It is so important to spend one-on-one time with our children. Even ten minutes of quality time spent one-on-one is valuable.
I know of a family with seven children. They see the importance of one-on-one time, so every night two of the children stay up fifteen minutes longer—one with Dad and one with Mom. The child chooses whether they read a book, play a game or just talk.
Another excellent idea would be to take your child out on their birth "date" each month. So if your child's birthday is on January 10, then every month on the 10th, they get to do something alone with Mom or Dad. It could be anything from going out for dinner or ice cream, or going shopping with Mom, or visiting the library with Dad.
Throughout the day, there are many opportunities to intentionally connect with them. Here are a few ideas to get you started thinking.
1. Join them on the floor and play with them. Young kids especially love to play with mom and dad. I know it's hard! Who wants to sit and make dinosaurs talk to each other or cars go "vrooom", right? But remember, even ten minutes of quality time is valuable.
2. Read a book. Most kids love to have books read to them—especially picture books. I'm not sure that a child is ever too old to read a well-written story with Mom or Dad. Last summer our family sat on the couch every night and read The Princess and the Goblins, for about a half hour or an hour. My six-year-old always sat closest and just took in every word.
3. Snuggle. We usually like to do this on the couch with a book, but you can also snuggle in their bed with them while praying at night, or while watching a movie, or on your porch swing observing God's beautiful nature. Sometimes your child might even want to just snuggle on a chair and talk. When you talk, ask them age-related questions. "Do you know how much God loves you?" "What made you happy today?" "If you could live today all over again, what would you like to do again?"
4. Play a game. Let your child pick the game. Again, try to remember even just ten minutes is valuable. If they pick CandyLand or Chutes & Ladders or Hungry Hungry Hippos—a game that just really gets under your skin—set the time, and choose to enjoy that ten minutes!
5. Take them out for dinner or dessert. Food is always good. Somehow we always tend to open up, laugh and enjoy conversation when there is food around. And this doesn't have to be expensive. Consider getting a $5 sub at Subway, or eat out on Tuesday nights when kids eat free at many restaurants.
Enjoy getting to know your child and appreciating the gifts God has given them. It becomes much easier to pray for our children when we know how they perceive life.
