Quality Time with Kids

Quality Time vs Quantity Time

As a busy homeschool mom, it’s safe to say that I spend a lot of time with my kiddos each and every day.

However, quantity doesn’t equal quality.

Spending quality time with kids is essential, you guys!

I love my kids to the moon and back, but there are days they simply exhaust me.

Then, before I know it, I find myself tucking them in or sending them to bed without enjoying a single memorable moment with each of them individually.

I find myself full of regret wishing it was different and hoping tomorrow I will prioritize better!

It shouldn’t be this way.

Quality Time Kids While Homeschooling

Something had to give, so made some tweaks in our homeschool schedule and began making a point to be in the moment and spend time with my children individually throughout our homeschool day.

This became a huge game changer in our home, you guys!

From reading with my children to devoting an entire night to just them, I truly began to connect with each of my kiddos individually — freeing me of mom guilt and creating a better atmosphere. 

Check out my 3 favorite ways to fit in one-on-one time with my kiddos during our homeschool day!

• Personal Readers

This is so easy, you guys!

Reading tends to be a huge part of my children’s homeschool day anyway, so this one was a total no-brainer for me.

Seriously though.

Independent reading, curriculum-required reading, read-aloud books — the options are endless!

If you are home with your kiddos all day long, this is a great way to fit in simple one-on-one time with your kids.

With that said, some children require more assistance with reading than others.

Like my youngest for example.

She is still learning to read, so spending this individual time with her has not only been easy, but it’s also completely necessary!

While my older boys, on the other hand, read well above their grade level.

This simply means I have to make a little extra effort to read with my older my children, and that’s ok!

Reading with my kiddos individually has actually become one of my favorite times each week.

That is just something wonderful about reading a book together, just the 2 of us.

Plus, it opens up the door for deeper conversation and bonding.

Now it’s my passion to find small bits of time to read (or be read to) by each of my children multiple times a week.

*Pro Tip: If you feel like finding quality time to read with each of your children every single day is too much, simply shoot for once or twice a week. Make it a priority by picking out titles together with your child, something you both are interested in!

If little ones make this a difficult task, simply utilize their nap time or quiet time to read with older siblings.

• Individual Recesses

If your kiddos don’t mind playing on their own or you have siblings with a large age gap, this is a really fun option!

By utilizing a simple homeschool block schedule you can easily plan out individual recess or play times for your younger kiddos, freeing you up to spend a little extra time with your older children (or vice versa).

I actually do this the other way around, sending my older boys out to play while I stay inside doing something simple with my youngest.

Our favorite go-to activity for this is definitely bike rides.

I send my boys out with walkie-talkies in hand to get some much-needed energy out, leaving me with 15-20 minutes of uninterrupted mommy and me time with my daughter.

Since my kids’ age gap is pretty decent, this works out great!

They get to do big kid stuff, while my youngest stays behind to do the little kid stuff.

It’s seriously so good, you guys!

• Classes & Co-ops

While I don’t utilize this one often, I do enjoy it when I have the chance!

My younger 2 children attend a science class outside of the home, leaving me the ability to spend some much-needed quality time with my oldest.

I have also utilized summer day camps for my youngest while spending time with an older child for the day!

Such a fun option, you guys!

Simply enroll all but one child in a day camp or event, leaving the day wide open for some special one-on-one bonding time.

Day camps are actually a wonderful opportunity for this because you can do this over and over again until you’ve spent special quality time with each of child individually!

Plus, all your kiddos will get the chance to enjoy something fun, educational, and social!

Quality Time With Kids After School

Whether you homeschool or not, sometimes the one-on-one bonding time needs to happen after school hours as a part of your daily family routine or during extended school breaks.

While a lot of the time I spend with my kids happens during our homeschool day, I also make a point to spend time with each of my kids during the off-school hours — such as weekends and special nights.

Check out the 4 different ways I spend time with my kiddos after school is out. 

• Special Nights

This!

This is my absolute favorite way to sneak in some one-on-one time with each of my children, you guys!

We started utilizing special nights this time last year and my kids absolutely flip for it.

Each one of my kiddos gets a special night, just for them, every single month.

In our home, we choose to utilize the day of the month they were born on. 

For example, my oldest was born on the 8th of July.

So, on the 8th day of every month, he gets to stay up late and do anything of his choosing with just Mom and Dad — no siblings allowed.

There is typically a special snack involved as well.

Movies and board games tend to be popular picks around our home, but you can do anything you want during this time.

While we tend to stay home for these events, you can totally turn it into something a little more elaborate by taking them out to a favorite place or restaurant!

With that said, if you have multiple children born on the same day of the month, you might have to get a little more creative than we did!

Luckily, all of our kiddos are born on different days of the month!

• Shopping Trips

Okay, this might actually be the easiest idea on the list and I seriously do it all the time.

My husband works from home 2 days a week, leaving me with the ability to run errands during the day with only one child. Um, HUGE WIN!

If you have that very same ability, I highly suggest you utilize it whenever you can.

This is such an easy way to spend time with 1 kiddo, while still being productive!

You can get super creative and fun with this by pairing a certain buddy with a specific store you frequent or you can simply keep track of who went last and who’s turn is next.

I, however, tend to be super random in my choosing process — mostly because keeping track is way too much work!

With that said, sometimes behavior is a deciding factor, and other times someone needing to try on new shoes makes the decision for me.

This is definitely my favorite option for one-on-one time, you guys! 

• Weekend Activities at Home

Yes! Weekends are perfect for one-on-one bonding.

To put it simply, Sundays are for worship and downtime.

Our family likes to chill and keep things super simple on Sunday afternoons if we can and it tends to be the perfect time for getting in some simple bonding with kiddos.

Sometimes my hubby is doing the bonding with 1 kiddo while I do something with the other 2 and other times it’s the other way around.

Either way, Sundays are for family time.

While I don’t typically plan what we do in advance because they tend to just fall into place, you can easily plan weekend stay-at-home dates with your kiddos!

Simply pick a fun activity to do and a kiddo to do it with — easy, peasy!

Some of our favorite activities to fall on for weekend fun are reading, puzzles, board games, coloring, and word searches.

So simple, you guys!!

• Outings & Events

As an introvert, I’m simply not a lover of crowds.

So needless to say, this one definitely doesn’t make the top of my list.

With that said, sometimes you have to think outside the box and leave your comfort zone to show a little love to those around you.

That’s why I do lean on this one from time to time.

Since I have kiddos ranging from 15 years old to 6, utilizing outings and special events to bond with them individually is a must!

So, when things like concerts come around and older kids want to attend, finding a sitter so you can enjoy that one-on-one time with your eldest might just be in order.

Spending Quality Time Together

While getting that one-on-one time in is essential, sometimes family togetherness is what’s needed most!

From simple summer activities for the family to traveling somewhere together!

Spending time together in family mode is a great follow-up that much-needed individual time.

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