Holidays and a scare of a new variant, many of us opt to stay at home this holiday season. But how can we make the most of these holidays with our children? What are the many ways we can stay safe within our homes and still build a good relationship with our children? Like any other relationship, our relationship with our children requires our time and attention.

So, get ready awesome DIY projects to make this holiday season memorable for you and your family.

Why do we need to have a strong parent-child relationship ?

First, let us understand why a need is even to have this relationship. Aren’t we parents? Aren’t we the reason they exist? Isn’t that should be natural. Well, sorry to break the bubble, but that’s not true. As children grow older and develop their individuality, we often see a rift developing between them and their parents.

But a solid parent-child relationship is crucial for a child’s future success and development. According to this Harvard university report that appeared in parenting for brain.

And as Muslims, we know our children are an Amanah for which and will be questioned in the Hereafter. Here are a few benefits a positive parent-child relationship has on a child.

1. A sense of security:

A child should feel secure when around a parent, where they are not threatened and can remain themselves. Reports have shown that such a sense of security immensely boosts a child’s self-esteem, and such children seem to be more resilient.

2. Increased emotional development:

Children with a positive parent-child relationship are good at self-regulation, which leads to increased emotional awareness and enhanced child development.

3. Increased self-esteem:

Such children learn to value themselves and have an increased level of self-esteem. An excellent parent-child relationship in the early years forms the foundation of a child’s self-esteem that carries him throughout the years.

4. Developing future solid relationships:

All these positives provide a child with great tools to form a good relationship with others in the future. Such children have strong relationships with others, thus creating a ripple effect in society.

Knowing all these advantages will help us, parents, strive to create that positive impact on our children.

How to develop a strong relationship with our children:

As most people would advise, you spend time as a family. But the problem is just spending time with each other won’t work as we all have experienced it in the lockdowns of 2020.

We need to be more present when around our children. Just like how toddlers demand our constant attention, older kids too sometimes need the comfort of a hug and a listening ear, but they cannot convey it. They too need some special time with us. Here are some tips to keep in mind when skyrocketing your relationship with your child.

1. Repair the damage already done:

Before building that incredible bond, try to fix what has been broken and build upon it.

2. Quantity over quality:

Prefer spending quality time over quantity. It is no use if you spend the whole day with your kids and nobody even looks eye to eye. Spend a few hours but make sure your child feels heard and their feelings acknowledged.

3. Unconditional love:

Whatever you choose to do, make sure you constantly convey the message that you love your children. We all say we love our children, but the problem is our children don’t believe it themselves. A child should believe his parents are the only ones who will love him unconditionally.

After knowing the whys and hows now, let’s get into the practical aspect. I believe you can easily do some awesome DIY projects at home to build a fantastic relationship with your child. Here is the list

4. Thumbprint family tree:

What better way to bond with your children than understanding your family’s roots. As we grow older and get involved in our own families, we slowly forget our extended families. In Islam, we are asked to hold on to these blood relations.

So why not help our children understand their family legacy. It’s a fun-filled activity and can be personalized according to one family’s needs.

Understanding one’s family’s origin and values help to improve a child’s self-esteem and teaches them the importance of family.

It’s just not a straightforward DIY. It’s a personalized history lesson.

Do check out the resources and printable you can use for this activity from this site.

Good housekeeping

5. Fireworks in a glass:

It is an excellent STEM project, but its beauty lies in the magic that happens in the glass. If you have older kids, you can do this experiment just to let them understand the concept of density and diffusion. And if you have younger ones, enjoy the look on their faces while you do this experiment.

It is one way of having fun and making a mini lab of the accessible items in the kitchen.

For detailed instructions, visit this website:paging fun, mums.

6. Laundry basket skee ball:

If you have kids who are up for some ball game, here’s one straightforward ball game that can be played indoors and probably won’t even break anything inside. It is one creative project you can do with your laundry baskets.

This game is easy to set up and can accommodate as many players as possible. It can be super fun if everyone gets involved.

You will need two baskets, some plastic balls, and a cardboard box to act as a ramp.

The baskets a labeled with 50 and 100 points. 50 is the one closer to the ramp and 100 far from the ramp. Each child takes turns to launch the ball from the ramp and tries to make it land in the basket of his choice. The basket in which it lands is the point the child gets, and if it doesn’t land in a basket, you do not get the facts.

It doesn’t even matter if it does land in any basket. Your younger ones will have fun just picking up all the balls.

It’s one neat way of getting them active inside and away from the screens while it is cold outside.

Laundry basket skee ball

7. DIY story stones:

Rock painting is quite famous nowadays. It is turning out to be a new trend. So why not take it further and spin a story around it.

Using acrylic paints, paint the rocks to whatever you desire after they dry up, turn them into characters of a story.

Use your wildest imagination to spin a tale that fascinates and holds your little one’s attention.

Ask your elder ones to create their own story and sit back and enjoy the creative flow of their stories. And enjoy this special time with them.

As parents, we often take this to be silly. Still, sometimes you need to acknowledge and appreciate ridiculous things of your children that will assure them that you are their biggest cheerleader, even for the silliest things.

8. Fingerprint forensics:

Bring out the hidden Sherlock homes within you and play a little detective game. Ask one of your kids with a greased hand to hold a glass. And then, you dust the glass with flour with the help of a paintbrush and show them the prints that appear on the glass. You can also lift the fingerprint using tape and transfer it to construction paper.

You can talk about how everyone’s fingerprint is unique to that person. This way, you can also bring to their notice how Allah created each one of us unique and different.

It is an excellent DIY project that will grab their attention and teach them about the incredible creations of ALLAH.

Good housekeeping

9. Lemon volcano experiment:

It is a science experiment but an amazing DIY to get both the older and younger kids excited. It is an activity where you can get kids excited about science, turning the stuff of the kitchen into practical science las while the older kids can understand the concepts of an acid-base reaction. The younger ones can understand what a chemical reaction means. It’s easy as the items involved are easily accessible at home.

Through this fantastic DIY project, get involved with your children and bask in the glory of the amazement they feel.

Visit this website for the complete experiment.

Best ideas for kids.

10. Water cycle experiment:

Rain is something that excites all children irrespective of their age. For the kids to understand the various steps involved in the water cycle, like condensation, evaporation this experiment is instrumental. This is another amazing STEM projects that can be easily done in the confines of your home.

Again, it is done with the readily accessible items at home.

It helps enhance a child’s imagination on what might be going on throughout different weather changes. This fantastic project helps a child grasp science concept by practically applying them.

For the complete tutorial on the experiment, visit the website.

Gift of curiosity

 

The following DIYS in the list doesn’t need a holiday, but I think they can be done daily to develop that incredible parent-child bond. These require us to make special time just for our children and us.

11. Reading together:

Developing a reading habit is essential in opening the world of discovery for children. Whether you read out to them or ask them to read independently, allocate at least 15 min in a day for this activity. This one habit will help your children in the long run.

Reading together helps you and your child to discover things together. Talk about what they learned or about the story. Make it a particular time of the day just for you and your children. This bonding time is highly essential for your child’s development, no matter what age.

12. Bedtime routine:

Routines are essential for children, but I am not talking about the usual brush, taking a bath, bedtime story, and good night. I am talking about a routine where you ask the child about their day and all you do at this time is LISTEN.

Yes, we as parents are always the ones who instruct and talk all the time, at least for some time in a day, make it a point to hear their side of the story.

For a child’s emotional development, they need to be felt, heard, and acknowledged.

Conclusion:

So, this concludes my list of awesome DIY projects you can use to build a strong relationship with your children this holiday season. It’s a mix of physical, science, and craft ideas. Also a healthy lunch box is also important.But remember, whatever you choose to do, always make sure to have fun as a family. Don’t worry about the mess for some time and be a child with them, relive your childhood, and see how easily your children connect with you