30 Small, Simple, Yet Extremely Beneficial Parenting Tasks

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Parenting doesn't have to be a constant battle day after day. You can enhance your family life by simply implementing some small strategies that will have wonderful, lasting benefits for your children, yourself, and your family as a whole. Following are some examples of some small, simple yet extremely beneficial parenting tasks that you can implement daily.

Strategies to Implement Daily

1. Say "I love you."
2. Stop and listen to what your child has to say. Don't rush them. Focus on them completely. (It's understandable that you can't always stop what you are doing, but try doing it at least once a day or more if you can.)
3. Say "Thank you." more often.
4. Identify and praise when you see your kids being nice to each other.
5. Be okay with being tired.
6. But also try to stay well-rested and not have too much sleep deprivation. Get your 8 hours of sleep per night as much as possible.
7. Be calm. Talk with a relaxed tone of voice instead of an irritated one.
8. Spend at least 20 minutes outside.
9. Eat fruits and vegetables either for a snack or as a main portion on your meal (or both).
10. Have all family members participate in helping with the household chores.
11. It's also okay to not get everything done. Don't stress if there are parts of your house that are still messy.
12. Recognize each other's emotions. Say things like "It look like you are sad."

Add Some Parenting Strategies to Your Morning

1. Wake up in the morning with a positive attitude. Say "Good morning," or "Did you sleep well?" Say something to start the day off with a sense of empathy and/or kindness.
2. Eat breakfast as a family (even if it's a quick one).
3. Give more time to daily tasks. For example, allow 15 extra minutes for your kids' morning routines.
4. Wake up 15 minutes early.
5. Set an intention for the day. For example, talk to the family about setting an intention to be kind today and recognize when family members are kind to each other. 

Evening/Nightly Parenting Strategies

1. Keep everyone on a regular sleep schedule by going to bed at the same time every night.
2. Read a book to your kids before bed.
3. Ask your kids how their day went and focus on what they have to say. (It's okay to limit the discussion time so as not to let them stay up past bedtime.)
4. Have a before bed routine that is used daily. (Example: pajamas, snack, brush teeth, book, potty, go to bed)
5. Say "I love you" and end the day on a calm, loving note.

Minimum Once Weekly Strategies

1. Do something fun like going on a bike ride or going for a nature hike with your family.
2. Truly cherish the moment. Pause, look around you, and identify to yourself what is beautiful or what you are grateful for in the moment.
3. Dance with your kids.
4. Have one on one time with each kid whether it's in your own home or going somewhere. For example, play Legos with your son or let your daughter to your hair.
5. Listen to uplifting music.
6. Play a board game together.
7. Have a no electronics couple of hours (or go wild and use no electronics for a whole day).
8. Do some type of physical activity as a family such as a bike ride, a walk, or a sports game.

I bet you already do many of the parenting tasks listed in this article. That's great. This article is simply meant to provide some ideas to enhance your parenting and family life by shining light on easy tasks that you are likely to be able to implement in your day to day life. If you already do some or most of the tasks, know that you are fostering positive well-being for your whole family. If there are tasks that you feel you would like to implement in your parenting, that's great too. I'm sure there are things you are already doing well and by adding in more positive experiences your kids and your family will be that much better.