7 Steps to Fantastic Playtime
Cans of red, blue, and yellow paint, a few grams of starch, blank pieces of paper – to grownups, just a hodgepodge of materials, a possible source of mess; to kids, hours of enjoyment spent finger-painting. Parents, for their part, should see in their children’s playtime a chance to cultivate creativity.
A creative child is possessed of original thought. He has the confidence and the ability to think for himself, to see possibilities where others can’t. These qualities make him better-equipped to find his way in the world. Unfortunately, with life’s hectic pace, we often underestimate the power of play in a child’s mental and emotional development. Here’s how you can help your child get the most from playtime:
1. Give your kids time to play. Child stress is a phenomenon that exists beyond the confines of the TV commercial. Children feel very tired and very pressured with so many things on their plates. Remember that not all life’s lessons are learned inside the schoolroom. Make sure that your child has time to enjoy himself every day. As a parent, you can very easily arrange his schedule to accommodate this.
2. Allow kids to play as they want. There’s only one rule when it comes to play and that is there are no rules. Keep insisting that he color the people in his drawings brown instead of the orange he prefers and you stifle your child’s natural creativity. Don’t keep saying “no.” Don’t tell him to change something just because that is how you want it. Because then your child becomes bound by your own preferences and ideas.
What you should do is encourage your child to think. Allow him the freedom to continue playing as he pleases.
3. Mix it up. Even in play, moderation is key. Make sure your child doesn’t get stuck in just one kind of play. For example, playing only computer games deprives your kid of social skills he can develop through other games. By engaging in different kinds of play activities, your child explores all the different possibilities open to him.
4. Choosing play materials. Give your kids some old magazines, milk cartons, and scraps of cloth and let their imagination take over. Just look in your kitchen or any part of your house, anything you don’t have use for anymore can become toys. The possibilities are endless. Your child is born with a free mind, don’t chain him to just one way of looking at things by insisting that a box of pencils is just that, when it can become an army of soldiers ready to march at his command.
5. Play with your kids. Not only will playing with your children allow you to bond, it will also provide them with good models, showing them that you too know how to play. When you play with your kids, do just that. Don’t direct the show. Instead, go with what they are doing.
6. Talk and listen to them. To be able to play well with children, there must be real communication going on. It’s so easy to fall into trap of talking down to children, thinking ourselves the authority, especially in a society weaned on the faulty notion that children are best seen, not heard.
The best way to speak to children is to speak to them like people. Treat them as your friends, and do not condescend.
7. Look after their safety. To parents fall the role of ensuring that their children do not come to harm when playing. This isn’t, however, an excuse for you to tell them not too run, jump, and have fun. That would be very frustrating, especially for energetic children six years old and below. Instead, take steps to make your home child-proof, like padding sharp corners, putting protectors over electric outlets, and placing fragile items on high shelves beyond your child’s reach.
Also, be sure you know who their playmates are, where they hang out, what they do, and that you have access to them at all times.
Above all these, remember that you don’t really need to teach a child to play. Leave him alone and he will go naturally into play mode. When he does, let him be. Allow his imagination free rein as he slays dragons, flies to Neverland, or swims with mermaids. To a child, play is a way of life.
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According to Waldorf Theory on Educational Toys the better toys are those that spark the imagination of the child. It is best to avid toys that require following a set of strict rules.
For example Pretend Play is a great way to gain both social and creativity skills.