Reconnect with your Kids this Summer

Summer is here, and holidays often become the bane of parents’ lives. Kids are on our hands 24×7, and we don’t always know what to do with them while continuing to fulfil our other commitments.

We try enrolling them in summer camps and coaching classes, footing huge bills while juggling work schedules around dropping and picking them up. Yet, time seems to drag. “What shall we do?” becomes the constant query. Their shouts and screams fill the house, and every room looks as though a tornado has just struck.

But there is a way out—apart from packing them off to classes or sending them to their native homes.

Re-Orienting the Parenting Matrix

Parenting today comes with many challenges—work stress, financial worries, marital tension, and conflict. There are more forces than ever pulling at our relationships with our children. Life, with its infinite distractions and constant separations, has a way of eroding connection.

As parents, we need to repeatedly reconnect with our children to repair the daily erosion created by life’s normal separations and distractions. Summer is actually a wonderful opportunity to create lasting memories by sharing experiences that are fun for the whole family.

While our children are separated from us, they orient themselves around other influences—their teachers, peers, iPads, or smartphones. As Gordon Neufeld, author of Hold On to Your Kids, says, when we recollect our children physically into our orbit, we must make sure we recollect them emotionally as well.

Effective parenting is almost impossible until a positive connection with your child has been re-established. Think of this as preventive maintenance before problems arise.

How?
Place a premium on relationships in your family. When reconnecting after time apart becomes an expected and valued rhythm of life, children begin to share that expectation.

Summer—when children are free from academic pressure and rigid school schedules—is the perfect time to reconnect with them, their lost childhood, and the child hidden within us.

And who says you need to drive 14 hours or hop on a plane to a far-off destination to have a fabulous summer? There are countless things you can do at home—or on vacation—to make the most of your quality time together.

Be a Kid with Your Kids

Often, as adults, we become so disconnected from what it feels like to be a child—burdened by responsibilities and deadlines—that we forget to relax and enjoy the moment.

Acting goofy and playful is a perfect way to reconnect. Let your kids try on your clothes and shoes or paint your nails. You may look silly running around playing Spiderman—but who cares? You’re bonding with them.

When children can relate to you, the relationship deepens and the bond grows stronger.

Unplug Together

Turn off the iPhones, tablets, and TV. Remind yourself why you had kids—and how much fun they are.

Pull out those board games you bought years ago in anticipation of children old enough to play. Do activities everyone enjoys. Think about how families spent time together in the pre-technology era.

Better still—ask your kids for ideas and try out feasible ones.

Getting a Little Wet and Muddy

Get out of the four walls and head outdoors!

If you have space, try gardening or water fights. Be ready to get messy—don’t worry about the laundry later. Wear old clothes set aside for such fun.

Watching vegetables or flowers grow—and tending to them—is deeply therapeutic and stress-busting.

If you don’t have garden space, go for walks. Explore nearby parks and observe flowers, insects, and nature together.

Cooking Together

Cooking or baking together is a wonderful bonding activity.

You don’t have to shoulder the kitchen alone. Give up control and involve the family in at least one meal a week. Get innovative—try new recipes.

Rotate the role of “Master Chef” among family members while others assist. Make sure cleaning up is part of the deal so you’re not left with a huge mess.

And whenever possible, eat family meals together at the table—not in front of the TV or laptop.

Music and Art

Music and art are therapeutic, and doing them together is great fun.

If you’re a musical family, try jamming together or hosting a karaoke night. Let the talent flow! Why not try dancing too? As a couple, you could even learn a dance style together.

If art interests you, create a joint art piece or redecorate a room. The goal isn’t perfection but the joy of creativity—so don’t get finicky about details and spoil the mood.

You could even learn a musical instrument or art form together.

Get Sporty

Playing sports together is a fantastic way to bond.

Choose a sport and play it regularly—it keeps everyone fit, active, and happy. Don’t hesitate to try new sports.

Play in your parking area, backyard, or at a sports centre that suits most family members.

Role Reversal

Time for Mom and Dad to take a break—let the kids be in charge!

Depending on their age, this can be as elaborate as you like. Let them make dinner while you pretend to complain about being hungry. Ask them to plan an entire day—or even just an afternoon.

When kids lead, creativity has no limits.

Make This Summer Count

If you intentionally set apart time to spend together as a family this summer, there are plenty of activities to explore.

Step out of your comfort zones. Break routine. Beat monotony.

Let this summer be a season of deep bonding and memories that last a lifetime.