Ideas to Make Your Kiddos Feel Special

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Mamas, (and dads!) are you looking for a way to make your kids feel extra special and loved this year, without feeling overwhelmed by the task or the cost?

Parenting is hard work and helping your relationship with your little people thrive is an amazing feeling, but how do we get there? It is easy to get caught in the cycle of exhaustion and busyness as parents, but when we do, we lose valuable opportunities for joy that being a family naturally offers. Here are some fun and fairly easy ways we have found to add joy and depth to our parent-child relationships:

parent-child relationships

  • Surprise them at school pick-up with a favorite treat. Do this randomly, just because you love them. Little sister’s idea was churros as the bigs hopped off the bus this winter. They loved it!
  • Let them pick how to spend a Saturday morning. Maybe they will want to bake with you or head out to brunch. My kids tend to opt for a lazy morning in pj’s. They pick a cartoon together and play board games or trains. Put the ball in their court, without mom and dad rushing them to activities or making the decisions. It may be the rest you all need.
  • Learn what your child likes to do most; what makes him excited about life? Ask if you can do that with him. Does he adore trains? Go for a special train ride together. Does she like dressing up? Play dress up alongside her. Even if you feel silly, it isn’t about us. It is about making memories with and for our kids. They will feel so seen and loved by you jumping into their world.
  • Invite your child to do “your thing” with you. Whether it is outdoorsy or the movie theater, knowing that it is something you like and want to invite them into will make them feel included in a part of your life that may usually feel separate from them. This past season, my husband invited our 4-year-old to go hunting. She wasn’t sure about it. But, she donned camo anyway and sat nearby smiling for photos in between her dad shooting. She definitely hasn’t forgotten it.
  • Plan a party together. This sounds overwhelming, especially if you aren’t a party planner type. Hear me out though. It can be so simple. Often times the more simple, the more fun you have! One of my girls’ favorite party memories is when we planned little sister’s birthday the day before. We sent out a text to all the neighbor kids inviting them to the alley to share popsicles and cupcakes the following day. They all came! We sang happy birthday, ate treats, and jumped on the neighbors’ trampoline. The kids loved that it was low-key and fun; we loved that it was stress-free and seeing how much the neighbor kids enjoyed it, too. Just a cooler, treats, and a text message.
  • Make a mom and me journal. Our oldest struggles to communicate deep feelings verbally. We noticed, however, that her love of writing and drawing might be able to help with this. She picked out a bright pink $5 journal from Michaels to be our mom and C journal. She writes or draws in it whenever she feels like, and when she is done, she leaves the journal sitting on my nightstand. The only “rule” is that I read and respond in a timely manner. Then I do the same and leave the journal on her desk. Sometimes she writes multiple days a week. Sometimes just once every few weeks. It has definitely helped break some communication barriers and let us into her mind a bit.
  • Start a new family tradition. I’m not sure why, but so often we think if we haven’t always done it, we can’t start now, or that traditions are only for the holidays. That is ridiculous. Traditions can start at any time! It can be simple. Some ideas for the upcoming spring season include: a nature walk spotting new growth and animals coming out, a neighborhood clean-up day, dropping a surprise basket of spring and summer items by a friend’s porch, or planning and planting a garden. This year, we plan to start doing photography walks together each season. Make it unique to your family. If you love it, keep it up yearly. If you don’t, try something else.

What ways have you found to foster deeper relationships with your kids? How have you seen this connection help you grow as a family? I would love to hear your ideas!

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Tara Altenhofen
Tara is a proud mama to three girls, ages 10, 7 and 6. She has been married to her husband, Jason, for 13 years, 12 of which he has spent serving in the Air Force. She enjoys writing, hiking, spending time with family and close friends, arranging flowers, eating tacos and drinking coffee, especially at local shops--usually not at the same time. She claims Alaska and Kansas as "home". When she isn't folding all the laundry, or tackling a home renovation project with her husband, you can find her cuddled up with a book and her Airedale.