GOOD PLAY TIME
Parents have a major role in shaping their child´s play experience. By selecting the right toys, creating an appealing play area, and understanding their child´s developmental needs as well as their individual preferences, they can enjoy taking part in childhood´s most magical moments.
Parents' Role
Mother and Father are the two most important people in a child´s world. When parents participate and play along with their child, they are their children´s best toys! Parents should encourage and admire their child when they are playing happily. A smile, a simple phrase or a hug shows that you are proud of their accomplishments.
Play It Their Way
Giving your child the freedom to play the way they like allows them to explore at their own pace. Follow your child´s lead and do not direct them to play the way you want. This will help to develop self-confidence and foster creativity. Parents´ nurturing care during playtime helps build a strong and healthy parent-child relationship.
Appropriate Toys
You can provide toys that are just right for your child at any stage by observing their interests and following guidelines for age appropriateness. As you watch your child grow and acquire new skills, you can help them learn by providing toys that offer exciting new challenges. When your child is playing with specific toys often and repeatedly, it shows that they´re enjoying the learning process and have developed comfortable patterns of play.
When selecting toys, it is essential to consider quality rather than quantity. Children can be easily overwhelmed with too many toys, or be disappointed in poorly constructed toys that break. While watching your child play, you´ll be able to see which types of toys they prefer. Rotating toys can be a useful strategy for parents. This means selecting some of the lesser used toys and removing them from the play area for a period of time. You can return these toys when your child appears to be losing interest in their current set of playthings. By combining groups of toys in different ways, children can create new ways of playing.
Sharing
Learning to willingly share one´s toys with others is one of the fundamental social tasks of childhood. Parents need to be aware that this skill develops gradually over time. Two year olds are not ready to share simply because they´re not able to think about the other child´s point of view. However a five year old knows the difference between sharing and owning toys. They are also able to appreciate the concept of sharing toys in order to make friends. Parents can help by setting up situations where sharing is a positive choice. Also, specially treasured items should not be required to be shared (i.e. a special blanket, or teddy bear). It can be explained to the other child that some things are not for sharing, but other toys can be offered.
The Play Area
An ideal playing environment is clean, bright, well organized and scaled to a child´s size. During infancy, most toys are kept in a playpen or fastened to the crib. As the child grows they need a space indoors and outdoors where they can play safely. Toys should be stored in bins or boxes where they can easily be seen and parts can be kept together in sets. Children will have more fun playing with their toys if they know where to find them. Even very young children gain great satisfaction from taking care of their things and learning to put them away in the right place when playtime is over. |
