We take our time with children for granted. They are the future, and we do not use our time properly to instill good values in them. Buying them their wish list and toys from pop vinyl Australia is a great thing. It gets us to bond with them while seeing them play with the superhero figures that we loved in our childhood and quite possibly still do.

Time is money, but we spend our time making more money and fewer memories when it’s the memories that keep us in our children’s hearts.

Here are a few ways you can spend quality time with your children.

1. Negotiate a little flexibility with your employer

The time is for work-family balance, but many employers remain reluctant to be flexible with their employees. When the time comes to sign a new contract, renew an old one or do your annual checkup, take a few minutes to let your employer know that you are satisfied with your work, but would like to have a little more flexibility in your schedules.

By negotiating to start fifteen minutes later each morning (time that you can resume on your lunch hour or at the end of the day, if possible), you will gain a few more minutes with your kids, who will be happy to be able to eat a second bowl of cereal with you. A simple way to avoid traffic jams and stay cool when you leave. Daily, it may not seem like much, but it represents a gain of 65 hours per year!

2. Register for a parent-child course

Many sports and leisure organizations now offer family course packages. Why not jump in the water with your son for the Sunday swimming court (some public pools even offer hot water baths, for optimal comfort), or sign up with a little girl for gymnastics, yoga, dance or music in which the parent integrates naturally, according to the teacher's instructions?

Thus, you will spend a fun and invigorating moment with your child, outside the stress of the week, optimized by an already established framework to which you will have only to yield without organizing it! And why not initiate a small tradition by going for brunch or lunch with the family in a cafe or restaurant located nearby, at the end of the course? Everyone will benefit, and you will have seen part of your weekend go away smoothly, without having to twist your brains to furnish it.

3. A snowstorm? Everybody out!

Instead of looking at winter as a painful chore, equip your children with shovels and snow removal equipment to their size and invite them to accompany you outside to accomplish the task as a group. In addition to relaxing all the troops, this healthy habit can be spiced up with snowball battles, building snowmen and forts. What a joy to come back with red cheeks and listen to a good movie while sipping hot chocolate!

4. Children: in the kitchen!

If it is freezing outside and the wind howls, nobody wants to put on their snowsuit or go skiing? Or is it raining and the weather is ugly? Why not prepare a family recipe for the afternoon snack or the evening meal? Using your books, magazines, but also thousands of ideas available online, choose together a simple recipe, which you can make with what you already have at home or which you can find in a local store.

5. A babysitter for the whole family!

You have reserved the babysitter and a good table at the restaurant to go out with your lovers, but when Friday evening comes, you come home tired from work, the roads are bad, and you are tempted to cancel everything? Why not tell the babysitter to come as planned while staying at home. She can help you prepare the children's supper, manage the baths, the history and the ritual of the dodo, while you take advantage of it to bask in the comfort of your home, open a good bottle and, once the children are asleep and the babysitter, order pizza or Indian food, and curl up in the arms of your sweetheart while watching a good movie.

6. Discover new games

Do you blame your children for hanging on their game consoles, tablets and mobile phones? Why not take advantage of the gift vouchers received at Christmas to get one or two new board games that will appeal to the whole family? Come together to the store, get advice from a salesperson about new games on the market, then choose a game in a group that everyone will want to participate in.

7. Visit a museum

Most museums offer very interesting and free workshops for families. Why not take advantage of an escapade in the city center to go and relax for an hour or two with your little ones, who will be delighted to do a thematic DIY? While your children are throwing themselves into the glue, the glitter and the pipe cleaners, helped by a trained animator in the field, you will be able to relax for a while appreciating not having to tidy up everything afterwards and to do the housework as in the House.

Also consult the schedule of films, concerts and shows presented in the same place. Very often, museums are full of services also free for children, during the weekend.

8. Discover the new face of your city and region

Children love to discover new horizons, and no need to go to the end of the world to ensure their discovery and change of scenery. Why not make it a habit, once or twice a month, to plan a getaway of a few hours in one of the districts of your city or on the outskirts? Is there a natural park a few kilometers from your home with an interpretation center and mini-farm? We go there by bus and take a picnic to eat there!

Have you heard of a new aquarium or a space park in the suburbs? We all take the train and make sure to capture the highlights of the day with our camera. Short trips that, by their unusual nature, get us out of everyday life without requiring too much preparation. At the end of the year, we select the best photos of all these blessed little moments, and we print them to assemble them in a large mosaic frame or in an album that will preserve the memory of these unforgettable moments.

Conclusion

If not everyone has the flexibility to do so, some parents may be free to participate in a special activity organized at their child's daycare or school or to accompany the group on their way out, even if it is only once or twice a year. Your child will feel a mixture of joy and pride in seeing their parent take an interest in and integrate into their social universe, and discover the place where he spends his days.

In addition to sharing a special moment with your child and his comrades, you will have the opportunity to know better his world, his games, his way of learning and communicating with others, in addition to getting to know his educator or his teacher beyond the usual greetings. A few hours that will lend a helping hand, while ensuring the well-being of your child outside the home!