Top 10 Parenting Tips

The following are ten positive parenting tips to help you be a better parent.

1. Spend time with your kids

Spending time with your children is a great way to be a better parent. When you spend a lot of quality time with them, changes in their personality, friends and habits will be more noticeable. If they get involved with inappropriate people, things or situations you’ll be aware of it sooner and you’ll be able handle it quicker to minimize damage.

2. Make time for play every day

Play with your kids every day. Play benefits children and parents alike as it encourages movement, helps develop their imagination and self-esteem and gives parents an opportunity to nurture their children. Discourage excessive TV watching or playing video games; instead, take them to parks, encourage them to use blocks and other creative toys. Carve out play time every day.

3. Feed your baby healthy foods

As a parent, it’s important to make healthy choices with regard to food as often as possible. While occasional treats are fine, giving them treats as rewards or to convey love is not healthy.

4. Start learning early

Working with your child to help them learn is very important. Encourage your child to feel confident in their intelligence by playing math, science and reading games with them and reading to them. Learning and playing will improve your kids’ grades and overall performance in school; additionally, playing games improves their social skills and confidence so they’ll have more friends.

5. Create routines

Routines are important for kids and families. They provide stability and help establish good habits. Implement routines that involve meal times, study time, getting ready for bed and the like.

6. Communicate with your child

Talking with, and listening to, your child benefits both you and them. Communication between parents and their children helps to establish trust, respect and other good habits. When you talking to your children you help them expand their vocabulary while helping them formulate their own opinions and beliefs.

7. Family time

Establish, and commit to, family time on a regular basis. In some families, meals are designated family time, without exception. In others, movie night or game night are weekly events not-to-be-missed. Family time helps establish a sense of security within your children. Additionally, they will also feel loved and know they are part of something important. Family time also contributes to your children’s sense of identity and purpose.

8. Instill moral code

A critical part of parenting is teaching your children right and wrong. While you may not have a strict set of beliefs, religious or otherwise, it is critical as a parent that you instill in your child learn the difference between right and wrong along with the impact your actions have on others. Theft, violence, fraud and similar actions are inappropriate and illegal, in part because they infringe on other people’s rights.

9. Make yourself a priority

If you are unhappy or frazzled, your children see and feel it. Children are very perceptive so if want happy, healthy children making your happiness a priority is critical. Take breaks and schedule time for yourself. Many moms carve out time for a regular girls’ night out, a weekly massage or daily exercise to take time for themselves. Time away from your children is critical for you and them; it gives you time to “re-charge” your batteries and it allows your children to have autonomy and develop a sense of independence.

10. Make time for one-on-one activities

While as a mom you probably spend a great deal of time with your kids, part of developing strong bonds with your kids involves one-on-one time. Let them choose an activity whether it be going for a walk or going to a craft market. Mike it time to focus on them exclusively. Get to know your kids and their likes and dislikes. As they get older, it’s a chance to talk and connect without distracts and, hopefully, to build a strong mother-child bond.