Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Family, Parenting and Religion
5 Stimulating Things Single Parents Can Do With Their Kids

5 Stimulating Things Single Parents Can Do With Their Kids

Last updated on: March 3, 2024 at 1:50 pm by Terry Gaspard

0 Comments

5 Stimulating Things Single Parents Can Do With Their Kids 2024-03-03T13:50:55-05:00 Terry Gaspard

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

In the seemingly never-ending age of social media, many single parents are struggling to maintain a positive relationship with their children and to keep them entertained and mentally stimulated with limited resources and time.

While all parents have faced the challenge of adjusting to a “new normal,” many single parents have had to adapt to working from home without a spouse to share responsibilities, not having enough space, and feeling overwhelmed.

For instance, Angela, 44, a single parent for four years and raising two teenagers while working full-time, put it like this: “I get up at 6am to make breakfast and get ready for the day and feel guilty that I can’t be home more. I leave at 7:30am to go to my job at an assisted living facility. When I come home at 4:30pm my kids are grumpy, usually playing video games, and complaining about wanting dinner soon.”

There are many ways you can develop a positive relationship with your children if you invite them to participate in activities that interest them and expose them to some of your hobbies. For instance, inviting your kids to share your love of hiking or biking on weekends can help you form a deeper bond and allow all of you to get much needed exercise and fresh air.

5 things single parents can do with their kids:

Search for a few new places to explore outdoors such as walking paths or nature trials, bird sanctuaries, beaches, bike paths, or zoos. Children and teens usually love the outdoors and if you bundle up, it can be a blast to visit and enjoy new outdoor adventures – even on a chilly or cold day! Most libraries check out free passes or reduced rates to aquariums, zoos, and museums.
Experiment with new recipes or ways to prepare food together. Make preparing meals together a family tradition and it will give your kids something special to look forward to. Even a new pizza or pasta recipe (combining different vegetables and sauces) can add variety to your menu and jazz up your dinner table. My personal favorite is Thai chicken pizza made with leftover chicken and peanut sauce, combined and spread on a pizza crust, then topped with mozzarella cheese.
Start a weekly game night and unplug electronic devices. Purchase a few inexpensive games and/or cards and designate one night a week to having sandwiches or pizza and let the fun begin. Children of all ages usually enjoy simple games like checkers, Connect Four, or UNO. Some kids even thrive on playing more complicated games like chess or Monopoly, and teens often appreciate word games like Scattergories of Scrabble. If your kids resist unplugging their phones or iPads at first, be persistent and they’ll probably get used to it.
Develop a relationship with your children through hobbies and interests. Sharing interests from sports to the arts can only help you develop a bond. Be persistent if he or she resists joining activity such as painting or putting together a puzzle. Keep in mind, you are the adult and need to be the mature one. Say something like: “I’d love to go for a hike, why not give it a try?”

Understand your child’s view. First, it’s a given that your children probably have a relationship with your ex-spouse and try not to take it personally if they prefer to do some activities with him or her. Divorced families are complex and even if your kids seem reluctant to try something new like game night, being persistent will pay off.

Parents across the globe have been confronted with unprecedented and unimaginable concerns about their children’s health, emotional well-being, and how well they’re being educated with the arrival of social media. We’ve also experienced the stress associated with reduced resources available in schools and communities, which is especially taxing for single-parent families.

Many single-parents are seeking new ways to entertain their children and provide stimulating environments for them. Even with limited resources, it’s possible to create new traditions such as game night and a bi-weekly hike or brisk walk that can help you bond with your children and keep everyone mentally stimulated and physically fit while we look to the future and brighter days ahead!

Find Terry on Twitter, Facebook, and, movingpastdivorce.com. Terry’s award-winning book Daughters of Divorce: Overcome the Legacy of Your Parents’ Breakup and Enjoy a Happy, Long-Lasting Relationship is available on her website. Her new book The Remarriage Manual: How to Make Everything Work Better the Second Time Around was published by Sounds True on February 18, 2020.

I’d love to hear from you and answer your questions about relationships, divorce, marriage, and remarriage. Please ask a question here. Thanks! Terry

Uncategorized

divorce

single parenting

Previous Post

February 25, 2024

5 Ways to Encourage Shared Meaning in Your Marriage

Next Post

March 10, 2024 What If I’m Not Ready to Forgive My Ex?

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"The cheering after each cut of twine highlights how ritual isn’t just personal it’s MyCCPay ..."

nehal062karkera

3 Steps to Being an Active ..."

"https://uploads.disquscdn.c..."

Melanie Bush

Full Disclosure About Finances Reduces Marital ..."

"https://uploads.disquscdn.c..."

Melanie Bush

8 Signs My Partner is Marriage ..."

"A successful remarriage (I'm 35 years into one) cannot be reduced to "8 steps" or ..."

Vance Morgan

8 Keys to Success in a ..."

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who said, "I do not know how to speak; I am too young"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Samuel Moses Jeremiah Isaiah