The Guide to Making the Most of Quality Time with your Children

Immediate release, 4th August 2009

According to a recent study, more than half of all mums and dads believe modern life is so hectic that they cannot devote enough time to playing with their children.

In light of this research, leading parenting support groups Parentline Plus and Dad Talk have compiled the following guide to help mums and dads who may be struggling to spend time with their children.

At the heart of their advice: it is not the amount of time you spend with your children each day, but the quality of time that is spent with them that matters.

• Children want quality time – full, undivided attention for an hour is better than a day of limited interaction
• Try taking your kids to the park for half an hour or so after work, it’s great exercise for the kids and healthy for you too. Have a kick about or impromptu game of rounders
• Try to involve your children in day-to-day activities around the house such as making dinner. Turn it into a game - invite them to be your ‘little assistant’, so it doesn’t become a chore
• During the week try to spend some time with your child before bedtime. Making bath time fun, tucking them into bed, or even taking time to read a bedtime story can be a great chance to have some quiet time together
• Dinner times are a great opportunity for the whole family to sit down together and interact. Turn off the TV, sit round the table and communicate with your kids. Play the high-low game, as recommended by Dad Talk, where everyone around the table has to say the best and worst bit about their day; this can often help kids to open up and start family discussions
• You may be surprised but watching TV for an hour or two can be good family bonding time within our busy lifestyles. It provides an opportunity to communicate with each other and discuss current issues
• Or why not create a regular movie night and sit down with the kids and a bag of popcorn every Friday evening
• Show an interest in what your child is doing, if they are working on a piece of homework offer to get involved and help them out, or if they are painting a picture ask if you can join in and paint your own picture with them
• Why not let your children use your digital camera or mobile phone for a day and encourage them to capture images to represent a day in the life of your family. Then sit down together and look through the images at the end of the day, and pick out a few to print out for a scrapbook. This activity can really help you to see your family through your children’s eyes
• If you are still stuck for tips sign up for Dad:Pledge at www.dadpledge.co.uk and during August you will receive daily tips from Dad Talk linked to the Change4Life campaign sent straight to your inbox

For more parental advice and guidance Parentline Plus offers a free 24/7 helpline – call on 0808 800 2222 or visit www.parentlineplus.org.uk. Parentline is confidential and parents can also log on to www.gotateenager.org.uk for more tips, help and message boards.

Or log onto www.dadtalk.co.uk, an online community where you can share ideas, find information and talk about the nitty-gritty issues of being a dad. And remember to sign up to Dad:Pledge for daily tips and ideas for keeping your kids entertained this summer.

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