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Connect through storytelling.

Storytelling has always been a way through which humans connect. Everyone loves a good story, so here are five good ways to tell one.

1. Have you ever given a story massage? I hadn’t heard of this until someone mentioned to me on my Instagram post, so I looked it up and just love the idea! It combines storytelling with positive touch - both of which are great for building connection! Visit this link to learn a story to tell through massage. 
2. Listen to an audiobook together before bed. This is still a favorite in my family. Even my teen loves to wind down with an audiobook together before turning in for the night. 
3. Tell stories from your childhood. I know this seems very simplistic, and it is! It’s easy to connect through stories, and telling your child stories about their family members helps to strengthen the bonds they feel within the family culture. 
4. I’ve written here about the value of reading aloud to your child. Reading aloud to your child helps them with word mastery and grammatical understanding, helping build literacy skills for life. Don’t stop! Even reading to high schoolers is beneficial. Here’s a great list of books to read aloud.
5. Get your child involved in the storytelling with story prompts. You can find 55 prompts here.

Connect through cooking.

Gathering together to create a family meal is another great way to build connection through creativity. Getting kids in the kitchen not only teaches a life skill but has a host of other benefits as well, such as increasing math ability and focus, promoting healthy eating, improving reading skills, and enhancing fine motor skills. Here are 5 simple recipes to get you started.

1. Tomato butter spaghetti from Delish. You’ll love this simple homemade sauce!
2. Rainbow fruit skewers with vanilla honey yogurt dip by The Comfort of Cooking is great for little hands.
3. Homemade mac and cheese by Picky Palate offers a simple recipe for this beloved kid favorite!
4. Try this 15 minute tortilla pizza by Pint Sized Treasures. It’s a perfect recipe for big kids to make.
5. Mini lasagnas by Catching Fireflies looks like a fun and tasty recipe for tweens and teens to try.

Connect through play.

It’s a no-brainer that playing with our kids helps us to connect with them heart to heart. Most of us, though, don’t get excited about getting down on their child’s level and playing. We feel too rushed and busy for such things. Here are five FUN ways to slow down and do something you enjoy with your child.

1. Play dress up. Try on some whacky, outlandish outfits together and have a fashion show in your living room. Hey, you might just put together a fun new outfit you love!
2. Create a scavenger hunt. Kids love to look for clues and find things, and there are endless possibilities. Take it outside for a hike or set it up indoors on a rainy day. Make it themed or have them find the ingredients for cookies you’ll make together. Just have fun with it!
3. Act out a story book. Suddenly, your child is Goldilocks and you’re Mama Bear or Papa Bear. Maybe you’re “Going on a Bear Hunt” or you’ve just landed in the land of Oz. Playing in this way helps you both use your imaginations for lots of creative play together.
4. Not feeling well? Play relaxing games like Tic Tac Toe, Hangman, or one of these other pen and paper games.
5. Bring a playful feel to everyday chores and you can get things accomplished while you “play.” Tape off a square on the floor and ask your child to sweep everything into the square. Play music. Set a timer. Pretend to be an animal while you complete your chores. Make a silly clean up song.

Connect through music.

1. Paper plate instruments are a blast! You’ll need: a) two paper plates, b) beads, dry beans, or bells, c) stapler, d) markers, stickers, or other embellishments. Simply fill a paper plate with your noise maker and staple the other plate on top to hold them in. Decorate and shake!
2. Put on a favorite song and dance! Dancing together is a great workout. After as little as 10 minutes of dancing, you can get those feel-good chemicals flowing through your body. Furthermore, there’s likely to be lots of smiles and laughter while you dance, and those are also good for the heart, so twist and shout!
3. Play “musical masterpiece.” The idea is to have you and your child draw something while the music is playing and stop when the music stops. Switch papers and start the music again, each of you adding to the other’s drawing. Stop the music again and switch back, finishing the final masterpieces. 
4. Try musical hide and seek. Using a sound-playing toy -or even your phone- hide it and have your child seek it by ear. This is a great game to boost listening skills!
5. Play Name that Tune. For younger children, you can clap or tap out your child’s favorite nursery rhyme and see if they can figure it out. For older kids, you can play the beginning of a song and see how quickly they can name it. 

Rebecca Eanes is the bestselling author of multiple books including Positive Parenting: An Essential Guide, The Positive Parenting Workbook, and The Gift of a Happy Mother. She is the grateful mom of two boys.