Sable Leicher of Ububele writes:
As parents, there are often a million things to focus on and juggle – working, cooking dinners, helping your children with homework and managing sibling rivalry.
However, it’s also vital to incorporate playfulness and fun into parenting.
Play is important for children’s development. Through play, children can practise important social skills, learn how to problem solve and even increase their vocabulary. Play allows children to be creative and use their imagination, which is a crucial part of learning and exploring the world.
Play is also one of the main ways that children communicate and when you play with your child, you may be able to understand a little bit more about how they see the world.
You might notice things that they have misunderstood, and help them make sense of it. Or you may learn something new about your child and some of their favourite things, interests and hobbies.
Play also increases bonding, and taking a moment out of your busy week to laugh and engage with your children can help create the foundation for a lifelong, secure relationship with them.
If you start playing with your children from infancy, they learn to communicate with you and trust you. This makes things easier when they grow older, as they already have a sense that they can be open and connect with you.
If you are wondering how to begin playing with your child, here are a few helpful tips:
- Let them lead – your child may have a favourite toy that they want to show you or game that they want to play. During playtime, you can let them take the lead. This shows them that you are interested in what they have to say, and builds their self-confidence.
- Keep your comments simple – you don’t need to ask too many questions. Simply notice what your child is playing and follow their lead. You can make comments on what you see to let them know you’re paying attention, such as ‘Wow. That lion is roaring so loud’ or ‘The blue car crashed into the yellow truck’. These comments not only show your child that you are there with them, they also build vocabulary as you give your child words for the objects around them.
- Sit on their level – if your child wants to play on the floor, get down with them. This allows them to make eye contact with you and see your facial expressions. Often children are looking up at adults, but during play time it gives them a rare chance to see their parents’ eye-to-eye.
Our lives can get so busy, that we often forget to play. But taking the time to play with our children can also have important benefits for our mental health.
Through playing with our children, parents may also be encouraged to let off steam and laugh after a difficult day at work. This is important in helping to reduce stress and increase quality of life for the whole family.
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