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Parenting Advice >Parenting Advice > Play |
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 PlayPlay is, of course, very important to your child, at any age, as it's the way she learns! Having fun with your child will encourage her to discover new things and form a wonderful bond between you! Set aside some time each day to actually sit down and play with your child, even half and hour. Instead of her going off to play by herself or with her siblings, you can play her favourite games with her. She'll love you for it!
Baby Play Your baby loves to watch your face and study it closely while you talk gently to her! Talk frequently to your baby about anything at all but keep the tone of your voice high and gentle. That's what babies respond to best. Use repetitive words and smile to her while you're talking! If she starts to move her lips and make facial expressions then stop and 'listen' to her, as this is her very early attempt to have a conversation with you! Read to her and tell her about your day! This will help her to learn and it really assists bonding, if you take time to do it! It's lovely for both you and baby! 
Types of Play Pretend Play - Domestic Play
Always remember to pick toys and games that are age appropriate, and do not give small objects to under 3's except with CLOSE SUPERVISION from 2 when playing with dolls houses etc. Also do not push your child, because she will go at her own pace. Pushing a child causes resentment leading to unhappiness with the whole learning experience, and she may be put off for life! Don't expect your 3 year-old to be able to learn her alphabet (some children will, but most will not) or your 2 year-old to be able to use a skipping rope for example. Follow her lead and she will let you know what she's ready for. Look at the 'Child Development Chart' for help knowing what stage your child is at. Just encourage her, and when you can see that she needs a rest, let her. Pretend play or role-play. This type of play is when a child really learns to use her imagination and this is very good for her intellectual development. She also develops her language development through the speech she uses whilst at play. Her emotional development is encouraged by learning to see life from others' point of view and playing with others co-operatively will help her social development. So you can see why it's important to provide for this type of play. This may be as simple as draping a sheet over two chairs to make a tent, house or even a castle, whatever takes her fancy! Old clothes are useful to dress up in and you could get a good variety in second hand shops! Children love dressing up and you can get some wonderful patterns now to make your own costumes. This not only saves money, but you can choose all your favourite fabrics, and can use the pattern again and again as your child grows up. Or lend it to a friend! If you're not too skilled with a sewing machine however, you can buy some great dressing up costumes for not too much! Alternatively you could come up trumps at the local charity shop by finding an array of posh frocks, scarves, hats, jackets etc. Domestic play is a form of pretend play where children copy what they see you do in the home, this is good for encouraging empathy in your child. You can provide for this by having dolls (of different colours!), clothes for the dolls, tea sets and play cookers etc. Again, buying second hand, dolls/tiny baby clothes, can save money. Also children love to join in while you are cleaning and it's a great idea to encourage it while they're young. Giving them one of your dusters is fine but if she really wants to help with the hovering, then buy her, her own miniature one. She'll love it! It's not just girls who enjoy domestic play although they do tend to be more interested than boys. If your boy wants to help with domestic chores then let him in fact encourage him, your future daughter-in-law will thank you for it! You will also be thankful when he grows up and is used to helping out, it'll be easier to ask him to do his chores! Other items that are great for domestic/roll play are, a toy phone, a dustpan and brush set, a shop set with cash register etc., a selection of wigs, hats and shoes and anything else which you can think of to fit in with an everyday life situation. You see, this is how children learn about life, by acting it out in play. We are their role models whether we like it or not! Miniature play is play with things like dolls houses, small figures/animals, miniature cars, train sets, and farm sets etc. Your child's intellectual, language, emotional and social development will still be encouraged but so too will her physical. Manipulating the small figures or cars will help her fine motor skills! There are a variety of different sets to fit every budget, which are great for this type of play. For the more traditional boys there are playmobil sets and for the animal lovers there are vet sets and so on. Try and buy a variety of different coloured and abled dolls to promote tolerance and acceptance of people of all colours and disabled people too, if you can. I've seen some lovely playsets for animals, which involve different backgrounds on playmats with a selection of appropriate animals! For example a jungle set, or an underwater scene. Also there are space sets with rockets and space men, marina sets with a pier, boats etc., so take your pick! Physical play can then be broken down into gross motor skills and fine motor skills. Gross motor involves toys like large outdoor equipment, trikes and sit n' ride toys etc for gross motor, and things like construction toys to encourage manipulative development for fine motor skills. Fine motor Hand eye co-ordination can be helped through modelling with Plasticine or clay, construction toys like Lego, Duplo, Popoids, Octons, threading beads onto string, and jigsaws etc. You can also play games where your child puts her hand into a prepared cardboard box with a hole cut in the top, which contains different objects or textures. She then puts her hand in and has a feel. Ask her to name the objects or match the textures. For textures, have two of each - one in the box, and one out, and then she can match them. Get her to describe to you how they feel. This also helps her intellectual development. For gross motor skills, you can simply go to a park and let your child play there, or there are some great children's gym classes such as Tumble Tots, and Gym Teds. Also play some games in the garden, like rope quoits, balancing by walking tightrope style along a low wall/line, hopping, races, bouncing on a mini trampoline, skipping, bat and ball games, walking on mini stilts, etc. Dancing in time to music and using rhythm in dance is great for physical development. Swimming is excellent as well for developing physical strength and agility. Intellectual play is provided for with items such as puzzles, board games, books, jigsaws, dominoes, pairs memory game, picture lotto, card games etc. Also this is the type of play where your child learns about numbers with counting games and number books etc, letters through play with appropriate board games, books and jigsaws and the like, weights and measurements through cookery, playing with scales and different sized objects, sizes such as big, medium and small, and colours with different brightly coloured objects, matching games, suitable board games, books and jigsaws and so on. Also near and far, and other similar concepts. Listening to classical music will stimulate a child's brain too, particularly Mozart! If your child is a bit behind in any of these areas then don't worry, simply invest in a few games and spend half and hour a day concentrating on it. Also involve the subject in everyday life, such as counting the pegs used to hang up the washing or spotting different coloured objects around the home. Your child could wear something blue one day and something red the next for instance. Each day you could make it a red day where you spot red things as the day goes on. If size is an issue then talk about the relative size of objects compared to each other. Use your imagination and come up with interesting games using everyday objects or situations. Talk with your child every day and involve her in your daily activities. Creative play , which involves the sort of things featured on my 'activities' page. This type of play will encourage fine motor/manipulative skills, intellectual development through planning and naming her pictures and creations, language development through describing her projects, and social development when playing with friends. It includes things like drawing, painting, modelling, cutting and sticking and the like. Also cookery is a creative pastime and is enjoyed by all children. It's important to let your child do some simple cookery or else help you prepare a meal every week so that she learns not only about cookery but also about weights and measurements, and simple physics concepts like what happens to substances, when they are heated up/frozen etc. Water and sand play doesn't need much explaining, as it's exactly what it sounds like! Most young children will get their opportunity to play with water when they're in the bath with their bath toys, or in a paddling pool in summer! This is fine, but here are a few ideas you could try as well! Fill a clear container or basin with coloured water (use food colouring!) and add some plastic toys that are the same colour, or clear jugs so that she can see the colour through them. Make sure you do this in a waterproof area like the kitchen, and waterproof aprons are a good idea too, especially when you're using food colouring, which could stain clothes! Another idea is to add some bubble bath to a bowl or basin of water and let your child wash dolls and their clothes in it, or wash her tea set etc. Have some towels near by, for your child and for dolly! Another great idea is to add some Lego or Duplo to some water and let your child make an 'underwater city'. Use your imagination and add any plastic or waterproof toys to a basin of water to provide endless fun! Remember to make the water nice and warm and don't give your child items or toys to play with, which can trap water, like squeaky toys! This is because the water will clog up inside them and become black and mouldy - very unhygienic. Vary your selection with pouring, measuring, pumping and scooping toys. Also boats and some toy underwater animals and fish, fishing games, water/sand toys with wheels that turn, and watering cans! Also introduce items that sink and items which float. Books will help your child's language development for obvious reasons but they will also help a lot with social and emotional development. The most cosy and cuddly times are usually when you're reading your child a story, and it is a rewarding time for both mother/father and child! Intellectually books are great as there are so many sold specifically to teach letters, numbers or colours for instance. Socially your child will learn about the world around her by reading stories relating to other peoples situations, teaching her to empathise with others, but also relating to her own circumstances, making her feel like she belongs and fits in. Stories about a new baby will help her if she's got a new sibling, or books about potty training when she's going through that for instance! Do visit libraries regularly as they are invaluable for being able to have a variety of books without having to spend a penny! Letting your child choose some books to take home is very exciting for her! Also toy libraries are great for the same reason and can help when you're on a budget! Find out from your local library where the toy libraries are run near you. Music, Singing, dancing and playing with some simple percussion instruments is great for children's physical development when manipulating the instruments to play them or when using their whole bodies in time to the rhythm of the music, intellectual development as music helps our minds develop, language development when learning and reciting new songs and rhymes, emotional development when singing and playing finger plays she will feel close to you and social development can be nurtured when singing and doing music with friends. Children not only love to sing traditional nursery rhymes but also love classical, pop and all sorts! There are so many tapes and CDs with popular children's songs, and getting some simple percussion instruments to bang for half an hour won't hurt your head too much! Outings. This can mean something as simple as a trip to the park or something more special like a day trip to a safari park or zoo! I've made a list of some trips that I go on, in the Activities section so take a look for some ideas! If you would like some help with this subject, just use the Services page! |
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