Make Spring Break Special for Your Kids

Parents sometimes forget that they are in a unique position to actually create the memories their kids will remember when they’re older.

Let that sink in for a minute.

Remember the fun things you did when you were younger? The places you went? The games you played? Now realize that you can directly impact what your kids will remember years from now when they’re grown up with their own kids.

Spring break is a great time to create some memories. The kids are not only out of school, but they’re going into vacation expecting and hoping to be doing lots of fun stuff. It’s only natural for them to want to go back and share stories with their friends about what they did on their vacation. Help make it special.

The Prophet said that the best of people are those who are the best to their families. He himself set the example on how to always be the best with their families. Even though he was in his 50’s and 60’s, and had multiple households to manage, as well as an ummah to look after – he still made time to play with his grandkids and spend quality time with his family. We often let business become a barrier to doing quality things with our families, but in reality its not about being busy but making it a priority.

We’re all familiar with the story of how the Prophet  was on a caravan and sent it ahead so he could race his wife Aisha . Even though they were busy, he made a way to spend quality time and create a positive memory. We see from the narrations of Aisha how she cherished her memories with Rasoolullah .

The Prophet used to gather the kids and organize competitions like races. He taught us by example how to spend quality time with children and give them proper attention. There are even narrations that once the Companions could not find him for an important matter, and he was at Fatima’s home playing horsey with his grandchildren. So even though he was constantly busy, always on-call, he always made time to spend quality time with his family.

We sometimes tend to overcomplicate things. We want to go to fancy places, plan out all these cool activities and so on. But in reality, what has the most effect is the simple, but quality, interactions – and thats what we learn from the example of the Prophet .

You don’t have to spend a lot of money to do fun activities. Take your kids to a new park, take them out for ice cream, or even have a staycation. Pitch a tent in the backyard, or go stay in a hotel one night in your city if you can’t travel. The key is to do something they enjoy and makes them feel special.

For parents with older kids start looking at yourself as being in a facilitator role. Take their ideas for what they want to do and help make it happen. If they want to just hang out with their friends, compromise by having them also pick some type of family activity to do one night as well.

It’s really not which specific activities you do that count as much as the quality of the time you spend with your kids. Be present, focus on them – don’t be distracted by your phone. Enjoy the moments that you’re with them instead of documenting them on social media. Just have fun.