#Here’s what families are doing with all that extra quality time at home

“#Here’s what families are doing with all that extra quality time at home”

July 17, 2020 | 12:19pm

Parents are getting in an extra six hours of quality time per week with their kids because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research.

Seventy-eight percent said the isolation period has allowed them to get to know their children better, with another 78 percent saying they’ve used these strange times to bond more with them.

The survey, conducted by OnePoll on behalf of BJ’s Wholesale Club, shined a light on how families are staying closely-knit during the pandemic by polling 2,000 parents of school-aged kids.

Over half of parents polled said they’ve ramped up game nights with the family, with over four in 10 saying they’ve taken this time to show their kids their own favorite movies and TV shows.

One in three taught them a hobby with all their free time and 39 percent have let them help out around the kitchen.

And kitchen help has been quite needed, it turns out, as the large majority of parents polled said their cooking efforts have been ramped up since isolation began.

Compared to before the COVID-19 outbreak, parents said they now spend an extra four hours per week just cooking.

It has led to some experimentation, too — as 61 percent said they’ve been focusing on trying new recipes they’ve never tried before, with the average respondent taking a stab at three new recipes already.

Cooking has become such a major focus lately that 51 percent said they’ve bought new cookware during the isolation period.

Three in four parents also said mealtime is when they tend to bond with their kids the most, with families reportedly sitting down for two more meals per week together since the pandemic started.

“Being at home means we’re spending more time with our families, especially in the kitchen and around the dining table,” said Paul Cichocki, executive vice president, membership, analytics and business transformation, BJ’s Wholesale Club. “At BJ’s, we help our members keep their families and refrigerators full with affordable family-sized packs of fresh food and groceries.”

Cooking at home more means getting groceries more and the survey also found some insight into how that’s been impacted by COVID-19.

Cichocki added, “Now more than ever, we’re all answering the constant, daily question of ‘What’s for dinner?’ That’s why we offer convenient shopping services such as grocery delivery and buy online, pick up in-club so members can shop however they want, while saving time and money.”

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