Special Time with Kids

Congrats on baby on the way! I have 3 also. Some good advice I got is that "special" time doesn't have to be anything fancy at all. Special outings are done together - we only have the weekend to do them, and it would not be fair to take one kid to the zoo and the other not or something for example. But little one on ones are good to do every day even if it is only 5 minutes or 10 minutes at a time. Some things we will do:
1. I will walk the dogs with one child while the other is home with daddy.
2. Just sitting on their bed in their room and talking.
3. Reading stories together.
4. Painting or coloring together.
5. Snuggling
6. Cooking something together
7. Even something as simple as taking one food shopping while the other stayed home with dad.

So far we've tried things like "dates" to the grocery store (followed by a treat at McDonald's or something) or a trip to Target and letting my oldest pick 2 $1 toys or 1 $2 toy (and one for his brother). My husband took our oldest to the dollar theater once, but now any time we try to do a one-on-one date, my boys will get excited and then proceed to list everyone who needs to go on the date, too. My last "date" was with my oldest, and included him, his 3-year-old brother, the baby, and my mother-in-law. Even when I try to tell him I want to do something with just him, he tells me he still wants his brothers to go, too. Kids are pretty simple, even just running to the gas station with a parent can be fun (I remember those "adventures"). You don't have to do anything too fancy or formal. Have fun with the addition!

Both my kids, love when they can just cuddle with me and just chat. About anything/their thoughts/their ideas/their opinions/about school etc.
This really bonds them, to me.
They are 'sharing' their lives with me.
They love this.
My kids are 5 and 8.

My guy is 17 months old and my FAVORITE time with him is right before bed..... in the corner of his room we have a thick blanket laid out and piles of pillows. He runs into his room and says "night night!" and lays down in the corner. Hubby and I lie down with him and we snuggle and look at books. Best time ever because his sleepy self actually gets cuddly (which is kind of rare for his usual super-active self.) :) Cool question!

There are so many things you can do. You can have special reading time with each child where you read them a story. Or just cuddle up and watch a movie. Maybe even making hot cocoa and a special snack together. We have even just been goofy and turned up the music and dance around the house together. Or even get a blanket and build a fort in the living room. The important thing is that you are there for them. When my children got older we started "date night". I would take one child and do what they wanted to do and then do the same with the other (my husband does the same). It could be to play video games, go bowling, to the museum, the movies, eat at their favorite restaurant, get ice cream, ride bikes, go swimming. Usually I do things with both of the kids and they are fine with that. But once in a while it makes them feel special when we are one on one.

.

Our family loves nature trails and art fairs. We also love to make fun things. Today we made silly hats using brown grocery paper bags. We rolled the lip of the bag to create a rim and decorated them with feathers, stickers, poms and pipe cleaners. We did them in the driveway with a couple of neighborhood kids. A lady walking her dog was grinning so much as she passed by when she saw us.

My hubby is usually busy but always makes time for the girls even if it is between work hrs. He has created and participated in obstacle races, has built snow forts and had snow fights with them along with playing board games.

My little humans leave the house an hr apart so I get to spend one on one with them in the mornings. There was a time when I was so busy with my littlest one so I had my hubby start work an hr late so he can load her into the school bus, this happened on Wednesdays. On that day me and my eldest child go out for breakfast before school. The time was so special for both of us.

We love to play games - board games. And go for nature hikes and tell each other stories.

Sit in the same room with your 4.5 and just listen to his stories and respond to them with real interest.

Read a book to your 2.5yr old or get him paint and let him paint while you watch.

Balloons are wonderful - Blow them up and bounce them together or pop them together

Chores - Let them help you with chores, cooking, laundry and talk to them while you do it.

Lots of reading and cooking, those were my two personal favorites :)

Here, it's called "special mommy time" and they let me know when they want it/need it. Sometimes we just cuddle and talk, sometimes we watch a movie, sometimes we'll run errands, sometimes we go for an ice cream. I've noticed that it doesn't matter what we do, they just seem to enjoy the one on one time and focused attention.