If you’re a parent you know that keeping up with the energy of a young child gets tough at times. After a hard day’s work it is difficult to come back to a ball of energy, yet, parents don’t want to miss spending time with their little one, especially after being away from them the whole day. Spending time with your kid doesn’t always have to be a hectic affair.

Here are 5 easy ways to spend quality time with your child after a tiring day at work:

1. Talk about the day: Ask your kids what they learnt at school or how they spent their time at home, while you have a refreshing cup of tea or juice. Tell them what you did at your workplace, share any interesting thing you saw or heard. This talk gives you time to catch your breath and also to get your kid interested about your work.

1. Bond more over chores: Folding laundry, cooking, setting the table for dinner, are some of the chores you get home to. Take the assistance of your child. This way you get to spend time with your child and at the same time, your child will learn to do certain things at home independently and responsibly.

1. Play a board game: After dinner, you’ll be a little more refreshed, and if your kid is old enough you can play a board game or solve a jigsaw puzzle. Or if you’re up for it you can connect over some games you used to play while you were young. Something like…’Eye Spies’? Such games don’t require you to be on your feet and allow you to spend some light moments with your kids.

1. Go for a drive or a short walk: if you drive to work and back you might not be up for another drive but if you’re up for it, there’s nothing like a short and sweet drive around your neighborhood. A walk trumps this. Why?1) Fresh Air 2) healthy 3) you get to  hold your kid’s hand, instead of the steering wheel 🙂 

1. Bedtime ritual: Most of you may already be doing this. Bedtime story is classic parent-child bonding and if you’ve not been doing, this start now! Children love stories, of course, but they love them more when you tell it to them. And what better way to end the day than watching your child sleep blissfully to your stories.