Making the most of family time Time spent with your family is always precious, even more so if you have little of it. If there are two working parents in your household, it's important to make the most of the time you have together with your children.

Top priority

The best way of making your family time count is to guard it carefully. As your children grow you'll find there are ever-increasing and conflicting demands on everyone's time.

Supposedly 'free' time can be taken up with party invites, friends dropping by, phone calls from your mother and must-watch TV programmes. You'll soon find that if you don't fence off some time to spend as a family, it won't happen.

Plan ahead

The secret is to plan ahead and make clear to everyone what you're planning. Don't worry if you haven't actually decided where you're going on Saturday afternoon (or whether you'll all just stay in with a video). The vital first step is to block off a few hours for a family activity.

As your children grow it's worth making them aware of how much you value time spent together by talking about it. Tell them that Saturday afternoons with the family mean a lot to you - they'll appreciate that you want to be with them.

Don’t waste family time on chores. Shop online instead of dragging the children round the supermarket.

Share the load

Being organised will maximise the time you can spend enjoying life with your family. Take ten minutes every evening to plan what you need to achieve the following day, and make a list. This will help you to be more focused. Share the load with your partner, for example:

• Spend time together planning how you will spend the week ahead
• Try to manage the children’s lives equally
• Let go of responsibilities your partner is taking on
• Organise areas of responsibility so you each do the jobs that are easiest and most enjoyable for you

Finally, never underestimate how much you can get out of just a few moments' concentrated time with your child. Even babies know and appreciate when they're being fully engaged with and enjoyed for their own sake.

As they grow up, nothing pleases children as much as their parents' undivided attention.

Family time is the hardest to prioritise, because other demands always seem more urgent, but it's the time that matters most of all.

Disclaimer: The BBC Parenting site is provided for your general information only. The information contained on this site should not be treated as a substitute for medical, legal or other professional advice. The BBC is not responsible or liable for the contents of any websites of third parties which are listed on this site.