by Nicole Loughan
Living with Littles is presented by The Dance Academy. Since 1987, The Dance Academy in Holland, PA has been offering professional dance training with a personal touch, instilling the love of dance to students and families throughout Bucks County. Under the direction of Miss Donnajean Kline (BFA in Dance, Temple University) and staffed by a group of highly-trained instructors, The Dance Academy has acquired countless awards and accolades each year at local, national, and international competitions. Through recitals, competitions, advertising publications, professional companies, and tours; Dance Academy students are spreading their passion for dance both here in the States as well as on international stages. Register now!
There is one cure-all that I’ve found is a fix for many parenting problems – ONE-ON-ONE time. When the kids won’t listen, they need some one-on-one time. When the kiddos are sad, they need one-on-one time. When the kids are overwhelmed by a changing schedule and their first week in a new school, guess what they need? Yup, one-on-one time.
With everything changing and new activities just starting tensions are high and it’s time for a dose of that good ole’ one on one time. I found a few fun ways to get out and reconnect. They are low cost, or free, but all of them require a focused parent with one child and no phone for at least a few hours. Read on to get some ideas for how to spend your quality time.
Get Crafty – There are so many crafty ways to spend time with the kids. I think doing something new like a cake decorating, crocheting or painting can be great. Parents and kids get to learn something new together. There are a few low-cost ways to get into crafts together, one is through local townships or cities. Another is at Craft stores like Michael’s which have classes as low as $15, plus the cost of supplies. They have everything from custom pumpkin decorating to wreath making. As a bonus, if you have two children and want to spend some extra time with one, they have a drop in Kid’s club, where kids can do a project between the hours of 10 a.m. and noon on Saturdays and stay and play at the craft store. Parents can leave as long as they stay close enough to be back to the store in under 10 minutes. This can give you time to go grab a “coffee” with your other little one. The cost is $2, plus a small fee for supplies.
“Coffee” Break – Coffee places carry loads of kid-friendly options, from organic milk to juice or if you want to make your little one feel really special grab one of the caffeine free specialties. Last winter we went to a local coffee shop and I ordered a nice tall mocha with whipped cream and my little date got a matching hot chocolate with whip and sprinkles. She felt very special with her $2 drink. We sat in a cozy corner and talked about school and dance class and felt very connected. My daughter sat taller for days feeling like she was now a big girl, who went out to coffee with her mom. Some locations also offer smoothies and crème drinks.
Serenely together – A few months ago we went to a yoga studio open house and enjoyed a day of parent and child yoga. It’s was evenly split between mom’s and dad’s attending with their little ones. Kids as young as two and teens as old as 15 were having fun doing family-friendly yoga. The movements were a little different and we did the downward dog pose far more than normal, but it was a great way to be active with my son. It was especially good for him, as he is very high energy. I felt like we connected better than ever because of the calming movements. I’ve found that most yoga studios have at least a day or two dedicated to parent-child classes, even if it’s just a one-off class.
Namaste Baby offers yoga for all ages, even prenatal. They offer mommy and me, daddy and me and baby and big kid classes throughout Bucks County. For more information visit: namastebaby.com
Picnic – Sometimes just having lunch in a different place can be a blast. You can make it a whole event and picnic near a garden, or in a park, or even just have a picnic in the backyard. The important part is the time together. The novelty of having a meal outside, prepared with the help of your little one can mean the world to them.
If you want to stick to local stores, Altomonte’s Italian Bakery in Doylestown offer Mommy offer cupcake decorating class for $15 per pair for parent and child, for more information visit Altomontes.com
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