Planning Means More Family Time
April 10 2012
I know it’s hard. As a dad to a soon to be four year old, I know how hard it is to find the time to “play, play, play”. But playtime, much like family meal time is very important to the development of children.
For us, winter is especially difficult; I’d much rather spend time outside with my daughter than playing indoors. But sometimes the weather doesn’t cooperate. Going to the local park or riding our bikes are some of our favourite summer time activities. This latest report states that preschoolers need at least one hour of outdoor play time a day.
So how do we fit this one hour of pay time into our already hectic schedules? By planning. Signing the kids up to after school sports is all good, but you still need to bring them to the playing field or arena. And often, these after school activities start right at 5:30pm or 6pm…when are you supposed to eat dinner? What happens is, a lot of parents end up bringing their kids to the fast food joint.
By planning your meals ahead of time, you can avoid the dreaded fast foods and ensure that your child is eating healthy and nutritious meals. If little Timmy has soccer practice on Monday nights at 6pm, why not plan ahead and make something on Sunday night that can be reheated for a quick dinner on Monday? Or have a staple of homemade frozen meals ready to go.
There are always better alternatives to fast food…all are healthier, all are more nutritious and some are even “faster”. Plan ahead and get outside!
