10 Daily Must Do's With Your Kids

All of our lives are busy. As a mother, I frequently find it hard to balance the things I need to do (scripture study, prayer) and the things I want to do (read, play, paint). 

Just for fun I decided to create a list of ten things I can focus on doing so at the end of the day I have a small way of measuring my accomplishments. Do I expect to do all ten things every day? Not really, but I'd feel pretty super if I did.

Above is the list I drew up so you can try it out, too! 

1. I love to read and know that Tenley, and even Declan do, too. I want to make reading a priority so my children learn to love books. I'd also like to start visiting the library more so I can introduce some new (maybe more exciting;) books to them. 
2. I often feel guilty when I realize how little we've sung during the day. Little children love music and Tenley especially loves songs like the Itsy Bitsy Spider and Popcorn Popping (her two most requested songs). Some days I put Tenley in bed then I'm like, "OH no! We didn't sing at all!" I want to teach her more Primary songs and nursery rhymes, so that's why this is on here. 
3. Toddlers pick things up quickly. I can't even think of how many times I've heard Tenley repeat after me (even when I didn't think she was listening). I think teaching two new words a day is reasonable. If she doesn't seem to be able to grasp a word or pronounce it, I will just try something a little easier for her. No sweat--it's just to help increase her vocabulary. 
4. I'll talk more about the food one and serving sizes, etc. in another post. I am hoping though to give Tenley a healthy variety and expose her to more foods than she's used to eating. 
5. Creative time involves giving my kids (just Tenley right now) the time to play with paints, pencils, crayons, markers, or clay. Maybe I'll even create a little box of those materials so I can just pull it out and have it ready to go. Because creative time can get messy, I'll try to plan it before my shower so if need be I can take Tenley in there with me. This activity time will take place in the tub (a dry tub), at the table, or on the kitchen floor for easy clean up. 
6. Quiet time will be more for me than anything. I will announce it's quiet time and then help Tenley get interested in a few quiet toys in her room (like her blocks or train set). Eventually, I'd like it to be so that when quiet time comes, she knows not to bother mommy and to play by herself for a little while. Hopefully this will give me a chance to write in my journal, or read a little bit, do a homework assignment--something like that.
7. Outside time is anything outside. I just don't want my kids to be cooped up inside all day (and they don't want that either). They can play on the playground for at least 30 minutes while I read, write, or just relax while keeping an eye on them. If it's raining, maybe we'll all wear boots and raincoats and play together, or maybe we'll just count a quick walk to the mailbox or laundry room. I think letting kids be kids outside is important though. I felt like most of my childhood took place outside and I loved that.
8. Family prayer is when we gather as a family, usually after family scripture study and pray together before bed. It helps get bedtime going and is a nice end to the day. Tenley loves folding her arms and shouting "Amen!" afterward. She also loves peeking at everyone to see if they're folding their arms or not, so you better set a good example! 
9. Read scriptures. We do this as a family (just ten verses is what we have time for now), and I also do it one-on-one with Tenley in her bed. I want her to grow up loving to read the scriptures and expecting it each night. She has her own copy of the Book of Mormon (just about the size of a playing card) and she likes to point to the page as I read. We just do four verses (that's all anyone has the patience for) but Tenley expects it now and I hope one day, when the time comes (I haven't thought about what age...maybe 7?), she can take over personal scripture study on her own. 
10. Last is personal prayer. I want Tenley to know that her Heavenly Father loves her and that she can always talk to him when she has a problem or needs His guidance. We have personal prayer in her bed and sometimes talk about the little picture of Jesus she has over her bed. I hope this is teaching her to love Him and never be afraid to turn to Him. 

There are of course things that could be added or subtracted to fit your children's personal needs, but I hope this gives you a good basis of things you can do together to make your days more fun and more productive.

Any thoughts about these or suggestions for other activities to include?