Today’s families are busy.  Schedules are filled with work, school, after-school activities, community service, doctor’s appointments, and more.  It can be challenging to find quality family time and increase bonding between family members.  Building a family that supports and encourages one another takes energy and time.  Try these tips to strengthen the bonds within your family.

• Be kind to one another. Kids learn through experiences and modeling.  Show acts of kindness in everyday life like opening the door for someone, putting away dishes without being asked or by hugging mom or dad when he or she gets home from work.

• Eat dinner together.  Meal time is an excellent place to share your day with your family.  The dinner table should be a time where open communication takes place.  Congratulate each other on accomplishments and encourage those who had a bad day.  Kids who regularly eat meals with their family have higher academic scores and reduced use of tobacco, alcohol and drugs use.

• Experience life together. Do things as a family.  Go for a hike, bike ride or attend a concert.  Kids who participate in activities with their family have a higher sense of belonging and higher self-esteem.

• Enjoy a  family game night.  Invite friends over for a potluck.  Play interactive games with the kids.  Make up teams of boys against girls or kids against parents, and promote friendly competition.  Surrounding your family with like-minded families promotes community.

• Laugh.  Laughter is good for the soul. Share a funny video or story with your kids just to hear them laugh. Encourage your kids to share stories that make them laugh.  Laughing reduces stress and stimulates your immune system.

• Travel.  Plan a trip together as a family. Choose a destination for your adventure that offers something fun for everyone.  Experience new things like foods, culture or activities.  If you’re on a budget, plan a camping trip.

• Show appreciation.  A simple “thank-you” goes a long way.  Showing appreciation of family members makes them feel valuable. Surprise a family member with a note of gratitude for things they do that make your life more enjoyable.

• Try new things.  Trying new things can be scary at first.  Doing it as a family can reduce fear and promote courage to try new things like going on a roller coaster ride, or taking an art class.

• Volunteer as a family. Serving in your community to help others makes kids feel more connected and socially adept.  Caring for those who are less fortunate teaches compassion and empathy for others.

• Give compliments.  Make it a daily practice to say something kind to each person in your family.

Strong families teach us how to function in the world.  They provide us with warmth and support to celebrate achievements and to provide comfort during rough spots in the road. Turn off the television and spend time communicating with those you love most.  Spending time interacting with members of your family strengthens bonds, builds character and improves self-esteem.  Kids thrive where they feel loved.  Invest in those who mean the most to you.

About Jennifer Chung & Kinsights:

Jennifer Chung is a parenting expert and co-founder of Kinsights.com: part parenting community, part online health record. Kinsights provides parents with a safe place to seek answers to their questions while also helping them track their child’s health information. Organize your child’s growth and developmental milestones, immunizations, medications, allergies, and more.  Connect with Kinsights at www.kinsights.com to learn more and sign-up! You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter (@kinsights).

The post Ways To Strengthen Family Bonds appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

By Jennifer Chung – Kinsights.com

The good news for all of us is winter doesn’t last forever (yes, you can come in off the ledge now unless you’re planning to cannon ball into the snow).  Even though your kids have you driven mad, it’s not too late to turn that angst into something that’s fun and productive for the whole family.  We’re talking about family bonding activities and here are some fun ideas for making the best of the remaining snowy days. 

1.  Got a Wii or X-Box?  Get the family together for “Family Olympics”.  Whether it’s Just Dance for Kids, boxing or bowling, this activity is for the whole family and burns off the winter doldrums.


2.  Get out the board games and have some fun.  Some of family favorites are Sorry, Beat the Parents and Head Bandz.


3.  If you can’t beat the weather, join it!  Pull on your snow pants and boots and have a good old-fashioned snow ball fight or build a snowman right in your own backyard.


4.  Don’t under estimate the power of a good puppet show.  It may sound a bit old fashioned but kids love this activity.  Make your own puppet theatre by having the kids design and decorate an old sheet or using a big box.  If you don’t have any puppets, stuffed animals work great or make homemade puppets using socks.  Have the kids work together to come up with a story idea and have them perform the show for you, neighbors or grandparents.


5.  Have a ton of photos and collected souvenirs/artwork lying around?  Buy up a few photo albums or scrapbooks and work with your kids to put together their own keepsakes.  They can use art supplies to decorate the pages, bling and stickers.  It gives the kids a fun project to work on and accomplishes something most busy parents don’t get time to work on.


6.  Who doesn’t love a good family talent show?  Have each family member work on their talent, whether it’s a magic act, dance number or some killer lip-synching, and put on a show for each other, friends, or neighbors.

7.  Stuck in the house for too many days to count?  It’s time to break out of the ordinary routine and have some fun with your family.  Have a slumber party in the living room with sleeping bags and flashlights, have breakfast for dinner, organize a family movie marathon with popcorn and movie treats, work with the kids to rearrange their bedrooms for a change, or if you’re brave, let the kids be the parents for a day!


8.  Meet the family in the kitchen and cook or bake up a storm!  Have the kids help in finding recipes and creating a menu plan.  They could even pick a couple of items to bake that could be frozen and used to put in their lunch boxes.  Get the kids involved in washing and peeling veggies, give the little ones wooden spoons and have them help dump in measured ingredients.  This is a great time to help your older children learn to stir foods on the stove top, crack eggs, and figure out which measuring spoon and cup to use.  A dinner cooked by the whole family will be amazing.



About Jennifer Chung

Jennifer Chung is a parenting expert and co-founder of Kinsights: part parenting community, part online health record. Kinsights provides parents with a safe place to seek answers to their questions while also helping them track their child’s health information. Organize your child’s growth and developmental milestones, immunizations, medications, allergies, and more.  Connect with Kinsights at https://kinsights.com to learn more and sign-up! You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter (@kinsights).

The post Fun Family Bonding Ideas For This (Long, Snowy, Cold) Winter appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

Parenting is all about balance, and it can be quite difficult to feel as if you’re giving your children enough attention while also trying to balance work, life and good relationships. It’s all about finding the right balance and eliminating the dreaded feeling of guilt in relation to parenting. Remember: If you’re doing your very best, you’re doing it right.

Daddy guilt exists as much as mommy guilt does just in different ways.  I believe most dads think that they do not spend enough time with their kids.  However, as with most guilt it is really an internal process, and the kids themselves are likely quite content with the level of attention they are receiving.

I’ve put together my top tips for alleviating the feelings of daddy guilt and being more engaged, involved and connected – even if you don’t get as much time as you’d like with your kids.

When in Doubt, Play: After having 7 kids of my own and experiencing 50 plus years of life, I find I am a little less concerned about my guilt nowadays. If I feel even slightly remorseful, I push those feelings aside and simply sit down on the floor and start playing with my kids.  Together, we like activities such as: reading, building train track set ups, and just walking outside together to explore our surroundings. Building memories together, bonding and establishing a relationship is an important part of being a dad, and engaging in activities with your children whenever you have time will eliminate some of the daddy guilt you might be feeling from working too much or traveling.

Give Your Undivided Attention: For a working dad or mom, the key to avoiding guilt and building relationships is undivided attention.  When you have the time to be with your kids, do so, without the smart phone nearby and without any other distractions. Even fifteen minutes of undivided attention a day is better than an hour of being in the same room while distracted by a television, a computer or a phone.  Quality time is well spent sitting quietly, asking questions, and listening to your children. Your kids will show you what they need from you; they’ll lead you to their understanding of quality time, and you need to be ready to jump on that bandwagon.  Engage your children, make eye contact, and listen to what they’re saying. That is ten times stronger and more effective than force feeding activities or trying to simply entertain them.

Make the Phone Call: When your kids are grown and out of the house it’s important to connect with them, and that generally means logging onto Facebook, setting up a Skype call, sending them an email or making that phone call. Your goal is simple: check in, ensure they know you are thinking of them and give them your love. If you have little ones at home and your work demands you travel and are away from you family for long periods of time you’ll need to do the same types of things to stay involved and engaged. In our house we love Skype and FaceTime; it allows us to see each other face-to-face, check in, smile, and even play with toys or read a story together. Engaging in this type of activity – even when you’re far apart – will alleviate the feelings of guilt that might come with being away from your family for work.

Be Consistent: Be the man your family relies on and follow through – every time. If you work long days and are only home at night in time for baths and story time then be present, every single night, for those activities. If you work nights and only get to spend time with your children when they wake up in the morning then be present and make that time count. If weekends are the only time you get to connect with your children then be consistent during those times and be involved and engaged. Your kids will look forward to the time they get to spend with you, and when you consistently engage them you’ll be making memories and building relationships that will last a lifetime.

So my advice is really this: if Dad is feeling guilty, he should just jump in and spend time with his kids, whenever and however possible – it will benefit everyone involved. 

Sincerely,

Daddy Nickell

Robert Nickell, aka Daddy Nickell, father of 7, offers his “5 cents” worth of advice to expectant and new parents. Daddy Nickell is the founder of Daddyscrubs.com, delivery room duds and daddy gifts and apparel, and the DaddyScrubs blog where he covers topics about parenting all from a Dad’s perspective.

The post Time Spent with Kids Eliminates Guilt appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

The first years of life are the most important time for children, emotionally and developmentally. Once a new parent, the focus switches almost entirely to the newborn baby. As parents delight in having a baby and watching their newborn change from day to day, they may also find the transition to mom or dad incredibly stressful.

Additionally, there is so much on a young family’s plate it can seem overwhelming, especially if families are separated by distance, ie. grand parenting at a distance, deployed military and even money restraints keep from frequent visits.

One of the simplest steps you can take is engaging your newborns senses with brain-boosting baby activities— and it’s easy to do with Zatswho®. Zatswho® is Unique to the market: a creative learning game and activity that you personalize with pictures of your loved ones. Zatswho® soft flexible flashcards are cognitive, communicative, sensory and physical, stimulating neurons to facilitate language, teach photo recognition, memory development and logical thinking. 

Zatswho® is also AblePlay® rated. Parents know their child better than anyone and observe behaviors and quirks that a pediatrician, in quick fifteen-minute visits may miss. Parents are also in the best position to spot the earliest warning signs of autism. Research has shown that catching autism early—ideally by the age of eighteen months—can make a huge difference, the younger your child, the greater the impact of treatment on symptoms of autism.

As parents create a lasting impact playing with their baby, they are sharing a special activity as they talk and teach who’s in the picture, helping their baby to recognize family at a distance enhancing the family bonds. Zatswho® with lasting play value will help to lay the foundation for children developmentally, educationally and emotionally. A thoughtful and lasting gift that packs and goes making it an ideal activity for parents to use at home or on the go!

www.zatswho.com

The post Who’s in that picture? Zatswho® appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.