It's hard to find time to spend alone with your little ones as a busy parent. We get it.
It's hard to find time to spend alone with your little ones as a busy parent. We get it. Throw siblings, work and activities into the mix and it becomes even more of a challenge.
Trying to spend time one on one with your little one once or twice a month can really strengthen your bond with them, their confidence as little ones and make your family as a whole even stronger.
Dates with your little ones don’t have to be big events or expensive. Just sometimes you have dedicated to spending alone with them. Reminding them just how important they are to you and to your family.
Here are some simple ideas you can do with your little one:
- Go out for an ice cream. It could just be a walk to the local shop to get an ice cream. Or a trip on the dart to a fancier ice-cream parlour.
- Go for breakfast or lunch. It could be a home-made lunch you brought to a local park or you could go to a local café for some lunch.
- Go for a play in the park. Bring your bikes, a ball or climb some trees. Use your imagination or better yet let your little one use there’s.
- Go to the zoo. Split the zoo into two or three sections and plan two or three different times to go and explore.
- Take a class together. Take a self-defence class or a children’s cookery class together. There is a local yoga outdoor class my little ones love to go to.
- Go to the cinema (Better yet, an outdoor movie). Bring/buy some goodies. Perfect!
- Feed the ducks. A fun thing to do with children of any age.
- Walk along the beach. One that doesn’t cost a cent. Take your shoes and socks off and walk along the water.
- Have a pedicure together. Definitely, a fun one to do. A bit on the pricey side so maybe save this one for special occasions.
- Go to the bookstore. Buy a book or just browse. Take your time and let your little one see all the genres and books available to read.
- Buy Lego and make it together. If Lego isn’t your forte start small.
- Visit family just the two of you. If you have older members of your family you don’t get to talk to in-depth when smaller children are with you, bring the older ones alone with you. Talk about their older generations life and family. Rewarding on so many levels.
No matter what you choose to do, your kids just want to spend time with you. Spend time together and be fully present while you’re with them. Kids won’t remember that the house was clean, the car was washed, the paperwork was caught up, but they will remember a day out alone with you.
Written by Laura Doyle. Laura is a 30-year old mother of four who blogs at Love, Life and Little ones.
