Let's PLAY!

I've found myself often wondering if I am doing the right things when I'm playing with my daughther. Am I giving her enough attention, not enough, creating enough structure, etc. etc....?

Do you ever wonder how to best play with your kids?

In this month's Communique (the National Association for School Psychologist's newspaper), there was a great article about Play. I wish I could just copy the whole thing and post it, but I will just put some of the key points of it.

It quotes from The Hurried Child, saying, "play is nature's way of dealing with stress for children as well as adults....As parents, we can help by investing in toys and playthings that give the greatest scope to the child's imagination." The article continues to talk about the importance of play, and in summary, it states, "through play, children explore the world around them, imagine alternatives, solve problems individually or with others, learn how to negotiate, learn how to express their feelings, and learn to be creative."

The article points out some Key Strategies to Enhance the Value of Play .

• Take time to observe your child's play
• Let your child play without you
• Give room to play (not only physical but noise space--let them move their bodies, laugh, be loud, messy, and quiet)--this will help them understand limits and boundaries
• Create opportunities for free play
• Go battery/electricity free for a day (the article talks about the modern toys that overly structure children's play, and leave little room for creativity, and notes that they should be limited)
• Play with your child
• Let your child Lead--this is not a time to instruct your child or for you to be in charge, however a time to reflect your child's feelings and reinforce their efforts.

For more information, check out this site, or this website.