29 one-on-one activities to do with your child

What do you do with that one child that simply refuses to do anything that isn’t to do with their screens? Well, as Noel Janis-Norton tells us, it’s not just about screens. The angry resistance that your child is showing can often be a result of the parent-child relationship.

So, what can you do to improve tensions?

Noel suggests spending “special time” with your child. This is where one parent spends one-on-one time with one child. It’s not about taking them out for treats or about doing an activity together that involves screens. It’s about spending quality time together doing something that you both enjoy.

Now here’s where some parents struggle. What activities will their kids enjoy doing with them? What’s right for their age-bracket? What DID we used to do before screens?

We’ve come up with 29 activities you can use to kick-start your quality time!

Just for fun…

1. Playing cards (snap, go fish, rummy, even building a stack of cards) ♠️♦️
2. Looking for snails in the garden ????
3. Telling knock-knock jokes (why don’t you each make a stand-up routine?) ????
4. Create or solve a puzzle
5. Write a short story ✏️
6. Make friendship bracelets ????
7. Play “house” ????
8. Play a game (board or otherwise) ????
9. Make a collage or mosaic

To learn life skills and enhance your child’s knowledge…

1. Learn a new song
2. Make a meal or baked treat together
3. Pack a shoebox for charity
4. Start learning a new language
5. Take a trip to a museum
6. Visit an art gallery
7. Draw/paint/sketch together
8. Read a book together

To teach them responsibilities around the house….

Ok, so maybe it’s not something you both enjoy doing, but it will be more enjoyable doing it together!

1. Fold the laundry
2. Wash the car
3. Water plants or do some other activity in your garden
4. Sweep the floors
5. Do a closet clear out and take the excess to charity!
6. Take the dog for a walk

For exercise…

1. Come up with a dance routine
2. Go for a hike
3. Get the bikes out and go for a long bike ride
4. Are you both water babies? Go swimming!
5. Visit a playground
6. Create your own obstacle course. If it’s raining, you could create a ‘laser’ obstacle course with string in the hallway instead.

There you have it! 29 one-on-one activities that you can do to make sure your child has quality time with you.

If your child seems a bit resistant at first, it might be because they simply aren’t used to the idea. Don’t make it an option — tell them you’re going to spend quality time together. Then ask them to pick the activity from this list, so they know they get a say.

Carving out a bit of time each week to do one of these activities will make your child less resistant over time to other ideas that you suggest (like screen time). So go on, give one of these a go today!

What else do you do with your kids when it comes to quality time? Let us know in the comments below!