Ways To Be More Involved in Your Children's Lives

Ways To Be More Involved in Your Children’s Lives

Looking for a few ideas on different ways to be more involved in your children’s lives? Sometimes life can get so busy our kids get put on the back burner.

Being involved in your children’s lives is so important for so many different reasons. Showing your child that they are important to you aids in them learning self-worthiness which will likely help them strive for greatness and not settle for less than they deserve.
Let’s take a look at some simple ways you can be more involved in your children’s lives.

#1 Show up to their events!

Show up to as many of their events anytime you get a chance (even just practices/rehearsals)!

Are they in a play? Are they in gymnastics? Sports? The parade? Show up! Regardless of what it is that your child is taking part in, show up! Even if you have no personal interest in it! Even the little things! Your child is doing the thing, all you have to do is be supportive and present!

#2 Read with them!

Read with them! For younger children, pull them onto your lap and read them a story.

For older children grab a novel and read to them, or you could even take turns reading with them.

#3 Listen when they speak to you!

This one seems obvious. However, I’ve even found myself becoming impatient sometimes when my children are talking to me about things I have either already heard from them, or things I’m just not interested in. Put whatever you’re doing down for a moment and look at your child as they speak to you. Listen to what they are saying and form a response that tells them that you are hearing what they are telling you.

#4 Help them explore their passions!

For younger children, helping them explore their passions could be as simple as exposing them to different activities and experiences.

Take advantage of opportunities in your area. See there will be a hot-air balloon show in your area? Take them! Notice that there will be an art show? Take them! Visit museums! Get in all the experiences that you can!

The older they get you can ask them about what interests them and help provide opportunities for them to explore those interests.

#5 Set aside quality time for them!

Putting aside actual time for your child may seem silly at first. You might think, “I see them all day, or I sit and watch tv with them every evening“.

What I mean by this is, schedule time where you plan to be intentional with the interaction and conversations you have with the child. This time could really be 30minutes after dinner where you go for a short walk and talk, or it could be an hour on Friday evenings to play a board game. Choose something that works for you and your family.

Whatever you decided to do during your quality time make sure that you aren’t on your phone or distracted by something else. This isn’t the time for multitasking, the only task to focus on is spending time with your child.

#6 Invite them to do something that is important to you!

Inviting your child to do something that is important to you shows them that they are important as well. They want to be involved in your life, they want to take part in whatever it is that matters to you. This could be something like gardening, mechanics, working out, something to do with your job, etc. Choose something that you find matters and allow them to take part.

#7 Let them choose an activity for you both to do!

This one could be a great opportunity to see what your child is interested in and see what they think you’re interested in.

Planning an activity for you both gives them a sense of responsibility and pride. It forces them to think about your likes and dislikes and how they compare to their own.

Be sure to keep a positive attitude and show appreciation! You are your child’s #1 role model so they will look to you to form opinions and learn your behaviors.