How did we ever form the idea that play is just recreation when it serves such a vital role in children’s development?
If play is a child’s work, then providing the opportunities and toys to do so is the work of parents. Pam Henningsen, a parent educator and Parents and Children at Play trainer with Parents as Teachers, joined a Goddard School podcast recently to talk about play.
Listen to the Goddard School podcast here (Nov. 8 Balancing the Art of Parenting).
Your baby will enjoy “painting” with yogurt or pulling apart cooked spaghetti noodles while sitting in his high chair.
Play with your baby!
- Set up a simple obstacle course for the new crawler—one small pillow to crawl over or around. Put a toy just out of reach and encourage baby to crawl after it.
- Your baby will enjoy “painting” with yogurt or pulling apart cooked spaghetti noodles while sitting in his high chair.
- Let baby drop blocks, metal jar lids or ping pong balls into a large can to hear the different sounds.
Play with your toddler!
- Play listening games. Sit close to each other and say, “Shhh, listen carefully. Can you hear…” (the bird, fire truck, baby cry).
- Waiting—in doctor’s office, for the bus, wherever—is a good time for playing word games. Take turns rhyming words (don’t worry too much whether the rhyme is a“real” word).
- Blow bubbles for your child to catch. To add excitement, give him a clean fly swatter or paper towel tube to bat them with.
Play with your preschooler!
- Hopping is an entertaining way to move. Ask your preschooler to hop instead of walk to the bus stop.
- Paint the sidewalk with a paint brush and a bucket of water.
- Make up tongue twisters—“Will Wiggles win wooly wheels when Wednesday comes?”
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