Reply to Working parents, what do you do with kids on weekday evenings?

Forum Index » General Parenting Discussion

Reply to "Working parents, what do you do with kids on weekday evenings?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]Some suggestions to make your evenings easier:

:arrow: While you cook:
Option A. Have your kids do a non-screen activity. Play with toys, do a puzzle, read books. Do you have a table in or near your kitchen where the kids can play near you? We set up a small folding table in the corner of our kitchen where the kids (preschool and elementary school) play with play-doh or sand. Having them nearby means I can talk to them about their day while they play and I cook. I'm not opposed to screentime, but you seem to have a lot of it and if your kids are hyper, doing something active (rather than a screen) might help them wind down.

Option B. Put them in the bath (assuming you trust them both not to drown by themselves or get too messy during dinner) while you make dinner. This keeps them contained and occupied and checks this task off the list early. Eat dinner after the bath, then read a book as part of bedtime.

Option C. If you really want to keep the screentime, try watching something together while you make dinner. This might mean setting up a small TV or tablet in the kitchen that you can all see while you cook. You mentioned sometimes watching the news with them, so this might be a good time to do that. Or watch something educational, if you prefer.

:arrow: Make easier/faster dinners or prep them in advance and just reheat. There are cookbooks at the library or lots of online resources for easy meal planning. I'm a fan of the cookbook [i]Carpool Cooks[/i]. It has a lot of one-pan meals with instructions for freezing and reheating, designed to feed busy families. Or make pasta with a side of cherry tomatoes. Or designate a night (or two) to getting take out. No shame in that! Save complicated cooking for the weekends when you have more time.

:arrow: Get your kids to bed and [i]then[/i] take your break on the couch.

:arrow: Don't worry about adding educational activities. You don't have time for it. Reading a book or playing with them at this age is going to be enough.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics