How to Spend Quality Time with Your Child

1. Turn off the TV, put down that magazine article you were reading, get off the internet. Finish the laundry a little later.

2. Set aside twenty minutes a day to play whatever your child wants, not what you want. And remember, no video or computer games, please!

3. Let your child take the lead. If your son wants to run around the yard wearing his favorite tablecloth "cape" playing superhero, join him! Offer to be his side kick. Ask him what role you are supposed to play. Ask him to show you what his superpowers are.

4. Remember that it is through play that children are able to express and work out diverse emotions, from being scared and helpless to powerful and omnipotent. By trying out different types of feelings and roles, children develop a better sense of self and how they fit into the world.

5. Play also teaches your child specific skills such as creative problem solving and logical thinking. Help him to build bridges within the play. A simple way to do that is by asking, "And then what?" or "Now what's gonna happen?" or "What do we do now?" But, let him be the one to determine what, exactly, that should be: "Show me!"

6. Be willing to enter your child's world according to the rules governing the play he has initiated. By doing so, you demonstrate that you know how to honor him and his internal world, including the full range of his emotions and creativity.

Bottom line: By spending time in child-centered activity each day with your son or daughter, you will build a better, more loving and respectful relationship with your child.

And who doesn't want that?