Image courtesy of Creative With Kids

Special Time is a simple concept with big results.  The good news is this doesn’t even require boat loads of patience.  All “special time” means is putting aside ten minutes a day to connect with each of your children. It doesn’t have to be perfect – I know I rarely manage to do it with each of my three kids every day, but even when I keep it up sporadically they love it.   And if you’ve got one child in particular who is out of sorts, you can strive to do it with them if no one else.

How can just ten minutes together have an impact? The short time period is what makes Special Time so powerful.  We can find ten minutes in our day.  We can focus for ten minutes.  We can listen to conversations about Minecraft or My Little Pony for that short period of time.  For ten minutes we can be patient and truly present, and our kids thrive on our presence.

Ten minutes is enough to get you started, to give you moments of joy with your children that lead you to want to create those moments more often.  When you’ve had a terrible week and you feel angry or resentful, ten minutes is enough to begin bridging the gap that has occurred between you and your child.  When you regularly connect 1:1 with each of your kids you will begin to know what really makes THEM feel loved as an individual – and you can do this just 10 minutes at a time.

Read on for 10-minute activities for connecting with kids of all ages, from toddlers to big kids.

ABOUT ALISSA:  Alissa Marquess is a homeschooling mom to three and writes Creative With Kids. She blogs about intentional parenting and simple ways to create connection everyday through crafts, activities, and play.

Chat with her on Facebook, or join her on Pinterest where she was named one of 20 Must Follow Moms!

CONTINUE READING IN THE FAMILY ROOM

The post How To Connect With Your Child in Just 10 Minutes by Creative With Kids first appeared on BonBon Break.

Real Tools, Real Work

~:: Crafting Connections ::~

While things designed specifically for children do have their place, I think little ones are more capable of handling the “real tools” of life than we give them credit for. They are capable of using hammers. They are capable of using real dishes, as my little ones do. They are capable of watching, and enjoying, movies not created specifically for them. They are capable of playing go-fish with a regular deck of playing cards. Thumbing through grown-up magazines and books. And, often when they do, they become more confident because they are doing grown-up stuff.

~:::CONTINUE READING THIS POST:::~

ABOUT DANIELLE: Danielle Reiner, along with Andrea Folsom, are the co-founders of Crafting Connections, a website and quarterly digital publication for little ones and their grown-ups. Creative business women, mamas, and friends, Andrea and Danielle are doers to the core and can often be found crafting and creating with their own little ones. Connecting with the natural world through exploration, our children through creation, ourselves through focused hands, and the community through shared experience – learn more about Crafting Connections at www.craftingconnections.net, be inspired by us on Pinterest, and join in the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Children’s Nighttime Drawing Journal

~:: The Coterie Blog ::~

My 3 year old has been completely enamored with drawing and coloring lately. He walks around all day with his notepad and writing utensil, “jotting” down his ideas and scribbling the pictures in his mind. It’s darling.

The other night he was asking about the journals that Matt and I have, and expressed that he wanted a journal of his own to write in when he goes to bed at night. The only slight problem is that he’s three years old and can’t spell, let alone write a journal entry. And that’s when it hit me. He can DRAW a journal entry!

~:::CONTINUE READING THIS POST:::~

ABOUT HEATHER:Heather lives a happy life as a wife and mom. She like to read and write, and finds pleasure in simple things and enjoy delicatessens and warm weather. Heather created and writes The Coterie , a blog where she posts recipes, ideas for modern moms, and the finer things in life!

Follow Heather on Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram.

~:::CONTINUE READING THIS POST:::~

 

 

 

ABOUT AMBER: Living in Ontario, Canada, this wife and mother decided, yes, like many others, to start a blog after much ‘encouragement’ from friends. Initially, as a way to share creative ideas, hoping for honest feedback, and maybe, just maybe, inspire others.Started in March 2011, SaltTree has since grown quite an archive, an impressive following across several platforms and has been featured on dozens of websites & blogs. More than a year after its humble beginning, Amber is still stealing away little moments to create, cook and dream, camera in hand, all while chasing a toddler.

You can follow Amber on her blog, SaltTree, hang out with her on Facebook, or see what she’s inspired by on Pinterest. To follow via email, subscribe to SaltTree’s RSS feed.

Party Push-Soap Dispenser

~:: Partycraft Secrets ::~

It’s no secret that toddlers and preschoolers are often reluctant to perform the most basic of tasks; like washing their hands. Of course, they can often go the opposite way and become a bit compulsive about it all, literally working themselves up into a lather to shoo those germs away. Assuming your children are in the first camp, of well meaning but forgetful, here’s an idea that I’ve found works for us: turn the soap pump into a toy party.

~:::CONTINUE READING THIS POST:::~

You can follow Linda on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

The post Tools, Drawing Journals, Piñatas & Party Soap first appeared on BonBon Break.

It is true, Autumn will be here sooner than we know, which is why you should absolutely grow something! Now! Get your hands in the dirt, sow some seeds and harvest something delicious before the long winter settles over us.

ABOUT DANIELLE: Mama, teacher, knitter, boo-boo kisser, printer, tinkerer – Danielle is not happy unless she has a project (or 12) to keep her hands and mind busy.

In 2012, Danielle Reiner teamed up with Andrea Folsom to create Crafting Connections, a blog and children’s publication that focuses on the use of Craft to Connect with the natural world through Exploration, our children through Creation, ourselves through Focused Hands and the community through Shared Experience.

You can also connect with us on Facebook , Twitter , and Pinterest.

CONTINUE READING IN THE BACKYARD

The post Grow Something Now by Crafting Connections first appeared on BonBon Break.