I can't take credit for this but my husband can...he is out of town a lot and he mails them a letter or postcard to their school address. They come home from school so excited to have received mail from dad...at school! It makes them feel special...now if I did that it would be a no biggie since I am the one around all the time:)

I try to do things with them separately but, It almost always ends up being 2 and 2! I have two daughters and two sons.

And they LOVE riddles too. That is one my husband is great at. He keeps them in suspense for days. Sometimes they come home from school and ask to call him so they can see if their guess is right. Really keeps them thinking!

@24/7 moms yes to the video games...It amazes my boys that I can actually play lol they are super amazed when I beat them at Guitar Hero

We play the Michael Jackson experience all the time 24/7 moms. It is their life goal to beat me. They never will:)

We read together every night too. SOmetimes we just all get a separate book and read in the same room. They love it best though when I read something to them and my husband lays there and um, falls asleep!

My boys like me to play Video games with them great way to connect

I think its more about just being alone with one of the kids than doing something special. In my house when you are fighting for attention with 3 other siblings, sometimes its enough just to be the one to sit on moms lap while watching TV that night. and Yes...my 14 year old daughter still likes to sit on my lap lol.

Thanks Kayla...I forgot to mention each girl has their own journal so it is special and private:)

Riddles are a great idea! =)

Email , TXT., Facebook are great ways to connect to your teens as well and send messages. I txt my kids daily

Cheryl-I love this idea. Both of my girls love to write in notebooks!

Great tip 24/7 Moms - looking forward to checking out the questions!

Cheryl, that's an AMAZING idea! I really love that. pair it with regular conversation and it is really great.

I love the riddles!

Every day on 24/7 MOMS website we post a Table talk question and riddle if you need fun conversation starters

we keep an interactive journal going night to night. My daughters write in it sometime before bed and leave it on my pillow. I then get to read their thoughts before I go to bed and answer. I leave it outside their door - so they can read it in the morning or whenever. It has opened up a lot of conversations for us and it is fun!

And Connect 4 and basketball. I almost always lose in Connect 4 but I am still holding my own at the hoop. And no I don't let them win. They have to earn it.

We do family dinners and use both a family dinner box (questions) and the "best and worst" question. (ie what was the best and worst thing that happened to you today). I also try really really hard to spend time listening to them-even if it means I have to hear a blow by blow of what happened on Lego Indiana Jones for the Wii or what exactly Ashely said to Ciara about Bobby. . .

Love the idea of writing them letters!

Pottery painting is great! Expensive but great!

I too am trying to listen more than talk *(HARD!!) we are also doing one on one time together and the family dinner is a big one

I do letters and just go out with one of them. I also take out once in a while my closest friends children, one on one for a little lunch or tea and connect with them. I just found out last night that the girl I do this with, requested she go to our place with her grandfather when he was in town.

Wondering what to do on a Date night with your kiddos - begn making a list of things they mention they want to do from going to an Ice Cream parlor to pottery painting..then you will have lots of fun ideas to surprise them

And we eat dinner together at least 5 nights/week, even if I don't cook it myself:)

Seeing them for who they really are, family dinners and family support with all activities. They know the world can be hard and mean, sometimes. Home and family will always be their soft place to land. Even when they (or I) screw up. :)

We are big on family dinners here. I also try to do things with my kids as individuals as much as possible. A little extra attention from mom and/or dad goes a long way to making a kid feel special especially when they have 3 other siblings

We are lucky we have a great mimi and papa who will take 2 boys at a time and leave one home!

I do listen without comment - I've become better at that. I hope it helps.

Whenever I have just one of them in the car with me I make sure I tell them how nice it is to be spending some "alone" time with them.

Lori so agree

We try to take each of the boys somewhere special alone a couple of times per year. It's hard b/c they are close in age and have many of the same interests, but it's important to not always think of them as a unit. To let them have time to share with us alone and be focused on alone too.

I try hard to spend alone time with each of my three daughters. It's important for them to know they have my undivided attention.

My daughter and I have mother daughter dates often. We usually go to dinner and a play. I use that time to let her talk to me and tell me about her life and friends. I think it's great to be a good listener.