7 Things You Should Do With Your Child Daily to Strengthen Your Bond

Like any relationship, the bond between a parent and child can be made stronger with habits, including these seven, which can be easily incorporated into your everyday routines.

An impressive body of research has shown a link between regular meals with kids and an increased likelihood of positive developmental benefits such as better health and eating habits; strong mental, emotional, and social skills; improved behavior; and better academic performance.

Even if you can’t find time to have dinner together every night, schedule family meals whenever you can, as much as you can.

If your weeknights are packed with late hours at the office or extracurricular activities, you can still find solutions, such as having breakfast or snacks together. The key is to make family meals fun, talk about the day, and stay connected with your kids.

2. Talking about the day

Like dinnertime, bedtime is a great opportunity to catch up with your kids about the day. You can ask them questions that will prompt them to answer in detail, like “What was the best part of your day today?” or “What was the funniest thing that happened today?”

Then be sure to talk about your day, and share details like what you were most proud of achieving that day.

By sharing something about yourself, you are showing your child that you value her as a person and can confide in her.

3. Playing games together

One of the best ways to bond with your kids is by having fun together. Go outside and ride bikes together or kick around a soccer ball. Or grab a fun family board game (make it an educational one if you wanna find something that’ll challenge them cognitively) and encourage them to work on great social skills and good manners, like learning how to be a gracious winner or loser, while you have fun.

The activity doesn’t matter as much as the fact that you’re doing something fun together.

You can make fun crafts or cook or bake some treats together, or even watch and then “review” a great kids’ movie. Do something that you both enjoy and connect while you’re doing it, just as you would with your spouse or a good friend.

4. Hugs

Hug are also a wonderful way to connect with your child and strengthen your parent-child bond. So, let your child know how much you love her with lots of hugs throughout the day, and she’ll grow up hugging you right back!

5. Being respectful–and expecting the same

Kids can sometimes be exasperating, and can certainly make mistakes. But parents should keep in mind that treating kids with respect is as important as disciplining kids. Even if your child has done something that requires you do discipline him, you can speak to him in a calm and loving manner. Yelling or using corporal punishment have been shown to not only be less effective, but they can harm the quality of your relationship with your child.

Also remind kids to say “Thank you” and “Please” and do the same with your kids. Good manners should not be something that you only use outside the home–treating each other with respect and courtesy will not only bring you closer together, but will make your home a more pleasant place to live.

6. Doing chores together

Kids naturally love to be helpful, and when you give them chores and responsibilities, you boost their self-confidence and make them feel valued. Tell them how great a job they’re doing, and how much you appreciate their help. Not only will it bring you closer together, but it’ll help your kids grow into confident and kind people who love helping others.

7. Spontaneous acts of love

Doing little things every day to show your child how much you love him, like writing a note and tucking it into his lunchbox or planning fun things to do on the weekends or giving him your full attention when you’re talking, can make a big difference in the quality of your relationship with your child. Show your child every day how much he means to you.

Source: childparenting