If the aftermath of back-to-school season feels more like the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse, you’re not alone. My calendar is full, my fridge is empty, and lately I just collapse on whatever pile of laundry is closest come nap time. This is my first year with a child in school, and even though it’s just preschool, Mama’s tired.
Despite the busyness, my daughter has wholeheartedly embraced the academic life. Every day she is bursting with stories about her friends, her teachers, and whatever learning escapades they went on that day. At pick-up I always hug her and exclaim, “I missed you!” She puts her hands on my shoulders and looks at me as if she is thinking, Well, aren’t you sweet. Bless your little heart. Because she is gone more, I’ve found myself craving connection when she is home. Yet I often get lost in my tired mom brain, finishing up my to-do list or prepping for the next day (picture a hamster on its wheel).
During our recent family vacation my husband bought a box of Sour Patch Kids and invited our daughter to share it with him on the hammock outside. They swayed together snacking, talking, and looking at the sky. I was DYING over how stinking cute it was. Talk about connecting! They came inside, and Baby Girl became less cute when she refused to share candy with me because apparently that’s a “Daddy thing” now. When I asked my husband about it, he said that he hoped to make it a tradition, and that maybe when she moves away someday (um, that’s never happening) he will send her boxes of candy with a note saying “Love you. Let’s talk soon.”
This experience drove me to brainstorm a list of 10-minute, no-stress ways to connect with my little lady. Each activity is meant to be done at home, with no prep work, besides maybe buying something from the Dollar Spot at Target, but—let’s be honest, shall we?—you’re going there later anyway. I’m not claiming to have thought of anything new here. This list is very, very, very simple. But that’s the point. When we are juggling jobs, school, and family life we don’t need extravagance. Neither do our kids.
But they do need us, more than anything or anyone. You may not be the one going over ABCs all day, but you create their home language environment. You may not be there as they are making new friends, but you are their BEST friend. You may not be their school teacher, but you were meant to mentor them through life.
So let’s be intentional about connecting with our children. Let’s hop off the hamster wheel, grab a box of Sour Patch Kids, and make good things happen.
Here is my list of 25 simple ways to connect with your kiddo:
- Share a box of candy (or carrots, if candy isn’t your thing).
- Dress up and pretend. Pro tip: pretend to be the baby while your child is the parent and have them put you to bed. You might get a short nap.
- Trace each other with sidewalk chalk and then decorate your outlines.
- Talk about family photos and videos on your phone.
- Sit your kiddo on the counter and let him/her help with cooking a meal. Be careful of course!
- Have a dance party to some of your child’s favorite songs.
- Draw pictures to give to a friend or family member.
- Play games. Some of our favorites are I Spy, Hide and Go Seek, Mother May I, Simon Says, and Red Light Green Light.
- Read books together.
- FaceTime a long-distance friend or relative.
- Do a puzzle together.
- Create a kitchen rock band with your pots, pans, and utensils. I’m sure my downstairs neighbor loves when we do this.
- Collect things from outside for a “nature box.”
- Play catch.
- Look at clouds or stars. Yesterday my daughter told me she saw a baby alligator cloud.
- Splash and play during your child’s bath time.
- Have a picnic at home. Every dinner, no matter how lame, is cool when it’s eaten on the floor.
- Have a jumping jacks contest.
- Walk around the block.
- Sing together. The more ridiculous the accompanying actions, the better.
- Play tic-tac-toe or another pen-and-paper game.
- Look out the window with binoculars (real ones/toilet paper tubes/your hands) and talk about what you see.
- Perform a puppet show with sock puppets.
- Fun fight! Pillow fights, tickle fights, and stuffed animal fights work for us. Hard pass on food fights, though.
- Snuggle and shower your kiddo with all the reasons why you love him/her.
