Bonding with your child is essential. It helps develop an emotional bond between you and your child that will last a lifetime. This emotional bond will help you raise a happy, healthy and resilient child who will grow into a strong and confident adult.
The following article outlines some great habits that can help you bond with your child and better understand how to do so.
1. Holding and comforting the child
Holding a crying baby is not always easy for new parents. It can be downright exhausting. But if your baby is crying out of fear or stress, having someone to hold him close can make all the difference in helping him calm down and feel safe again.
Hugs not only calm both of you, they also send signals through touch that the baby is loved and cared for. These are signals that can have a strong impact on his developing brain.
So if your baby cries, try holding him close until he calms down or falls asleep, even if it takes longer than usual because he is upset.
2. Talking, singing and reading to the child
One of the best ways to bond with a child is to talk, sing and read to them. When they are young, they especially like to be read to, because that way they have a chance to sit still and listen attentively without distraction.
As they get older, however, they may not like reading as much, but continue to listen to stories about their lives or what is happening in their world. They might also enjoy listening to songs. This will help them learn the sound of words. Later, when they start reading on their own, it will be easier because they will already know how certain sounds combine with each other in specific ways.
3. Working together
Household chores are an essential part of family life and help to empower children. But they don’t have to be a chore for you or your child. Working together can also be fun, especially if you do something new or exciting (how about making cookies?).
It is also an opportunity for conversation: What are your favorite cookies? What kind of icing do you like? Do you prefer sprinkles or nuts? The more we talk about the process (instead of just making things), the closer we feel and the more likely we are to want to repeat it soon.
4. Consuming meals together
A shared meal is a great way to bring the family together. It is also one of the most critical times for bonding between you and your child.
Make sure your child eats at least one meal with you every day, whether it is breakfast, lunch or dinner. It does not have to be every day, but more often.
Sharing meals helps children feel part of the family and allows them to learn about their culture and heritage. Eating together can also build positive relationships between parents and children because it teaches children how to interact with others in a healthy way.
5. Making the most of teaching moments
There is no need to be pushy about these things. You must take advantage of the moments when they occur naturally. In this way, you can connect with your child and simultaneously teach him or her something.
For example, if you see a butterfly together, talk about how butterflies are “free spirits” that migrate and live wherever they want. Or if you are eating together and a fly buzzes around you, point out that it looks like a helicopter or airplane because of its wingspan and shape.
Or if you are out together on a sunny day and you see shadows moving across the ground because of tree branches blowing in the wind, talk about how shadows move when things blow in the current (and point out other things that create shadows as well).
6. Set limits, but be flexible
It is essential to set rules and limits for your children, but it is also important not to be too strict about it. The best approach is to set limits without setting yourself up for failure by becoming too strict or inflexible with them.
You need to give your children enough leeway so that they feel they have some control over their lives. It doesn’t matter if it is small things, such as choosing their clothes or deciding which movie they want to watch that night.
Of course, you need to be stricter on safety issues, such as making sure they wear helmets when they ride their bikes or staying away from dangerous areas where predators might lurk. But other than that, give them some freedom so that they know they have an influence on their lives and don’t just blindly follow.
7. Touch the child in a positive way
Touch is one of the most important ways to show love and affection to one’s children. A simple touch on the arm or shoulder is enough to let them know that their parents love and appreciate them. Parents who are unable to physically touch their children often feel detached from them, which can make life difficult for both of them.
8. Play together as often as possible
Children need to play. This is how they learn. It is how they discover the world around them. It is how they build their identity and personality. And it is also how they come into contact with the people in their lives, including their parents.
Play can be messy and noisy, but it can also be calm and quiet. It is not necessary to spend hours and hours playing with your child to build a strong bond with him or her. Fifteen minutes of play together each day can be enough to create a lasting bond. As long as you choose activities that are fun for both of you (and don’t require a lot of time or money).
9. Listen carefully
Listening is another essential part of building a bond with your child. It is not always easy to listen attentively when other things are going on around you. However, if you want to bond with your child, taking a break from whatever else you are doing will help them feel important.
It will also help them feel more comfortable talking about their feelings and emotions. This way, they will not have secrets or worries that they keep bottled up inside because no one wants to talk about them.
10. Respect their privacy
Respect for your child’s privacy, especially when they are young, is essential. You must not make them feel that they cannot confide their secrets or thoughts to you for fear that you may use them against them when they are older.
Bonding is based on building trust, so making them feel that they cannot trust you will make the process more difficult for you.
The goal is a happy relationship with your child!
In essence, it is essential to have fun with your children and bond with them during their early years. Creating a routine of bonding moments will help them strengthen their emotional bonds with you as they grow older. And don’t worry about making the routine unfun. If you are in tune with your child, he or she will happily participate in whatever activities you choose to do together.