5 Ways To Bond With Your Child Even With No Time In The Day
ADvTECH Group • July 20, 2020
Making Time To Bond With Your Child
Many parents are familiar with the feeling that they simply don’t have enough time to give their children the attention they need. With so many commitments and day-to-day distractions, you’re not alone in wondering how you can give your child quality bonding time.
What is bonding?
Bonding is described as the “intense attachment that develops between parents and their baby.” It’s the unique relationship that a child and parent will share and nurture throughout their lives.
The importance of bonding with kids
Parents will probably have heard the phrase “parent child bonding” since they discovered they were expecting. However quality time with your child
is not only important for newborns. Bonding with your child
through all phases of their development has many wonderful benefits.
● Parent child bonding lays the foundation for their personality as well as physical, mental and emotional development
● Helps children establish a secure and healthy parental attachment
● Children that have a close and secure connection with their parents stand a better chance of developing other happy and healthy relationships
● A tight bond helps with a child’s confidence and social behaviours
● A positive parental relationship also helps children develop better cognitive and problem-solving skills
● Overall contentment in the family environment.
Ways to bond with your child:
You needn’t set aside endless hours to bond with your child. There are plenty of day-to-day opportunities for connection that both moms and dads can take advantage of.
1. Eat meals together
Sitting together as a family to eat your breakfast or dinner is a great way to reconnect and check in with your child. As an added advantage, it also instills healthy eating and digestive habits.
2. Chat in the car to and from school
While teens might not be so chatty in the car, it’s a great chance to engage with your younger children. Singing songs, asking about school work or extracurriculars or even a simple round of “eye spy” can create a wonderful connection.
3. Be warm in your daily interactions
Children respond well to a loving touch, hug or cuddle. Making sure that you give your child warm and gentle interaction creates a strong sense of bond between you. Eye contact, positive reinforcement and kind words are also important for your child to develop a sense of security.
4. Bond with your children individually
Spending a little one-on-one time with each of your children can strengthen your individual bond. Aim to set aside even ten minutes of distraction-free time to spend with each child. This could be a short walk, a bedtime story or personalised interest in their sports or hobbies.
5. Begin a project together
Start something that you and your child can work on together, even if just for a few minutes a day. The sense of continual connectedness that children feel when working together with a parent on a task, makes them feel needed and bonded. This could be a painting, a veggie garden or an arts-and-crafts project.
The positive effects your child will feel from just 10 minutes a day of attentive time are far reaching. What’s your favourite way to spend quality time with your child?
A shared Christian heritage and a commitment to educational excellence come together as Glenwood House prepares for its next chapter
This International Day of Friendship, Trinityhouse explores how meaningful relationships nurture belonging, shape character and help children grow into compassionate, confident young adults.
International Chess Day highlights how Trinityhouse and Mzansi Chess Academy are helping students develop the thinking, resilience and leadership skills needed for tomorrow's world.
A new chapter will strengthen Christian values, academic excellence and opportunities for generations of students
Why play remains one of the most powerful tools in shaping confident, capable and compassionate adults
Engineering Speed, Grit and Global Adventure: Meet Trinityhouse Alumnus Matthew Thersby
Winning a match may earn applause in the moment, but the lessons learnt through sport often last a lifetime. Every training session, team talk, victory and defeat presents students with opportunities to develop resilience, discipline, leadership and integrity in ways few other environments can offer. As schools around the world mark World Fair Play Day on 19 May 2026, conversations around sport are shifting beyond trophies and results towards the deeper role athletics play in shaping character and preparing students for life beyond the classroom. Sport places students in environments where responsibility constantly changes. One moment may require leadership and confidence, while another demands humility, support and teamwork. These experiences encourage students to understand that success is rarely achieved alone. According to Trinityhouse Preparatory Centurion Deputy Principal Franco van Dyk, sport provides one of the most practical platforms for character development. “Sport challenges students to lead, support, adapt and persevere in real-time situations. Character is often revealed during moments of pressure, disappointment or uncertainty. Those experiences help shape young people into resilient and responsible individuals,” says van Dyk. Participation in sport also teaches accountability. Students quickly learn that preparation, commitment and consistency influence outcomes. Team environments reinforce the understanding that every individual contribution matters and that collective success depends on shared effort and responsibility. Healthy sporting cultures are equally dependent on respect. Respect towards teammates, opponents, teachers, coaches and the school itself create environments where students feel connected to something greater than themselves. Pride in representing a school badge often strengthens responsibility, discipline and unity. Good sportsmanship becomes especially important during difficult moments. Victory may reveal confidence but defeat often reveals character. Students learn how to recover after setbacks, reflect on performance and continue striving towards improvement despite disappointment. “Fair play is about much more than following rules,” explains van Dyk. “Students learn that integrity matters even when nobody is watching. Ethical behaviour, honesty and respect become habits that influence the way they lead and interact later in life.” Sport also provides valuable opportunities for students to develop emotional maturity. Pressure situations, competition and conflict require young people to manage emotions constructively while learning how to communicate effectively and make decisions under stress. Leadership within sport extends beyond captains and top performers. Students who encourage teammates, demonstrate discipline and show empathy often influence team culture just as powerfully. Younger students naturally observe these behaviours and begin adopting similar values themselves. Humility remains another important lesson developed through sport. Success can easily create complacency, yet grounded individuals continue learning, improving and respecting others regardless of results. Students begin to understand that personal growth matters more than status or recognition. Inclusive sporting environments also play a vital role in student development. Equal opportunities encourage participation, confidence and belonging while strengthening school communities. Students exposed to diverse personalities, strengths and perspectives develop empathy and mutual respect through shared experiences. Schools therefore carry an important responsibility to ensure sport remains grounded in values and fair play rather than purely results-driven competition. Recognition of effort, resilience, teamwork and improvement helps students understand that conduct and character carry greater long-term value than short-term victories. “Sport prepares students for life far beyond school,” adds van Dyk. “Resilience, discipline, teamwork, humility and integrity remain essential qualities in adulthood. Lessons developed on the sports field often become the foundation for future leadership and success.” As conversations around education continue evolving, sport remains one of the most powerful classrooms for teaching students how to lead ethically, support others respectfully and approach life with courage and integrity.
International Families Day reminds us that students thrive when schools and families walk the journey together
Where emotional intelligence, belonging and wellbeing shape confident, high-achieving students
