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 It sounds pretty obvious: of course spending time with your kids is a good idea. But it's more than a good idea — it's a critical factor in your child's development. Studies have repeatedly shown that your level of involvement in your children's lives profoundly affects how successful your children will later be in school.
Spending time with your kids can be more of a challenge than you might think, too. With so many other tasks to keep track of and responsibilities to fulfill, it can be tricky to find time for your kids on a regular basis.
Here are some ideas on how to stay involved in your children's lives:
- Consider setting aside some time in your day just for your kids. It could be just one night a week, or maybe half an hour every evening, but it should be something you plan your schedule around, instead of being squeezed in whenever you can.
- Kids thrive on new experiences. Planning a trip together to somewhere new, like a museum or the zoo, can engage your children's curiosity, broaden their understanding of the world, and strengthen your relationship with them.
- Cooking meals can also be a great opportunity to spend time together — and it's easy to fit into your schedule, since you probably already have some time dedicated to it. Not only is it a lot of fun to roll out pizza dough together, for example, but you can also slip in some learning between the measuring cups and the oven timer.
- Reading together is a wonderful way to spend time with your kids. It's one of the best things you can do to help your child's reading abilities grow.
The most important thing is to simply make a commitment to spending time with your children, and to use the time you do have wisely. The rest is easy.
For more ideas on activities you can share with your kids, try one of these links:
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