This enhances your connection because your child feels

4 Simple Yet Powerful Ways to Connect with Your Younger Kids

canada goose We don’t have to take vacations to Disney World or some other fancy place and buy up the souvenirs in order to bond with our young kids. We don’t have Canada Goose online to purchase pricey presents or purchase everything they want on every Target trip (or on most Target trips). We don’t have to spend every waking moment with them in order to feel closer. canada goose

buy canada goose jacket cheap You probably know this intellectually. But when you want the best for your kids, to make them smile, to make them happy, you forget. And you load up your shopping cart with random toys and trinkets, and buy big trips you can’t afford. buy canada goose jacket cheap

canada goose uk shop But connection happens in smaller ways, in everyday moments. While the big trip can build sweet memories, so can playing pretend with your 3 year old. As Gretchen Rubin said, “what we do every day (or at least most days) matters more than what we do once in a while.” Below therapists shared these small and still very much significant strategies to help you and your kids sincerely bond. canada goose uk shop

cheap Canada Goose Play together. Play is one of the most significant ways you can connect with young canada goose store kids, according to Rebecca Ziff, LCSW, a psychotherapist canada goose clearance sale who specializes in working with kids, teens and families. When you play with your kids, “you are communicating to them they are important, loved, and fun to be around.”Play is your child’s main method of self expression, she said. cheap Canada Goose

canada goose factory sale Ziff suggested setting special time aside every buy canada goose jacket day to play with your child. For instance, according to Athey Lloyd, your 2 year old might want to serve you food that he’s “cooked.” Your 5 year old might want to use her dollhouse characters to tell an elaborate story. And your 8 year old might want to canada goose black friday sale play a board game. canada goose factory sale

canada goose store Avoid telling your child how to play or following the rigid rules of a game or activity like coloring. Let your child start, so you can observe. Then “mirror what they are doing,” Ziff Canada Goose Jackets said. Maybe your child is drawing dots inside the coloring book, so you do the same. Maybe they’re not even coloring but are dumping the crayons out and putting them back in, which you do, too. canada goose store

canada goose uk black friday Other ways to play together canada goose deals include: cooking, canada goose clearance baking, making anything, walking (or skipping!), hula hooping, dancing and reading. canada goose uk black friday

canada goose clearance Plus, it provides “your child with wonderful memories of a parent who was truly engaged and dedicated,” Grover said. “When a child feels valued by their parents, they value themselves more and work harder to achieve their goals.” canada goose clearance

Narrate their play. This is canada goose coats simply saying aloud what your child is doing. “You can think of yourself as an announcer at a baseball game providing the play by play,” Ziff said.

Canada Goose Online It also includes canadagooseoutletcanada.ca pinpointing their positive behaviors. “The more the parentattendsto these positive behaviors, the more the child will work to get that positive attention, which is simply the parent giving undivided attention in those few minutes,” said Pletter, who works with many families struggling to find the balance of connecting with their children while managing their adult responsibilities and pressures. This enhances your connection because your child feels supported and encouraged, he said. Canada Goose Online

Canada Goose sale Ziff shared this example of what narrating can look like (which, of course, will depend on your child’s age): starting to make the soup. You putting in so many yummy vegetables some spaghetti, some milk, and lots of pepper! Oh, now you’re turning on the burner and making it extra hot. Sizzle, Sizzle. in your child’s interests. Know your child’s favorite characters and the lyrics to their favorite songs, Athey Lloyd said. “You may be sick of hearing ‘Let It Go’ for the thousandth time. But this time will pass quickly, and someday you will be nostalgic for their rendition.” Canada Goose sale

buy canada goose jacket Also, expand on their canadian goose jacket interests. If they like trains, in addition to buying a train set, take them on a scenic train ride, Athey Lloyd said. Experiential learning is especially bonding, and also creates wonderful, vivid memories for kids, she said. buy canada goose jacket

canadian goose jacket Involve them in your own interests, too. Pletter recommended engaging your child in age appropriate, parent centered activities. For instance, you might attend sporting events or concerts. You might go bike riding or visit a science museum. canadian goose jacket

Canada Goose Parka This is especially important because in many households today kids rule the roost. More and more families are focused on their children’s wants and interests, which actually negatively affects connection and canada goose creates pressure, Pletter said. Kids begin to have more control than their parents. “Combine that with the child having access to the adult world online (in many cases) and the boundaries between the generationscontinue to blur,” Pletter said. “[This] results in increased pressure on the child to act older and anxiety as the child is sometimes overwhelmed with the adult level decision making and power.” Canada Goose Parka

canada goose clearance sale To create a balance, Pletter suggested this exercise: Cut out canada goose outlet six slips of paper, with three for you, and three for your child. Write down three Canada Goose Outlet different activities that you know your child enjoys doing that you’re willing to do. Then have your child pick three activities that you enjoy doing that they’re willing to do. “Throw all six slips in a hat and pull one at a time, knowing that there are six activities that you can do together with some common interest that will enhance your parent/child connection.” canada goose clearance sale

Canada Goose Outlet Ultimately, the best way to connect with your child is to give them your full, undivided attention. It’s to wear their lenses. As Canada Goose Parka Athey Lloyd said, “From my perspective, the key to connecting with young kids is to practice seeing the world from their perspective.” This is how we genuinely listen. This is a powerful way to show our love. is an Associate Editor at canada goose coats on sale Psych Central. Canada Goose sale (2018).. Psych Central Canada Goose Outlet.