When your kid starts sprouting, it can be hard to keep up. They’re growing up before your very eyes, developing their own personalities and interests, and of course – extending their connection with you as their parent. With more time comes more responsibilities for both you and your child. The question is, how do you ensure that your growing kid stays connected with you? Here are 7 tips to help you stay connected with your growing kids:
Set up daily routines
Kids love routines. They help them know when it’s meal time, school time, storytime, playtime, and cleaning time. Routine also helps them know what to expect, to feel more confident and less anxious as they grow up. It’s important to set up daily routines that your growing kid can understand, such as meal times, bedtimes, and daily activities. Make sure that you follow these routines consistently. Kids pick up on inconsistencies in your behavior and are likely to get anxious, so follow the same routines every single day. Being inconsistent causes a lot of stress and anxiety for kids, so make sure you follow the same routines day in and day out. Routine also helps kids develop self-control, so they’ll learn to wait longer for things they want, like a trip to the playground.
Help them understand new developments
New developments in your child’s life – such as a new school, new friends, new activities, etc., can be exciting and stressful for your growing kid. Help your child to understand new developments in their life, such as when your child moves to a new school or has new friends. Talk to your child about why these changes are happening. Explain to them that it can be a little scary for your child to see friends that they used to hang out with at home suddenly grow up and leave the house. Try to talk to your child about how you’re feeling as a parent and how it might be different now that your child is older. Kids are quick to pick up on your emotions, so explain to your growing kid why you’re feeling sad, happy, or anxious about something. Being able to understand your emotions and communicate your feelings will help your child grow up knowing how to express their own emotions.
Keep talking to them
As much as possible, try to have conversations with your growing kid. It doesn’t have to be an hour-long conversation. Keep up a daily conversation with your growing kid, even if it’s just five minutes of chatting. It’s important to keep in mind that your growing kid is still a little kid, and they are still likely to get overwhelmed by a big conversation. A small conversation about the weather or about your day is enough to show your child that you’re there and listening to them.
Ask how you can help
Being a kid has its perks and responsibilities. You get to stay in your pajamas, skip school, and eat candy whenever you want. However, being a kid also comes with responsibilities, such as doing your chores, helping out around the house, and doing your homework. Be independent, but at the same time be helpful. Let your growing kid know that they can ask you for help, they just have to ask the right way. Let your child know that they can ask you how to do something, but they have to explain to you what they want to do. Make it easy for your child to ask for help by breaking things down, making it as simple as possible for them to ask for help. Make sure that you’re consistent in offering help to your growing kid. Offer help the same way every time, and when your child asks for help, do it. Accept help when your child offers it, and make sure that you don’t keep helping your kid even when they’ve been helping around the house.
Have healthy interactions with your child
Try to have healthy conversations with your growing kid. Keep your conversations with your kid positive and focused on things that your child is interested in. Avoid talking to your child about subjects that they don’t care about because they’ll feel frustrated and anxious. Be honest with your child. Let them know if they’ve made a mistake and if they’ve done something they’re not happy about. Kids need both constructive criticism, as well as praise. Avoid giving your child too much criticism, because you want your child to learn from their mistakes and do better next time. Let your child know how proud you are of them, and how much you love them. Kids need to know how important they are.
Don’t rely on technology for communication
Technology is great, but it’s not the only way to communicate with one another. Make sure that you talk to your growing kid, even if you don’t have anything to say. Make an effort to talk to your child, even if you don’t feel like it. Let your child know that he/she is important to you. Let them know that you love them and that you care about them. Let your child know that it’s okay to be sad or angry and that they can talk to you when they feel those emotions. Be a listening ear, and let your child know that they are loved and supported. Communication is essential between parents and kids, and it doesn’t have to be in the form of text messages or emails.
Conclusion
Staying connected with your growing kid is important. It’s important to keep the lines of communication open between you and your child. You don’t want your child to feel isolated or left out. Make an effort to talk to your growing kid, even if you don’t feel like it. Let them know that they are important to you and that you love them. Let them know that you are there to listen when they need someone to talk to. This will help to keep the connection between you and your growing kid strong. Communication is essential between parents and kids, and it doesn’t have to be in the form of text messages or emails. Make sure that you take the time to talk to your growing kid, even if you don’t have anything to say. This will help to keep the connection between you and your growing kid strong.