I chase the children around the house from room to room.
They get excited, run, scream, shout and jump up on the sofas to get away. They love it!
And as an added bonus, it is a great work out for Mum/Dad too!
These are just a few ideas to help inject a little fun and play into your days with your children, no matter how busy you are.
Remember to be positive and upbeat with your stories and games and give lots of praise and don't forget the hugs and kisses at the end!
Trust me, your children and your conscience will thank you for it!
