Fun Activities For Child-Parent Bonding

Every year the kids are older and time with them, scarce.  Plus there are those absolutely insecure moments when as a working mother I worry  about the children preferring the nanny over me or the IPad because I am a tired grump!

So we have a few favourite activities in our house that we love doing with the kids. These are simple fun activities for child-parent bonding and are such extraordinary joy in ordinary mayhem of life.

Disclaimer: This isn’t a list that everyone would go by. It is just what we do in our home to remind us of how we can enjoy our kids amidst the chaos of life. To be able to look back at their childhood and find great memories and serious nostalgia.

Play Together

Playing is one of our favourite child-parent bonding activities. Toddlers and kids experience by doing with you. Rather than sit and watch them play or tell them how to play, it is far more enjoyable if you join them in their play.

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1. Play hide and seek
2. Pretend
3. Make tents
   

   some tablet time inside the tent

4. Enact a story book
5. Paint each other
6. Get those board games out

Take It Outside

The largest playground that my husband and I had while we were growing up was ‘the outside.’ We love getting out of the house. Especially on days when the summer isn’t out to fry us. We love getting dirty, messy and when it’s not that, just gazing

1. Observe nature
   

   Talking about the birds and the bees 🙂

2. Take a walk together
3. Feed the birds
4. Fly kites
5. Collect rocks
6. Blow some bubbles
7. Do some gardening
8. Build sand castles
   

   Building sand castles till sun down.

 Laugh Together

Kids laughing is the sound that everything is well in the world. And truly, there is nothing more beautiful than hearing them laugh. It really doesn’t matter what they are laughing about. And when you join in their silly shenanigans; well it takes bonding on a completely different level.

1. Tickle each other
   

   Tickle. Tickle.Giggle.Giggle.

2. Make funny faces
3. Watch that funny weekend movie
4. Just make those funny sounds
5. Turn up the volume and dance

Cook Together

Cooking with the kids is way too much fun. It is creative, imaginative, engaging and a great time to have conversations. Baking cakes is one of the most fun kid activities that parents and kids can do together.  And licking the icing off the spoon: the best part of it!!

1. Make lemonade
2. Bake a cake
3. Make that sandwich
4. Peel some fruits
   

   Getting together a popular Indian snack ‘bhel’

Build and Create

These thrive on their virtue of open-endedness. With minimum need to instruct, these are definitely great fun kid and parent activities.

1. Play lego
2. Make carton houses
3. Build tents
4. Get creative with clay.
5. Paint together
   

   A fish? A rocket? Mirror imaging in attempt.

Snuggle

I love cuddling my kids!! Especially when the day has been busy or I have been pre-occupied. A big hug or just snuggling next to the kids in the blanket is a reminder of the need to slow down and savour the little ones.  Oftentimes, I just like to slow down and be with them. It is undoubtedly the most de-stressing and fun activity that kids and parents can do together.

1. Lie there
2. Tell each other stories
3. Read
   

   Discovering places with daddy!

4. Talk
5. Share dreams

Get Ready For An Adventure

These are one of our most relaxing activities for your children and us to bond. Being outdoors and sharing an adventure offers endless opportunities for lessons, topics, engaging with nature. Our favourite is gazing at the night stars.

1. Go for a picnic
2. Go camping
   

   Conversations near the pond next to the camp out site.

3. Go for a short hiking trip
4. Take a trip

Do Chores

Doing little jobs together is an excellent way to bond over house responsibilities and develop respect towards chores to be done. Ruhaan and I always sort out the grocery shopping together!

1. Clean the furniture.
2. Fold clothes.
3. Shop for groceries.
4. Wash and clean
   

   Scrubbing. Such a fruitful respite from the heat!

Mommy’s Food For Thought: Don’t ask your child to live in your world. Visit their world instead. (source:learningstationmusic)