Back a few years ago when we created a local parenting conference, we brought in a speaker who did a session on 20-Minute Memories. It was enlightening, refreshing, and oh, so simple! It was one of those times where we wish we would have thought of this sooner!
With 3 young kids at the time (4 now!) we often struggled to connect with our kids in meaningful ways as we were being pulled in different directions all day long. We had a pre-conceived idea that creating memories involved spending hours in an imaginary tea party, or hours playing the bingo game with the obnoxious sounds. You get the picture?
What we didn't think about is that children's brains and attention spans are quite limited--as are adults (according to psychologists) and they require many breaks. So, enter in the concept of 20-Minute Memories!
You can imagine yourself spending 20 minutes in a teddy bear picnic, right? Or spending 20 minutes of uninterrupted time playing your child's favourite game? What about building a fort and reading stories for 20 minutes?
It makes things much more manageable and realistic especially when you're trying to divide your time between multiple children, tasks, and responsibilities. Plus, those QUALITY 20 minutes will create meaningful memories for you and your family--it may even create CORE memories for your children that they will reference later on in life!
And if you're stuck for ideas, be sure to check out our catalog of printables as they may spark some inspiration or provide you with a supplementary activity for your 20-minute memory activity.