Feeling you don't know one of your kids enough or don't spend enough one in one time? Here are 10 ways to help remedy that! Sometimes, you would like to spend more one in one time with a certain kid, or with all your kids and here are different ways to do it. I don't think scheduled one in one time is a necessity, since there are lots of small moments during the day when it happens spontaneously, but it can be fun to add some more planned time like this too.

1. Take a kid on an errand. For example, if you need to go to the grocery store, it is very easy to take a kid with you and it will provide you with an opportunity to do some talking, both in the car and in the store. You even could let him pick out a special treat or a little something, but that is not required, just the trip itself often is fun enough. And it will accomplish two goals for yourself at the same time: the errand gets run and the kid gets extra attention.

2. In some families, they have a late bedtime for different kids at different nights. So all the kids go to bed (or to their rooms) at the same time, but one kid can stay up half an hour or an hour longer and gets undivided mommy or daddy time. You can either give a certain weekday to every kid, or mark the calendar for the different kids, so they know when to expect their special time.

3. Enroll them in cub scouts or something similar and go to meetings with them. My youngest boy is a tiger scout, where parent participation in meetings is mandatory, but even with my older, bear cub, I still attend the meetings with him, just like a lot of other parents do. It is fun to watch him and to go there with him. It enables me to meet other grownups and it ensures that I know what is going on at the meetings and that I have something special like that to talk about with him. It also helps that I know the parents when he wants to go on a playdate with one of those kids.

4. Have every kid who wants it start their own garden plot and work on it together with them. There is something calming about working in the dirt and seeing things grow and it is often a great opportunity to do some serious talking.

5. If a kid has a special hobby, take some time to participate with them or let them explain about it. If there is a special store or place they would like to go to for it, use that to create some one in one time.

6. Write letters! It is a good way to finally say all those things to that special kid you usually can't find the time for. You can either put them under their pillow, in their lunchbox or even mail them with the postal service. Every kid feels special when she receives a letter filled with love. You might even get a letter back!

7. If your older kids go to school and the younger kids are still napping, that nap time is a perfect time to give some extra time to a middle child. You can do special projects, which cannot be interrupted or spoiled by younger siblings, or just do some reading and snuggling together, so that you both have some quiet time too.

8. Homeschooling families could do 'kid exchanges' with other homeschooling families, having extra kids over some of the time and leaving just one or two kids at home, while the other kids have playdates at other times. You can rotate the kids who stay home, or let it depend on which kid needs some extra attention.

9. Stargazing. Older kids love to be woken up during the night occasionally, to go outside with mommy and daddy, snuggle in a sleeping bag or on a blanket and do some stargazing together. The open air outside, and the quietness at night, does wonders to open up silent kids.

10. If your kids are in school and you are able to have lunch with them, do so occasionally. Most kids love it to have a parent come over especially for lunch (until they reach a certain age :-) This could enable a working daddy to have some extra time to connect with just one kid, instead of all at once when he comes home tired at night.