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Your children need your time, love, and undivided attention. As a parent, you’re likely to significantly influence their lives — it’s your responsibility to build their confidence and help them feel secure.
Rituals and habits that are regularly in your family life will impact them the most. Even when you are busiest, you can show your child that you are concerned during your everyday, ordinary activities.
Consider the following ideas to be part of your regular routines to make your child feel valued and loved:
1. Be Attentive
Actively listen when your child talks to you. Show that you’re listening by stopping what you’re doing and maintaining eye contact. Share their enthusiasm about what they’re talking about, even if the subject is about fish, or somewhere you’ve both gone many times.
If you can’t stop what you’re doing, let your child know and be sure to follow up later in the day when you can provide full attention. You may even discover that he or she is depressed.
2. Show Affection
Kiss and hug your children regularly. Physical contact helps you bond with your children.
The studies of Child Trends, a non-profit research organization, show that better parent-child communication, higher self-esteem, and fewer behaviour and psychological problems have been linked to affection and warmth between a parent and their child.
3. Provide Genuine Praise
When praising your child, quality is more important than quantity. Tell your child that you’re proud of him or her for putting in the effort, regardless of the outcome.
This means don’t praise your child for everything they do, but recognize when they do something out of the ordinary, or when they are trying hard to achieving something
4. Ask for Help
Get your child’s help with chores and give him or her an opportunity to teach you how to do things, too. Ask them to take out the trash, set the dinner table, or walk the dog. Appreciate your child for playing a part in ensuring your house is running smoothly.
Thank him or her for teaching you how to use popular apps they are using, such as Snapchat, or for explaining a new slang word.
5. Go for a Drive
Invite your child to join you on your errands. While it may take you a longer time to complete your to-do list, the conversations and one-on-one time along the way are worth it.
6. Create Bedtime Rituals
The time spent before sleep is a good opportunity to unwind and connect. Snuggle together and share your favourite books. Tell stories from your real-life experiences. Take turns sharing something that happened that day which you are thankful for.
7. Enjoy Family Meals
Research indicates that there are mental, emotional and physical benefits of having regular family meals. Having dinner together is another opportunity to spend some uninterrupted, quality time as a family.
Make mealtimes device-free so no one is distracted. Kids feel valued and important when their parents show genuine interest in their child’s day, ask questions, and share back about their own day.
You can also look at other articles in our blog such as "The Hows and Whys of Ways To Make Babies Laugh" and "Fun Ways For Supporting Learning At Home" to learn more about injecting play into everyday life.
"Fun Activities" to Make Your Child Feel Special:
Occasional treats and thoughtful surprises also help a child to feel important. There are many ways to light your child’s face up without having to spend exorbitantly. Try these ideas:
1. Send “Snail Mail”
Receiving physical mail from someone is so rare nowadays that anything you send may feel special. Write and mail a letter to your child for their birthday or send a “Just Because” card to show you care — this is something they’ll always remember.
2. Plan Outings
Short trips also provide quality time together as a family and help your child to continue learning outside of school. Visit a museum, and discuss what you learnt. Go to your neighbourhood library. Encourage your child to choose a few books you can read together later.
3. Celebrate Holidays
Establish family traditions for Chinese New Year, Christmas and any other holidays that mean something to you. Even simple practices such as making a favourite meal together can create lasting memories.
Making your children feel valued and loved will help them grow up to be happy and "responsible" adults. Treasure your time spent with each other and create memories that you’ll both enjoy for the coming years.
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Nurture Infant House is Singapore's leading infant care in Tampines.
We have over 10 years of experience in nurturing thousands of infants aged from 2 months to 18 months. Our infant care Tampines or infant care at Tampines has a purposefully curated environment that provides our infants with a warm, loving and interactive environment to learn and grow in body and in mind independently.
If you are looking for Tampines infant care or Tampines preschool or Tampines childcare, do consider Nurture Infant House. We provide parents with the confidence that their infants are in the good hands of our trained and caring teachers.
Also, if you are looking for a Tampines preschool or childcare Tampines for playgroup, nursery or kindergarten, you can consider enrolling your child in Genesis Childcare 1989.
Our Tampines childcare is one of Singapore's leading childcare services. Visit our childcare at Tampines and Tampines preschool to learn more about our curriculum and how we ensure a holistic development for your child.
At our preschool Tampines, we believe in the growth and potential of every child and aim to develop your child to their best.
Lastly, would you like to visit our Nurture Infant House to find out more about our environment and setup as well as understand our operations by talking to our teachers and supervisor?
Nurture Infant House (2 to 18 months Infants)
Blk 433 Tampines Street 43 #01-61 Singapore 520433
Genesis Childcare 1989 (Playgroup to Kindergarten 2)
Blk 433 Tampines Street 43 #01-63/65 Singapore 520433
Opening hours: Monday to Friday (7am to 7pm) & Saturday (7am to 2pm)
Public Bus services: 8 / 21 / 28 / 29 / 293
Tel: 96664141
