12 Ways You Can Spend More Quality Time With Your Children

If you don’t have a lot of time to spend with your kids, due to work or other responsibilities, you might want to consider getting creative about how to find ways to spend more quality time with your children. After all, once they grow up, you can’t get those precious years back. One way to get some time in with your kids is to choose activities that you can do together. Here are some activities to choose from that are both parent- and child-friendly. 

1. Take Lessons Together

Music lessons are a good pick for adults who want to take lessons with their children. Although you may not be able to attend the same class, you might be able to receive lessons at the same location and practice what you learned together at home. For example, Lone Star School of Music offers Austin guitar classes, which include adults and kids guitar lessons. 

You could also take art classes together. Again, you might not be able to be placed in the same class. However, you might be able to take private lessons together, especially if you have an artistically inclined child. 

2. Cook Together

Even if getting in the kitchen and preparing meals isn’t your thing, you can take the opportunity to find some simple recipes to prepare with your children. Important skills such as reading and following directions and learning about measurements are all part of cooking. 

3. Get Your Child Involved in Volunteer or Charity Work 

Taking the time to help others is a wonderful lesson to instill in your children, and you can spend time together as a family while you help. From volunteering at your church to collecting gently-used coats or toys to donate to a children’s shelter, there are countless ways you can teach your children to make a positive impact in the world. 

4. Take a Vacation Together 

Rather than never taking a vacation or always spending your vacation time on independent tasks, why not plan a family vacation? If your budget allows, you could choose to take your children to another country where they can experience a new culture.

5. Take a Weekend Trip

If a vacation isn’t possible, take some short weekend trips. These trips don’t even have to be overnight if you don’t want them to be. You could take your kids to the zoo, to the beach or sightseeing in another town that’s not too far away. 

6. Introduce Your Children to Something You Enjoyed as a Child

Think about the activities that you enjoyed doing as a child. Do you remember building a treehouse with your dad? Did you enjoy making forts out of blankets and furniture? Did you and your siblings write a play together and perform it for your parents? Did you have fun pretending to be a waiter or a police officer? Tell your children about some of your favorite childhood activities and suggest trying whatever it is.

7. Teach Your Child a New Skill

Depending on your child’s age, it may be a prime time to teach him or her a new skill. For example, you could teach your child how to swim, ride a bike, throw a ball, skateboard, hammer a nail — or countless other things.

8. Have Theme Nights

Theme nights can be a fun way to spend time together. Themes can revolve around eating. For example, you choose to eat different ethnic foods one night of the week, such as Italian, Mexican, Chinese or Indian. Or you can have themed movie nights. One week you can watch an action flick, and the next week you watch a documentary.

9. Visit a State or National Park

Teach your children to value the outdoors and nature by taking them to nearby state or national parks. You can find all sorts of activities to do, such as hiking, biking, bird watching, geocaching, kayaking, paddle boating and more. 

10. Take Your Kids on a Field Trip

Field trips aren’t just reserved for schools. There are plenty of kid-friendly tours available, and you can make going on one a family affair. Whether you choose to go to an ice-cream factory or a television station, get your kids excited and involved in the experience. 

11. Take a Virtual Field Trip

On days when the weather is bad or you just feel like staying in, virtual field trips can be a great way to spend time together. All you need is a stable internet connection and a device for viewing. There are virtual field trips for almost any topic you can think of. For example, if your kids are interested in animals, there are webcams focused on animals in the wild and in captivity. You can also tour some of the world’s greatest wonders virtually. 

12. Brainstorm Ideas Your Child Can Use to Make Money

If your child has an entrepreneurial spirit, brainstorm some ideas with him about how he could make money. In the summertime, there’s the classic lemonade stand or mowing lawns. If you have retired neighbors who travel, there may be opportunities to water plants or pet-sit. All kinds of skills can be developed with this activity, such as advertising, social interactions, following through with an important responsibility, time management and following checklists.