Life is chaotic and full of responsibilities. With juggling work, cleaning, cooking, teaching, and all that goes with being a mom, it is hard to spend quality time with your little ones. Even a few minutes a day means the world to them and they will remember those times for a lifetime. Here are 15 ways you can spend quality time with your child with less time.

 

Life in the Fast Lane: 15 Ways to Spend Quality Time with Less Time

• Read a book or chapter in a book: You don’t have to read a book all in one sitting. Take 5 minutes a day to read through a story book or a chapter book. Talk about the characters, make predictions and come back to it day after day.
• Have a tickle fight: Most parents have reminisced on a tickle fight they had when they were younger. Tickling brings laughter, attention, and is fun for kids of all ages, whether they admit it or not.
• Read a 5 minute Inspiration Five minutes are all it takes to instill guidance, love, encouragement, and insight into your child’s life. Whether this is a religious book like a devotional or a secular book like Be Inspired: Quotes for Kids, a simple inspiration is something valuable you can.
• Have a pillow fight: With the advent of technology galore, people have forgotten the simple games that bring the best memories. 5-minute pillow fights is a great way to get your kids active, excited and spend quality time with them.
• Piggy back rides: Get on all fours with your kids and let them take turns riding around on your back. Kids need you to get down on their level and play with them like you once did. Show them how to imagine riding a horse, and elephant, or even a tiger!
• Have a dance party: Music is proven to have positive impacts on happiness, memories, and brain development. Turn on some hip music and have a 5-minute dance break.
• Wrestle around: Dad’s most often like this idea, but moms can do it too. Get on the ground and wrestle around with your kids. Let them pin you and make you tap out. Nothing gives a child greater joy than being able to beat their parents.
• Include kids in cleaning/cooking: Cooking and cleaning may seem like a daunting task, but it is a great way to build a relationship with your child. It gives you an opportunity to teach them life skills as well as a chance to talk.
• Cuddle: If your kids are still younger, cuddling provides love, support, and security to their little developing brains.
• Play Pretend: Play pretends with your kids. Whether it’s jumping from pillow to pillow to avoid the hot lava floor, or drinking a cup of tea with your pretend food, it will be the best 5 minutes of your day.
• Get a box and turn it into something: It’s a boat; it’s a car; it’s a space ship. Boxes can be turned into almost anything and everything imaginable. Teach your kids to use their imagination and go on a 5 minute trip back in time to the dinosaur age.
• Do a five-minute craft: Crafts don’t have to be in-depth and time-consuming. A simple box assortment of Wiki Sticks can make an awesome 3-D house or a cute little person.
• Make a blanket fort: Kids learn through example. How cool is it to build a fort out of blankets and crawl under them for a story?
• Play drums with pots and pans: 5 minutes is about all you can take of this, but these 5 minutes of quality time encourages their musical and creative side. As they get older, your kids will know they can do anything their minds are set on.
• Take a Selfie: It is selfie time! Get out your phone and take crazy selfies with your kids or make a video. This is a memory you can always look back on and it only takes 5 minutes to do.

These 5-minute activities may not seem like a lot, but they will mean the world to your little one. Enjoy every second of it, and reminisce often.

Author: Ashley Winters
Ashley is a well-versed writer that has a drive like no one you’ve ever met. She’s focused, determined, and willing to learn. She is, also, a social media professional, admin assistant, and a graduate of Bethel College in Mishawaka, IN.