It isn’t a case of putting a child in a room full of toys and them playing happily for hours although as parents we wish it would be. We have so many things to juggle and even though we have a world of information at our fingertips to find inspiration for play, it is time consuming and also overwhelming trying to work out what kind of activities our little ones will enjoy and suit their development and that’s before we need to then find all of the resources and time to set them up.
I try to make life as simple and easy as possible for myself whilst juggling being a mummy, wife and business owner, so playtime for my girls is simple, quick to set up activities which are based around their interests.
Playtime doesn’t have to be complicated or stressful and here are my 3 Playtime Made Easy Tips for a happier playtime for you and little ones:
- Follow their lead – I am an advocate of child led play and really encourage my mums to embrace this too. By observing a child’s abilities and interests, we can plan and create activities which will not only engage them fully but will keep them entertained longer too.
- Let them choose – by giving them the power to choose what to play again will encourage them to engage more in play. One of the best ways is to have something visual to look at that they can choose from. My monthly It’s Playtime Packs are perfect for this.
- Don’t feel the need to offer new activities all the time – if they enjoy an activity try to think of different ways you can extend and play with it. My girls love playing with the horses and stables and they loved it when we added Weetabix as hay bales – simple, fun and kept them engaged for a long time.
It does take a little bit of creativity to think of ways to offer activities and extend their play around their interests but it makes playtime a lot easier when you do. I absolutely love to create activities for children and it is one of the reasons I founded It’s Playtime Tots.
If you would like more support with playtime then please do pop over to Facebook and join my FREE group – It’s Playtime Tots ~ Playtime Made Easy.
To find out more about my monthly It’s Playtime Packs and the other services I offer, head over to my website. www.itsplaytimetots.co.uk
Karen
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