A question for parents: How many minutes/hours of actual "quality time" do you spend with your preschooler?

Question

By "quality time", I mean complete interaction and undivided attention to your preschooler.
What are some fun activities you do together?
I'm looking for alternatives to plopping them in front of the TV!

Answer 1

I see noone has actually answered your question about how many minutes of actual 'quality time'. I guess I would spend about an hour with my 4 year old. We make cupcakes together. I let her do the 'tipping'. I find my days get so busy, undivided attention gets hard to give! But she seems to like 'helping' (of course it takes twice as long - but ?) She puts clothes in the washing machine and helps unload the dishwasher.
Also reading books counts as quality time doesnt it? I hope so.

Answer 2

I am a full-time mom and a full-time student. My daughter spends most of her time with me, I go to school while she is in school and do my homework when she is away or asleep. She spends time with her dad, but it is usually her and I. My girl is 5 and I have been very lucky to be able to enroll her in a private school. 2 days a week she away from the house for 6 1/2 hours, the other 3 she is away for 5 hours. She loves to do learning activities,puzzles and anything that she can do with her hands. We read to each other all the time. and sometimes we will play on the computer. Fridays are her nights, and she gets to watch what she wants for 1 hour. She gets a half hour in the mornings while getting ready for school. Any other time is when we as a "family"sit down and watch a movie. Half the time she only wants to watch education shows like Kids Discovery Channel or Animal Planet. My girl is my whole life, I don't want a t.v. to raise my child, that is what I am here for. My girls is spoiled beyond belief, and I wouldn't have it any other way. The only not so good thing is, she never wants to spend the night with anyone. It has been 4 years since we had a night apart. Please know, she is a very good mannered child. Sorry to go on and on, I just think that people who don't spend much time with their children hurt them in more ways than one.

Answer 3

I used to play games with oldest daughter (she is now 5), games were like candy land, chutes and ladders, memory. I also would read books to her and get on Noggin.com and help her with games. But usually it would be about 2 hours a day. Then other times I would take her to the park and she would have play dates. I also had her in daycare so that she would have interaction with other children. Well now she is in kindergarten and aside from school she is in Kickboxing and catechism. We also take her to the stadium and run around the track with her.

Answer 4

Dude, you could elect your acquaintances and your better 1/2 yet you won't be able to elect your relatives. i do not imagine that's so unusual to tire of one-on-one time with kinfolk IF that hasn't been the way issues often are. Take me as an social gathering, i love my mom, older brother, older sister and youthful sister and my estranged dad yet i'd not elect to spend better than an afternoon or 2 the position i did not have the skill to have some privateness if i wanted. If occurring a visit or kinfolk reunion, in my case, I basically might want to ask for some on my own time. The request should be life like though. as an social gathering, you won't be able to ask for 3 or 4 hours of on my own time in a small abode, apt, or motel. the position might want to each and every man or woman else bypass and do to confirm that you to have that on my own time? that's yet another social gathering of being unreasonable: in case you on my own time interferes with plans which have already been made as a kinfolk. if so basically suck it up and attempt to relish your self because you may want to damage it for each man or woman else. notwithstanding, each and every of the when you're basically waiting to get some on my own time or better probable a even as including your acquaintances, girlfriend or boyfriend. strong success.

Answer 5

Reading his picture books (complete with sound effects by yours truly to add more fun factor), walking around the garden to pick flowers, baking (of course little hands never get anywhere near the hot stuff), swimming (more like wading) in a little inflatable baby pool, drawing/coloring with those erasable markers or bath crayons, and of course - pretend play with his toys.

Answer 6

My daughter is 3 years old and we have a huge craft box of stuff we have boughten and have found around the house. We have old egg cartons, paper towel rolls (as toilet paper rolls have been ruled as unsanitary now), pipe cleaners, googly eyes,etc. we spend about 1 hour EVERY day making out own puppets, pictures, "people, etc.

Answer 7

With my wee boy we go on bear hunts (pretend ones)he loves it we also play lots of football and swim in the lake he very much an outside boy,my girl is into art and crafts and dancing and loves when i do silly dances she is 7 so another year or so it will be OH DAD stop your embarrasing me ah well enjoy it while it lasts HA!HA!

Answer 8

do stuff with paper - applications, origami (simple ones of course), also doing stuff from clay or other material for that purpose is good. it is good for brains to work with hands. u might get some musical instrument (piano i have, it is the simplest) - kids love making sounds on musical instruments. of course u can read to a child, they love that too, u might concoct some stories of your own. whatever u do with your child is better than putting him/her in front of tv

Answer 9

my daughter loves to cut pictures out of my magazines and paste them onto plain paper, she makes different heads and bodies then puts them in a folder
or makes cards out of them

Answer 10

I finger paint, draw, build with blocks, play counting or ABC's board games or go walking.......and we dance she loves to dance to music