Little Zoie's Steps

You’ve got oodles of things to do and only a little time to do them in. On top of all this, you know you should be spending time with your children. But how do you get your errands complete and still have time for your kids? Well, here are five ways to achieve this most challenging task.

1. House Work – Folding clothes, doing the dishes, dusting, and vacuuming; all those mind-numbing chores that everyone hates. Make it into a game. Have your kids help you out around the house. They can make the bed while you talk about what happened at school, or help you do the dishes while chatting about the latest events in their favorite cartoon. The ‘vacuum monster’ can give them motivation to pick up the toys sprinkled across the floor, and little ones love dusting tables ‘whistling while they work’. (A la Cinderella or Snow White!)
2. Yard Work – Pulling weeds is great fun for children, especially when Mom is right there frolicking in the dirt with them. All kids love to get filthy, and yard work is a great opportunity for them to draw out their sand buckets and wagons and get to work. Watering the grass on a hot summer day can easily be changed into a trip to the backyard water park. Not only does your yard stay green, but your children get exercise too.
3. Grocery Shopping – You’ve got to pick up some stuff to prepare for dinner, but why not take this occasion to teach your children? A grocery store is an unlimited learning environment. Younger kids can review their colors and names of fruit, older kids can weigh vegetables and choose what sale items are a good deal. While they’re learning, you are having quality time and accomplishing something.
4. Cooking – Even the youngest tots can help Mom in the kitchen. They can rinse the vegetables, shred the lettuce, and verify the measuring cups are filled all the way. Older kids can be trained how to cut up a chicken, how to know when the potatoes are done, and how to decorate a cake. Whatever way you accomplish it; kids need to know how to cook.
5. Exercise – This may seem like a solo activity, but it doesn’t have to be. Have your child ride his tricycle as you jog and he’ll have no problem keeping pace. Pull your toddler in a wagon and your legs will be toned quickly. Even aerobics can turn out to be playtime if you add some amusing moves and silly music.

Whatever errands or chores you have to do, try to include your children. Don’t just drag them along. They will be adults soon and they need to learn the things that you know. It’s never too soon to get underway. The more you chat with your kids, the healthier your relationship with them will be. So have fun, hang out, and get stuff accomplished.

Author Bio

Heather Smith is an ex-nanny. Passionate about thought leadership and writing, Heather regularly contributes to various career, social media, public relations, branding, and parenting blogs/websites. She also provides value to become a nanny by giving advice on site design as well as the features and functionality to provide more and more value to nannies and families across the U.S. and Canada. She can be available at H.smith7295 [at] gmail.com.