Spending Quality Time with Your Children: What Worked for Us

In our family, quality time often happened when least expected - when we simply grabbed hold of whatever moments came our way. Although we sometimes came upon them by accident, these favorite activities, products and moments became a part of our family's cherished times together:

Blank books opened the pages to quality time, letting our thoughts, artworks and discoveries fill the pages

Whether you buy inexpensive blank books from your local used bookstore or from online booksellers like Amazon, they can be great starting points for building family bonds and creating heirlooms. They are also ideal for saving children's art projects and drawings. Sometimes we would go around the neighborhood and try to list all the things we saw, sometimes picking one color (red or blue, for instance) to sharpen our observational skills.

On our last excursion, we searched only for red objects and came home with a list which included a wine-colored leaf, a piece of string, a clothing label and a rock with one reddish speck on on it. Our kids have used blank books to write about turning points are well, from the last leaf glimpsed on a tree before winter's arrival or the last time they sucked their thumbs. Such touching and pivotal moments deserve to be captured.

Helpful websites: find blank books at gift shops, stationary stores and Amazon

Photos can be an instant springboard to quality memories - and time - spent together

We had plenty of photos but didn't always have time to put them in scrapbooks and photo albums. Although I didn't go out of the way to tell the kids this secret, I liked to let our photos build up for a bit and then spend an afternoon of quality time going through them, putting them in albums and chatting about favorite moments. Inevitably, one kid would say "Remember when...?" when a particular Christmas or other photo set off a round of memories.

Alternately, we'd take old family photos and put them in special displays or decorate picture frames and showcase the results. This time spent together inevitably left us feeling closer and reminded us of our family's history and traditions.

Helpful websites: showcase school photos and treasures in the Pocketful of Memories book by Hearthsong , with pockets large enough for special awards and ribbons or other items.

Sometimes we simply dropped our usual routines and enjoyed a whole day together - quality time indeed!

In our house, the kids had one free "get out of school" card a year, to be used nearly any time they wanted (except during final exams). After a sleepless night or an intense testing period or a particularly stressful week, sometimes the kids just needed a day off (and so did parents). Of course, quality time with our kids was even better if these moments were truly random and infrequent, adding to the thrill. In short, don't make a habit out of skipping school - or work.

What did we do on those days? We'd hang out together, maybe eat some popcorn, watch a movie, stay in our pajamas and thoroughly enjoy the break from our usual schedule. Amazingly, the world kept spinning while we had fun and grabbed some quality time, kids and parents together. If you want to be sure to get some great conversations going, consider picking up a pack of Dinner Game conversation starters at Hearthsong and share some jokes, riddles and questions with your children (these come in both beginner and regular packs, for ages as young as 3 and up).

If we were feeling particularly adventurous, we might even spend the day cooking dinner plus dessert, letting a pot of homemade chicken noodle soup simmer on the stove as brownies baked in the oven. The whole house filled with tempting aromas, adding to our pleasure - and anticipation of a good meal at the end of the day.

Helpful websites: Heartsong, noted above, for conversation starters. On a budget? Come up with your own list of family trivia and questions.

Life often surprised us with quality moments when we simply took a walk, especially in new areas of town

Although we didn't have an official name for these excursions, one of my sons called them trips to "nowhere and everywhere" . That description suited us just fine. If we were short of time, we'd simply walk out our front door for a half hour or so, letting the kids determine the direction. Other times, we might go to a state park or the local Children's Museum or zoo and wander randomly from one section to another. No schedule or rigid expectations guided us, ensuring that the moments spent with our kid would be quality time. Relaxation and fun were our only goals.

Helpful items and websites to boost quality time during walks an excursions: athough not absolutely necessary, especially for short walks, a water bottle from REI ($9.95 and up) could keep kids hydrated as they're climbing hiking trails or exploring walking paths. To find a Children's Museum in your area - or another city - check out the Association of Children's Museums here

Quality time occurs naturally when you build the Eiffel Tower - or something equally absorbing -in your living room or family room

Yes, we built the Eiffel Tower in our living room, all made of Legos, easily found at the offical Lego website here. There are lots of building blocks and and other projects for all ages there, from puzzles to replicas of famous architectural wonders. For younger children, building blocks from Nova Natural can offer lots of open-ended play. I've never lost my love of playing with blocks and the ones from both Lego and Nova are colorful and fun to manipulate into all sorts of different creations.

Helpful links and websites for family projects: Check out the Lego website or the catalog from Nova (above)