50 Ways to Find Quality Time With Your Kids With a Busy Schedule

This post contains affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.

Quality time with my kids is one of my favorite types of self care. While all of the tasks of being a mom can often feel overwhelming, I never regret slowing down and spending time with my kids.

As moms, we often feel like we are constantly “with” our kids when we are home. About half of that time is spent tending to their needs while the other half is spent catching up on all the things on our todo lists. But how much of the we spend with them is quality time? Are we truly slowing down to connect with our kids?

My ah-ha moment happened one day when my youngest was barely two. He had asked me to play and I sat down with my phone in hand and was glancing at my email every time I thought he wasn’t looking. With a big sigh, he said, “Mommy, put your phone down. Look at my eyes!” My heart shattered. This sweet little boy just needed to know I was truly there with him and I was worried about a work email that could definitely wait five minutes.

I decided then that I needed to find ways to be totally present and find better work-life balance. That may sound like a no-brainer, but when I looked back on it, I realized that most of the time I was with them I was multitasking. I quickly found that when I stopped what I was doing to totally focus on them, my kids were less likely to be yelling “mom” every five seconds. Today I’m sharing a little inspiration for carving out that quality time with your kids.

Why Quality Time is Important

Spending time together as a a family or with a parent and child helps strengthen your bonds. It makes it easier to communicate with your children and understand what they are thinking. Quality time with your kids also gives a sense of belonging among family members and lets them know how much you care about them.

Family time also has benefits beyond the bond you share with your child. Research shows that spending quality time helps build self-confidence and helps kids perform better in school. It has a positive impact on mental health for everyone and can help make it easier to overcome challenges.

Make a List of Favorite Quality Time Activities

Sit down with each child and make a list of all of the things you like to do together. Some of these can be big things like going to an amusement park or spending the day at the zoo. Others may be quick like snuggle time or reading a book. Writing it down helped me listen to what quality time my child wanted and helped to see what was most important to each of my kiddos. I realized some of the little things that I may have overlooked were the moments that they loved the most.

Here’s one of the lists we made. We divide the activities into sections so we can see how much time or planning we might need for each one. Each day (or each week), pick one thing from the list to do together. Cross them off or let your child color them in as you go. Once you finish one list, create another. I love to save the list of how I spent quality time with my kids as a little reminder of all of the things we do.

Additional Ideas for Spending Quality Time Together

1. Eat Together. Sit down at the table and eat breakfast or dinner together. We have a no technology rule at the table so we can focus on conversations. It’s a great time to talk about our days. These conversation starters are also a fun way to learn more about what makes your child tick.
2. Read a Book. Snuggle up on the couch or in a quiet space and spend some time reading. Picture books are great for little ones. As kids get older and start reading longer books on their own, find books with conversation starters like this one or read a chapter of a book together every day.
3. Take a Walk. Get away from distractions and take a walk around your neighborhood or at a park. Even short walks are great for getting some fresh air and finding a little time to chat.
4. Play a Game. Dedicate time to play a game as a family. There are so many great choices out there! Pick some that take a few minutes to play for busier nights and others that are more complicated for a family game night. For more game ideas, check out this post.
5. Build a Puzzle. Find a space to work on a puzzle together. Puzzles are a great brain break and are so fun to do as a family. These wooden puzzles are extra fun because they have fun shapes hidden throughout. Kids love to save the shapes to put in at the end.
6. Do a Craft. Get creative and complete a craft as a family. Use what you already have at home or purchase a craft kit to do together. Here are some fun crafts to try!
   • Glow in the Dark Wooden Painting
   • Mosaic Crafts
   • Foil Art
   • Wooden Magnets
   • DIY Coasters (great for older kids)
   • Window Art
   • Scratch Paper Art
   • Friendship Bracelets
   • Wooden Cars
7. Have a Dance Party. Clear out a space, turn on your favorite music, and dance together. To make the space extra fun, add a disco light to the mix.
8. Go on a Scavenger Hunt. Make a list of things to look for and go on a scavenger hunt at the park or in your neighborhood. You can also create fun scavenger hunts inside. We love to make our own, but you can also find ideas online like this one and this one.
9. Journal Together. Get a blank notebook and decorate it together. Use the notebook to answer journal prompts with your kids. You can write notes to each other, answer questions, or turn it into a gratitude journal. Find what works best for you and your family and add to it on a regular basis. This journal is great for helping kids work through their emotions.
10. Do a Science Experiment. Have fun experimenting with your kids. Line a baking sheet with baking soda, let your kids drop small amounts of vinegar on the sheet to see the reaction. You can find so many more fun ideas here.
11. Do a Good Deed. Find ways to do little acts of kindness as a family. Help a neighbor with a task, pick up trash in your local park, or help someone in need.
12. Learn Together. Sign up for a class or look topics up online to learn something new together. It could be something simple like how skip rocks or how to make slime. The important thing is that you are doing it together!
13. Start a Collection. Find something you both love and start a collection. Favorite rocks, stamps, stickers, and magnets are easy places to start. Have a place to store or display your collection so you can go back and talk about where you found each item. Make a note each time you add something to help you remember.
14. Go on a Date. Parent and child dates are one of the best ways to spend quality time with kids. Let your child pick a place to eat or an activity to do together. Go for ice cream, see a movie, or go shopping together.
15. Build a Fort. Pull out some old sheets and blankets and make a fort together. Hide out in the fort and read a book or tell stories together.
16. Watch a Movie. Let your child pick their favorite movie to watch together. Snuggle up on the couch and enjoy together. For extra fun, pop some popcorn and hide some treats (like candy) in the bowl with the popcorn.
17. Look at Pictures. Go through pictures on your phone or printed pictures and talk about all of the memories from when the pictures were taken.
18. Volunteer Together. Find volunteer opportunities in your community to attend together. Visit a senior center, participate in community clean-ups, or volunteer to help with activities at a local event.
19. Go on an Adventure. Think of something you have never done and find a way to do it together. Try a new type of food, visit a new place, or create your own adventure
20. Plant a Garden. Create a space outside to plant a small garden as a family. Start simple with some herbs or small plants. It’s so fun to watch things grow! If you don’t have an outdoor space to garden, consider growing some herbs inside.
21. Exercise Together. Stay active by finding ways to exercise as a family. Go for a jog or practice yoga. If your child has a favorite sport, go outside and spend some time practicing. There are also some great family workout videos online.
22. Make Bracelets. Pick out string or beads in your favorite colors and make bracelets for each other. This is a great activity to do at the beginning of the school year or when you know you might be apart for a little while. Wear the bracelet as a reminder of how much you care about each other.
23. Look at the Stars. Go outside at night and do some stargazing together. Look up constellations and see if you can find them together.
24. Build a Birdhouse. Create your own birdhouse or build one from a kit. Hang it outside and watch to see if any birds make a home in it.
25. Have a Paper Airplane Contest. Build paper airplanes and see who can make theirs go the farthest. You can test out your own designs or use a kit to create different planes to try out.
26. Learn a New Language. Take time to learn vocabulary or phrases in a new language and practice with your child. Get a language dictionary from your library or use an app like Babble or Duo Lingo for step-by-step lessons.
27. Create a Musical Instrument. Work together to build a musical instrument. Play the instrument together and make up songs. If you don’t have time to build, get creative by using pots and pans with spoons or a large plastic container as a drum.
28. Have a Glow Party. Grab some glowsticks, turn off the lights, and have a glow party.
29. Write a Story. Create a story together. Brainstorm ideas and write out the story. Ask your child to draw the pictures to go along with it. Make it into a book that you can go back and read later.
30. Go Camping. Find a local campground or set up a tent in your backyard. Camping is a great way to unplug and spend time together outdoors.
31. Create a Puppet Show. Use a box or a couple of chairs and a blanket to create the perfect space for a puppet show. Make your own puppets using socks or paper bags. You can also grab some stuffed animals to use as puppets. Put on a show for the family.
32. Sensory Play. Create a sensory bin by filling a small plastic tub with items such as rice or small pasta. Add in small toys and work with your child to find the items in the bin. Sensory play is great for toddlers or preschoolers.
33. Create an Obstacle Course. Use items you have around the house to build an obstacle course. Jump through hula hoops, use chalk or tape to create lines to follow, add small step stools for jumping. Involve your child in the planning and see what they come up with. You can find more ideas here.
34. Rock Painting. Paint rocks together to display at home or hide outside. Make a game of it by organizing a treasure hunt to find all of the rocks. You can look for rocks on your own or purchase a kit with all the supplies.
35. Play a Video Game Together. If your kiddo is really into video games, find one you can play together. Make it a family competition.
36. Take a Bike or Scooter Ride. Look for bike trails in your community and go out and ride together.
37. Go for a Drive. Hop in the car and take a drive to see a new place. In the winter, go see holiday lights or drive through a new area. Play games and talk as you drive.
38. Clean Together. Make tidying up fun by making a game out of cleaning. Work together to pick up your child’s room or ask them to help you clean a part of your house. Completing a task together gives a sense of accomplishment and there are many opportunities for conversation as you go.
39. Family Talent Show. Have each family member think of a talent or skill that makes them unique. Set up a space for each person to showcase their talent. Let each family member vote on their favorite.
40. Do an Art Project. Grab some supplies and create something together. Use watercolor paints, crayons, or any type of material to create a family masterpiece.
41. Go on a Hike. Find local parks or trails to explore together. Take a small notebook and pencil or use your phone camera to document your adventure.
42. Make a Collage. Find materials to create a collage together. Use found objects like leaves or small rocks, or grab some extra art supplies. You can also make a color collage by finding lots of objects of the same color to put together. Glue them on paper to save and display, or collect the items on a small plate and put them back when you’re finished.
43. Create a Fairy Garden. Work together and use your imagination to create a fairy garden. Reuse items that aren’t getting much attention or find things around the yard to set up a small space outside. Add to it as you find new items.
44. Water Balloon or Snowball Fight. Bring out your competitive side by having a water balloon or snowball fight together. These water balloons are super easy to fill up all at once and these reusable ones are great for all ages.. If the weather isn’t right for either of those, grab some soft balls and pretend.
45. Attend a Sporting Event. Watch a local team play your favorite sport and cheer them on as a family. For free events, check out local high school teams.
46. Write a Letter. Write letters to a friend or family member and send them in the mail. This is a fun way to practice writing and make connections offline with people who are important to you. Ask the person to write back so there is something to look forward to.
47. Make Bubbles. Make your own bubble solution by mixing 1/2 cup of dish soap, 1 1/2 cups of water and 2 teaspoons of sugar. Stir the ingredients together and go outside to blow bubbles together. Play around with different recipes to see which one makes the best bubbles.
48. Pick Fruit. Visit a local farm or orchard and pick fruit together. Bring your fruit home and make a recipe as a family to get a little extra quality time with your kids.
49. Overcome a Fear. Think of something you have always wanted to do that scares you a little. Make plans to do it together. It could be jumping off the diving board, trying out for a team, or making a video. The best way to get over your fear is to have your family cheering you on.
50. Establish New Traditions. Find new things that you love to do as a family and create your own traditions. Sunday donuts as a family, Friday pizza nights, or any regular activity that you love.

Take time to slow down and talk to your kids about what they like to do with you or as a family. Write them all down and create a list to refer back to. Pick a one (or more) things each week to try together. Add new ideas to your list and keep going!

Remember, no matter how stressful the day, you will walk away from quality time with your kids feeling a little better.

Do you have a favorite way to spend quality time with your kids? Let us know in the comments!