People often say that if you want to raise a happy, healthy, well-behaved child, the secret lies in fostering a close bond with them. However, this could prove to be difficult, especially for parents who have to balance a full-time job and other responsibilities. As a parent, you always strive towards teaching your kids to be more organized, polite, responsible, etc. But, it would be best if you made it a point to also relate with them and not treat them like a project you need to perfect.
Parenting NI notes that nurturing a parent-child relationship helps facilitate the physical, emotional, and social development of the child. It contributes to laying the foundation for the child’s personality, life choices, and overall behavior, on top of affecting their social, physical, mental, and emotional health. When children have a healthy and secure attachment to their parents, they have a better chance of developing happy and content relationships with others in the future.
Forming a close connection with your child is crucial to developing a strong parent-child relationship.
Here are some tips to help you forge a healthy relationship with your children.
Take walks together
It may seem like you have limited options when it comes to bonding with your children during quarantine, but there are actually so many things you can do. We previously talked about hiking, biking, and scavenger hunts as part of our ‘3 Things You Can Do Outside of the House While Quarantined’ post to keep yourself entertained. You might also want to look into going on family walks to not just bond, but help the kids gain an appreciation for nature. This may seem a bit difficult for families with more or smaller children, but it’s all about being smart with your choices. Consider investing in a sturdy stroller so you can transport your kids together without taking up too much space or a bike trailer. The selection of double pushchairs on iCandy are ideal due to their maneuverability, allowing you to walk along narrow streets with ease. Making sure you have a good stroller is essential to keeping your kids safe while going on your walks.
Read together
Picking up a page-turner that you can read aloud to your kid over several days or weeks is a good way of creating an intimate and immersive space for the both of you. Ideally, it should be a book that is entertaining and age-appropriate. A good suggestion is Roald Dahl’s classic novel James and the Giant Peach, which is a fantastical story about a boy finding family while traveling the world in a giant fruit. When reading to your kid, it’s also important to take pauses to ask them about what they think of the story. Pick their brain and ask them about their opinions, like what they would do if they were in the same situation as the characters. Their answers will give you a better understanding of how they perceive the world.
Do chores together
The idea of doing chores with your kids may seem absurd, but it actually hits two birds with one stone. For one, it helps you finish the task in less time, and for another, it teaches your kids skills they will eventually need as adults. To make things fun, you may want to consider getting them tools that will help them think that they’re helping – even if they’re really too young to do so. Take this Bubble Mower from Fisher-Price, for example: while it isn’t capable of mowing and only churns out bubbles, it at least helps younger children feel like they’re mowing the lawn with you.
Play together
Psychology Today documents that laughter and playing helps keep you connected with your child by stimulating endorphins and Oxycontin in both of you. Even more so, when you make them laugh regularly, you’re also giving them a chance to laugh out their anxieties that make them likely to act out. With young children, playing also helps them develop a variety of skills. You might want to look for games that could put their critical thinking and creative skills to the test. A game like Pictionary is a good example, as it helps boost your child’s visual abilities, as well as exercising their critical thinking skills to transform their thoughts into illustrations.
For more tips on how to bond with your little ones, our family section is a great resource.
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