In my previous blog, I mentioned playing with your child as one of my five tips for successful parenting. In this post, I discuss what types of activities you can try with your child in a bit more detail.
I am a bit embarrassed to admit it, based on what I know now with my experience in child development and as an early-year practitioner; I FELT SILLY playing with my kids. Thoughts of this is a bit weird, silly, and sometimes, dare I say it, boring used to pop into my mind. Their Dad was hands down better at make-believe, silly voices and causing chaos with them. He was the fun one! I used to get mad as he always riled them up before bed! I used to think – hey, it’s 7 pm – get them to bed – there is a bottle of wine downstairs with my name written on it!
Anyway – I got over it! By playing with your child, you can create a way to make memories, help their development, and begin to understand their thoughts and feelings. Over the years, while playing in the sand or with the play dough, I have had some good belly laughs as children have let slip some of their family secrets, or once, when playing at the water table, a 4-year-old casually started to describe the Mariana Trench to me in detail. I had to run into the cupboard to Google it. Every day is a school day! You will be amazed to see what you learn about your child when you play together.
What can I play and why?
- I SPY (ish) –
I say ish because it is a game that we all understand. However, this game can be adapted and is excellent for use in multiple settings or environments. You can use it at home when reading a board book to help build your child’s vocabulary. When out and about and you are trying to complete a task in the supermarket or make a car journey less boring, you can use it when trying to sit patiently waiting for an appointment.
Rather than just using letters or sounds (you can move on to this when your child starts to learn phonics), use colours, objects, or numbers. Try these adaptations, for example, can you find something that is blue? Can you see the number 3? Can you see a hippo?
* Side note: my son always would change the item if he liked the idea of something someone suggested, and this used to always make us giggle, especially when my daughter, who was two years older, would suggest something that didn’t even begin with the same letter or colour.
Why play this? – You encourage observation, exploration, turn-taking, communication, vocabulary-building, and attention skills.
2) Favourite book food tasting –
There are so many good children’s books out there. My favourites include The Tiger Who Came to Tea, Handa’s Surprise, and Green Eggs and Ham!
A fun activity is to pick one of your child’s favourite books and taste test some of the items or make one of the meals for dinner.
You can get the items to prepare together for dinner or do taste tests as you read the book.
Get your child to tell you what the items look like. What happened in the book when their favourite character ate items? What do the food items make them think of?
You can use it when you are trying to get your child to be more adventurous with their food or if you are trying to inject a bit of fun into snack time on a rainy day.
Why play this? You are encouraging a love of literature, a sense of adventure, experimentation, letting your child give their opinion, and discovering textures, tastes, smells, and colours.
3)Play dough with real things and bits-
I love homemade or store-bought play dough, and so do kids! If you hate it and are worried about the carpet, take it outside or use it on the floor on a big waterproof mat.
You can buy your play dough or make your own click here.
Go for a walk and gather leaves, twigs, and pebbles. You can also add glitter, large buttons, pipe cleaners, or anything else you have.
Use the bits and sit down with your child to create various things, such as a picnic or party food. You can also make a tree or other items.
Get your child to describe what they are making and why, discuss the textures and smells, and tell you what they like about the items they use.
Why play this? You encourage your child to build on their fine motor skills, be creative, and use problem-solving skills.
Music –
Who doesn’t love music? It can calm you down and make you happy, excited, or even sad! It can evoke feelings, memories, and experiences. Why not begin to share this with your child?
Put music on the radio or YouTube, and let your child dance and play musical statues. Have a chat about how the music makes them feel. Is it scary, happy, or crazy?
Use some pots and pans and wooden spoons you have in the kitchen and have a mini-concert. This can be with or without music. To practice listening skills, you can make a red and green sign to indicate stop or go!
Sing the old nursery rhymes and do the actions. Take turns to perform to one another.
Why play this? You encourage your child to express themselves, promote physical development, and help them build gross motor skills. This all, in turn, helps to build confidence.
I hope that you have found this helpful. We would love to hear from you at Your little way and see what you and your child create. Please do get in touch.
Your little way 