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13 Ways to Make More Time for Your Kids

I once had a sales job that had me on the road a lot. My office was in my car and every day was up to me to fill. The job required initiative, self-discipline, and time management. Many of my colleagues complained about the lack of time to complete all the tasks needed in order to make money. One of my bosses discussed what he did when he was feeling the same time crunch. He carried a legal pad and documented his entire day in five-minute increments.

After a week of time accounting, he evaluated and discovered how much time he wasted doing insignificant things. When he eliminated those things and replaced them with things that mattered, his business soared. Imagine if we took that same practice to our homes. So many moms comment that the years are flying by, and they want more time for kids in their busy days. If that’s you, here are 13 ways to make time for your children.

1. Commit to a family mealtime each day.

It doesn’t have to be dinner. If evening activities make it impossible to sit down and eat dinner together, make breakfast your family meal time.

If evening activities make it impossible to sit down and eat dinner together, make breakfast your family meal time. Click To Tweet

2. Write your children’s activities on your calendar.

Treat games and performances like any other appointment. Write it down and commit to no cancellations!

3. Swap something on your schedule for time with your kids.

Your alone time is important and so are your commitments to work and friends, but if you see something on your calendar that you can do without, intentionally replace it with kid time.

4. Make one of your kids your errand buddy for the day.

Your to-do list is long, but you want to hang out with your kids, too. Errands kids dread are usually more palatable when they’re done one-on-one with mom. And when you add ice cream.

5. Be the team mom.

Volunteer to participate in a regularly scheduled child activity, such as assistant coaching a team or supervising theater rehearsals.

6. Find your inner child.

Identify one children’s show on TV that you secretly like to watch and make it “your show.” Set an appointment to always watch it together.

7. Sweat together.

If working out is part of your daily routine, don’t give it up. Taking care of yourself helps you take better care of your family. Try getting your kids involved by adding a walk or bike ride.

8. Replace screens with interactivity.

Instead of vegging out in front of the TV as a family, play a game or read a book together.

9. Shift your schedule.

If your work schedule is flexible, start your day earlier so you can get home earlier in the afternoon to be with your family.

10. Shut down your phone.

Sometimes we have to be within an arm’s reach of our phones, but other times, we choose to be tethered to them. Turn off your phone when you go on family vacations and outings, and give your child your full attention.

11. Make their hobbies your hobbies.

Does your son love to draw? Buy a sketch pad for both of you and practice together. Does your daughter sleep with a volleyball because she loves the game? Bump the ball around with her after dinner.

12. Maximize your commute.before school conversation starters

Make car time quality time by having a routine on your way to or from school. Make the car a screen-free zone and talk about the day, what they are excited or nervous about, or have a conversation starter printable in your glove box.

13. Pick up the controller.

If your kids love playing video games, become a gamer. Well, maybe not a full-fledged expert, but play along with them for 30 minutes. They’ll love beating you and maybe over time, you’ll show them up.

How do you set time aside to spend with your kids?

ASK YOUR CHILD...

If you could have one more hour in the day, where would you want to spend it?

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