Engaging with Children at Home

While top schools in Gurgaon are revisiting how they engage with children, parents need to also explore new ways to engage. 

Family dinner 

Making family dinners into a meaningful experience will help strengthen the bond between parents and children. It may seem like a simple task, but there are many ways to make dinnertime more than just about food. Here are some ideas for making dinnertime an enjoyable experience for everyone.

Start by setting an intentional agenda. Have everyone share their highs and lows from the day or ask meaningful conversation questions. Discuss current events, have family game night, practice manners, or discuss a book that you are reading together.

Take time for gratitude. Asking everyone to name one thing that they are thankful for can help encourage positivity and create an uplifting atmosphere.

Parents can also use dinnertime as a way to teach their children important life skills. Talk about budgeting, nutrition, goal setting, or values that your family stands for.

Finally, take time to make dinner together. This is a great opportunity to get creative in the kitchen and also bond with your children as you cook.

Dinnertime doesn’t have to be silent and mundane; make it an enjoyable experience that everyone looks forward to! With a little effort, families can transform this time into a chance for meaningful conversations and life-long memories.

By taking the time to focus on the quality of family dinners, parents and children can use dinnertime to strengthen their bond and enrich the relationship. Make it a priority to take advantage of this time together!

1. Show Interest: If you want your children to open up and share their thoughts, it’s important that they feel heard and understood. Ask questions about their day, show genuine interest in their activities, and make sure to listen carefully to what they have to say.

2. Encourage Conversation: Reduce distractions by turning off the TV, keeping phones away from the table and having everyone share something about their day. This could be a funny incident, a challenge they faced or something interesting they learnt.

3. Have Fun: Focus on the positives and don’t ask too many tough questions. If children feel like conversations are becoming too serious, it will be harder to get them to open up. Encourage fun by playing games or asking questions that help with their decision making skills.

4. Don't Lecture: It’s easy to slip into lecturing mode, especially when talking about important topics like being responsible and having good values. Try not to lecture and instead have conversations where you are both engaged and there is a mutual exchange of ideas.

5. Bond over Food: There’s something special about sharing meals together and it helps create a sense of closeness. Try to incorporate some family favourites into your meal time conversations, as this will make them more enjoyable for everyone involved.

6. Learn Together: Dinner time is the perfect opportunity to learn new things together. Share culture stories, watch TED talks or read books together — this will help your children develop a wider perspective and better understanding of the world.

By following these tips parents can create an environment at dinner time that will be more conducive for meaningful conversations with their children. This is an important part of parenting and will help with your children’s overall development. So, make dinner time a special experience that you all look forward to!

As the top CBSE schools in Gurgaon are seeking progressive methods to connect better with students, parents are also exploring new ideas to connect better with their children.