Feature 100 things you can do Here are 100 things you can do to bond with your child throughout the year. Listen to this text MP3 Today, I will... Let her decide what shirt to wear, what game to play, etc. Tell my child I love her. Sing songs or nursery rhymes to my baby. Crouch down so I can look her in the eye when talking to her. Praise my child for good behaviour. Play her favourite music at mealtime. Tell her I’m glad to be her parent. Put down my phone when my child is talking to me. Let my child eat without telling her to “clean her plate.” Whisper words in her ear and have her guess what I’m saying. Ask her about her day while I make dinner. Keep my instructions short and simple so that my child understands. Set aside time for free play without structure or rules. Ask my child to show me the way home. Draw shapes on my child’s back with my fingers. Include my child in conversations at the dinner table. Point out numbers that appear on everyday objects, such as phones, clocks, and traffic signs. Use bath time as an opportunity to teach her parts of the body. Take the time to play outside with my child, regardless of the weather. Ask my child to tell me about what makes her feel proud and happy. Give her a simple chore, such as taking the laundry from the dryer and putting it in a basket. Tell my child what she’s allowed to do instead of what she’s not allowed to do. Tell her she means the world to me when I tuck her into bed. Read aloud to her from cereal boxes, signs, and magazines. Rock her in my arms the way I did when she was a baby. Take a moment to tell my child what she’s great at. Let her choose what we’ll have for dinner one night of the week. Bring my child along to do a good deed, such as dropping off a clothing donation. Ask her to tell me a story. Let her choose an item at the grocery store. Imitate the sounds my baby makes to encourage her to communicate. Suggest staying in PJs all day long! Ask her to make a drawing and then mail it to someone she loves. Let my child decide what she wants to wear. Teach her a new nursery rhyme. Play cards, catch, or other games with my child that involve taking turns. Present her with to two new foods and let her choose the one she wants to try. Ask everyone in the family to name his or her favourite colour, food, etc. Set aside a few minutes before dinner to play with her. Go for a walk with my child and ask her to name all the colours she sees. Take the time to tell my child about something she did that made me proud. Ask my child what her favourite part of the day was and then tell her about mine. Take my child to story time at the library. Take the time to name the things my baby sees and the emotions she seems to be experiencing. Give my child a mini massage before bedtime. Walk at her pace and take the time to notice the things around us. Encourage my children to help each other. Tell my child I love her, along with her strengths and weaknesses. Ask her to help me set the table so that she feels useful and grown up. Set aside quality time with each of my children so that all of them feel special. Encourage my child to go play instead of sitting in front of the TV or some other screen. Make an effort not to make my eldest feel pressured to be perfect; it’s not her job to be the model child. Read a book with my child, even if she’s only a few months old. Tell my child to hop like a frog to her bedroom or the bathroom. Count my baby’s fingers or toes out loud. Use numbers when talking to my child (e.g., “Look! There are three white flowers on the lawn—one, two, three!”). Put up my child’s drawings so she knows that I’m proud of her. Touch her shoulder or hand to make sure she’s listening when I talk to her. Ask her to pay attention to the sounds she hears around her. Sing her one of her favourite songs while replacing the lyrics with silly words. Invite one of her friends over to play. When my child... Is getting worked up, I’ll give him a task that requires concentration, such as finding four things in the room that are blue. Spills something, I’ll let him clean it up without scolding him. Is with me, I’ll put my own worries aside and make the most of our time together. Is sad or angry, I’ll ask him what’s bothering him. Has an argument with one of his friends, I’ll explain to him that words can hurt. Is worked up, I’ll tell him to take a deep breath and then blow on his finger as if it were a candle. Has a good day or makes an effort to be better behaved, I’ll praise him. Is scared, I’ll remind him of situations where he isn’t afraid and of times when he managed to overcome his fears. Tells me he has nothing to do, I’ll let him get bored so that he eventually invents his own game. Wants to climb a rock, roll around in the grass, or jump over a giant puddle, I won’t try to stop him. Soon, we’ll have fun... Reading by the glow of a flashlight. Having paper snowball fights. Making up stories and naming the hero after my child. Making crafts using items from the recycling bin. Using a straw to blow bubbles in the bath. Making music by banging pots and pans with wooden spoons. Making easy recipes together, such as smoothies, muffins, sandwiches, or pasta. Playing as a family outside in the snow and ending the day with steaming mugs of hot chocolate. Making silly drawings together. Organizing a picnic with all the stuffed animals in my child’s bedroom. Looking through my child’s baby album together. Playing hide-and-seek. Inventing a story based on one of my child’s drawings. Taking my child’s favourite stuffed animal on a stroller ride to the park. Reading books at the park or in the yard—even in winter! Imitating the sounds and movements of different animals. Eating dessert before dinner! Describing all the things we see in the sky. Camping out on our mattresses in the living room. Creating a masterpiece by having every family member draw on a giant sheet of paper. Dancing like we just don’t care to release pent-up energy and simply let loose. Building forts out of blankets and pillows. Running around together in the yard, at the park, or in the alley. Having a treasure hunt in the house. Swapping seats at the dinner table. Picking out books together at the library. Leaping over puddles on a rainy day. Placing a bean in a jar filled with dampened paper towels and watching it grow. Finding shapes in the clouds. Picking my child up under the arms and swinging her between my legs. Source : Naître et grandir magazine, January-February 2019 Research and copywriting : Naître et grandir team