Make The Most Of Your Time With Your Kids: How To Organise Your Schedule

As soon as you have kids, it might feel like you never have five minutes to yourself; especially if you’re a working, single parent. You have to juggle your day job with childcare, school, clubs, activities, cleaning, cooking, and general upkeep of the kids. And all that’s before you get to have a social life of your own. Is there a way that you can organise your schedule better, to make the most of your time with your kids? Let’s find out.

Prioritise

Talk to your kids and assess what’s important to everyone. Do you need a few hours on Friday night to hang out with your friends (to maintain your sanity)? Does your youngest passionately love her piano lessons? Keep what matters, but cut-down on time-consuming excesses, such as multiple clubs after school and trips into town.

Discuss this with your children, before you make any decisions. Explain that you’re trying to free up your schedule, so you can spend some time together as a family, and that you can’t do that if your weekend is spent running around various lessons and extra-curricular activities.

Limit TV Time

This may cause a riot, depending on what your kids like to do best. Rather than turning the TV off altogether, we’d recommend coming up with family activities and tasks that have to be completed before free rein of the TV. If it’s possible in your family, leave the TV off, except on one or two days during the week. Try to be more active with your kids, rather than sitting on the sofa all day.

Make It About The Family

Do you go jogging? Take the kids with you on their bikes. When cooking, assign each child a task. This will teach them useful skills, as well as speed up dinner. Think about everyday tasks that can be improved and shortened with some quality family time. Drag your kids away from their computers, if you have to.

Go Out!

Make memories! Staying at home can be fun, after a long week at work, but getting out to exciting venues, such as Knowsley Safari Park, or your nearest adventure centre, can bring you closer together as a family. Don’t forget to take your camera with you!

Family Night

Every week, assign a day to family night. Let each member of the family take it in turns to decide what you do during this evening, whether it’s watching a movie or playing a board game. Jump into your PJs and chill out together!

Make Goals

Decide what you want to aim for as a family and do your best to reach those goals. Do you want to be better readers? Have a week where every day, 30 minutes is assigned to poring over a book. Common goals make you stronger! It’s easy to reach your target when you have the support of your whole family.