July 21st, 2009 by El Ed Mom

During this economically difficult time, parents have to think more than ever how to spend their money wisely. There is less money available for vacations, gifts or weekend activities. Even though many people are suffering under financial pressure, let’s look for something positive and see how parents can use this stressful time to connect to their children in a meaningful way without having to spend much money.

Have you ever made it to a weekend or a school holiday and wondered what to do with your child? For many parents, the TV and computer have become a low-cost, easily available babysitter. Even though children surely welcome any opportunity to sit in front of a screen, passing free time this way doesn’t encourage children to communicate, socialize and bond with family members and friends.

For some wonderful alternatives to spend meaningful and enjoyable time with your children you don’t need to go on expensive vacations or use money-eating arcade game palaces.

What children value and need the most is what costs you the least: Time with parents and other family members. Sure you would like to get something done in the house or be able to run your errands. But look at every half hour you can spend with your child like money put into the bank. Research has shown that the more quality time children spend with their parents, the better they will do in every aspect of life.

Go to the library and look for books on a topic your child is interested in. Start reading them together and talk about the topic. What activities can you think of related to this topic?

Go for a walk together and look for things outside. If you are surrounded by nature, look for sticks, stones, flowers. Use them to build a little work of art by arranging them on the ground in front of your house (take a picture!) or make a collage with glue on a piece of cardboard.

Do a puzzle marathon. Take out every puzzle you have, sit on the floor with your child and do all the puzzles together. Once the floor is covered with all the puzzles, take a picture with your child lying in the middle.

Go on an imaginary trip. Look at a map to decide where in the world you want to travel. Start to look up facts about this place, using books and/or Internet. Do a craft related to the country, have a typical meal from that country.

Write a letter to a family member. Use a big envelope and include anything in it that your child wants to send to them (paintings, little things that your child collected, photos). Have your child explain in the letter what those things are/mean to him/where he found them.

Tell your child: I have 30 minutes to play with you. What would you like to play with me? Then, sit down on the floor and stay there for those 30 minutes (don’t answer phone calls), and play with your child whatever game she picks.

If it is a nice day outside, go to the playground or ride your bikes! Draw with chalk on your driveway or on the sidewalk.

There are plenty of low-cost or free activities you can do with your child. The most important to keep in mind is that children can be perfectly happy with simple outings into nature, visits to the library or to museums (use free museum passes from your local public library!). Your children want to be with you – their family. That is what counts more than anything. No child will end up unhappy in life because he couldn’t have the latest toys, but a child would surely feel the consequences of not having had a close relationship with his parents and family members. You can feel good and proud after having had a special time with your child and you will have certainly made a difference in his/her life!

Patty Pless is a physician and PCI Certified Parent Coach®. She is currently staying home and raising her four children, ages 3 to 10 years. She coaches parents to help them overcome parenting struggles and to find balance in their family life. Parent coaching leads to long-lasting positive change in the family. To learn more about parent coaching and to contact Patty go to http://www.familyequilibrium.com/.