Recently, my wife and I had an evening at home with our two kids, and the kids were pulling out all the stops to get us to connect with them – fighting with each other, grabbing each others’ toys, begging us to play, crying. It was obvious that they wanted to do something with us, but it was the middle of the week, and we parents were so tired we could barely get dinner on the table much less think about playing. This got us thinking, until we can get rested enough to connect, how can we connect when we’re just too tired?

Keeping in mind that connecting doesn’t have to mean necessarily talking or doing big things, we came up with these 10 ways:

1. Get out the books. If you’re kids are  younger and like to read, find a comfortable place to sit and read to them. If your kids are older, see if they’ll read to you.

2. Listen to music. This works with kids of all ages. Find some new music or classic goodies and share time listening to music. You might discover memories to share when you listen to old music.

3. Go for a slow walk in the neighborhood. Once you’re out the door, the movement might even wake you up a little. Don’t feel obligated to strike up a conversation if your child is quiet.

4. Throw a ball or Frisbee in  your yard or at a local park. If you have more than one kid or parent at home, throw in a triangle or other shape. If basketball feels relaxing, a little one-on-one or two-on-one might be a good option.

5. Play a game. Find a simple game (board or card games or easy Red Light Green Light or Mother May I with smaller kids work well) that doesn’t take too much thought and play it together. With a game like Trivial Pursuit or Would You Rather, you can also sit and ask each other questions without getting out the full game. With the rules already decided, you have less to think about.

6. Set the timer. We find that no matter how tired we are, we can do almost any activity for 5 to 10 minutes. So I will often set the timer for a short period of time and wrestle with the kids until the timer goes off. That short amount a time is just enough to get them through the evening. My wife has also done this and chosen such activities as dancing or tickling.

7. Video games. As much as we try to keep the screen off in our home, video games can be an easy way to connect. Just make sure you’re engaged while your child plays, playing with them, or taking a turn.

8. Movie night. Movie nights (or afternoons) are a great way to connect and most kids love having parents sit down and watch with them.

9. Play the “Cherish Board Game.” We found this board on a “Cheeni for Tots” blog, but it can be used for older kids too. The game is simple to play and can be played in as little as 5 minutes a day, giving parents and kids fun and surprising ways to connect (helps plan for you when you’re “just too tired”) like giving hugs, sharing a short story about yourself, sharing a dessert, or giving them $5 to buy a gift for someone.

10. Sit and listen. Take 10 or 15 minutes with your children and sit with them (in the car, on a couch, at the dinner table or with little ones on your lap) and just be there. Listen if your children start opening up. You don’t have to say all that much!

Remember to connect consistently! If you make regular time to connect with your kids, having to take an evening or two off each night so you can rest is not a big deal. In essence, if you make regular deposits in your kids connection “account,” they can draw from this account when you can’t make a deposit.