Day 1: Plan for The Month and First Activity!

Hello! Welcome to 31 Days of Play!
I have put together a list of all kinds of play activities and I hope you will follow along this month and enjoy the playtime! 

Here’s the general layout of how the month is going to progress.

• I’m going to be starting off by taking the next few days and talking about how to play with each age group of children.   This way you can have some good information on how to set up activities for your children that are age appropriate for them.  Plus, it gives you some ideas on what activities might be fun for your aged child. 
• I’ll then be going into each different type of play:  messy play, outdoor play, musical play, etc.  I’ll be talking about how to facilitate play and why each kind of play is important in a child’s development. 
• The last few days will be about social playtime: playdates, sibling play, family play, etc.

Each day I’ll be giving you a list of activities you can do with your children.  Pick one and spend at least 15-30min each day just playing with your children.  I hope that you will comment back along the way to let me know what activity you did and how it went.  Others can see your comments and possibly get more ideas of activities to do with their children.  Plus,  I love comments….it lets me know that I’m not talking to thin air!

Activity #1:  Let Your Child Lead
Today, I just want you to find a time to sit and play with your children.  If you have more than one child you can do this with them together or separately…it’s up to you. You don’t have to plan anything, just join in on their play.  Easy right?
Well, I do have a few rules I want you to try to follow:

• Take off your “teaching hat” and just enjoy.  Don’t try to show them the right way of doing an activity, or stop them from playing the way they want to (unless it’s not safe).
• Get down on your child’s level…don’t hover over…that can feel intimidating.
• Watch your child and see what they are doing

• State back to them what they are doing “Oh, I see you’ve decided to put that truck on the table”, “You’re coloring that page blue”.
• Watch for their emotions while playing
• State those emotions back to them “Dumping that bucket of rocks made you happy”, “You’re really frustrated that you can’t figure out where that puzzle piece goes”
• Don’t try to jump in and fix a problem that your child should be able to do. Simply encourage them along.

This style of play is called Child-Centered Play (child-led, child-guided…pick one).  It is about being present in our child’s play and not dictating how they play.  When we are present with our children it does wonders for their confidence and self-esteem. They are able to see that we trust them and we see that what they are doing is amazing. It also takes the pressure off of doing things the “right way” which lessens the probability of frustration and temper tantrums…of both the child and parent. Most importantly, it allows for the child to develop skills when their minds are ready to learn them. By being child centered, you will see that playing with your child can be a truly enjoyable experience.  Here’s a great article on child-centered play, if your interested.

I want you to try to continue playing with your child like this throughout the month.  It can be difficult at first, but it will become easier.  Ask me questions along the way if you need to.
GO!  PLAY!  ENJOY!