Secrets Of Playing With Your Child

Special playtime allows you to focus on your child’s positive behaviors while also developing a strong, nurturing relationship. You can use this time to actively listen to your child and practice praising, imitating, and describing his or her behavior. The more you practice the skills, the easier it will be to apply them in real-life situations.

Suggestions for Special Playtime

Every day, try to spend at least 5-10 minutes playing with your child.
Begin with at least five minutes of focused play. When parents first begin using praise, description, imitation, and active listening, they discover that it requires a significant amount of energy and focus. It is difficult to use the abilities for more than five minutes. As your skill level improves, you can increase the amount of time you spend with your child during special playtime. Other positive time with your child, aside from the special playtime, is always beneficial to both you and your child. Reading before bed or cuddling while watching a favorite show, for example, are both important in developing a positive relationship with your child.

Allow your child to take charge of the play activity.
All day, young children are told what to do. They have few opportunities to take the lead. If they are given time each day to learn the most about the activity and make decisions, they will feel more independent and confident.

Reflect your child’s emotions and words.
What your child says should be reflected or repeated back to you. Keep an eye on her behavior and reflect what you believe she is feeling. When you reflect your child’s words and feelings, you demonstrate that you are actively listening to her and assist her in understanding and dealing with her emotions.

How do I play with my child?

Keep it simple: The good news is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money on fancy toys for your baby because their favorite toy is you, according to Karyn Positano, a child-life specialist and ECE at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children. To “play,” she says, all you have to do is respond to them. “Talk back to babies when they babble.” Put words to what they’re saying or what you believe they’re thinking.” You can also label their emotions, which aids in early language development.

When you’re interacting with your baby, give them enthusiastic feedback—a big smile or a clap—for their efforts. This encourages them to stay focused, which aids in the development and maintenance of optimal dopamine levels in their brain, preparing them to be resilient and interested in learning as they grow.

Pay attention to your baby’s cues to time it correctly. Positano says they’ll give you cues when they want to play and when they’ve had enough. “You’ll know an infant is ready to engage with you when they suddenly look at you, which is usually after they’ve been fed or woken up after a nap,” she explains.

How much time should a parent play with their child?

According to the AAP, toddlers should have opportunities to play every day. Many experts recommend that toddlers get at least an hour of free, unstructured (but still supervised) play per day, as well as at least 30 minutes of active, adult-led, structured play.

According to the World Health Organization, more time is better when it comes to active play in particular — think letting your sweet pea play or move freely on the floor with close supervision (WHO). Even newborns as young as a few days old should have two or three tummy time play sessions per day, lasting three to five minutes each.

Playing does not have to mean occupying your baby with toys all day. While exploring new objects like rattles or stuffed animals with infants is fun, there are many other ways to interact and have fun together. Imitating your baby’s coos, singing songs, and experimenting with facial expressions in front of a mirror.

How can I play with my kids without getting bored?

1. Follow Your Own Dreams.
2. Find activities that you and your child can do together that are based on what you already enjoy.
3. Discover Something New…
4. Change the setting.
5. Consider Your Own To-Do List… Set Limits.

What are the 4 types of play?

Science classifies different types of play.

Dr. Stuart Brown, the National Institute for Play’s founder, has classified several types of play and determined that each type of play provides different benefits.

Play with Attunement

Attunement play is the foundation for all forms of play. Parents begin to establish an emotional connection with their infant through activities such as peek-a-boo and baby talk. It not only promotes object permanence, but it also promotes awareness and happiness. When you happily smile and coo at your baby, he or she learns to mimic your expressions and eventually smiles back and begins to vocalize.

Body Play & Movement

Body play and movement help children develop a spatial understanding of themselves and their surroundings. Leaping in the air teaches us about gravity’s effects. Dance teaches us how to move our bodies in a variety of ways.

Object Playing

Playing with toys and objects fosters problem-solving abilities. Raven intelligence testing was developed by animal researchers. They strung food on a string and hung it from a branch. The ravens began to gather the string with their claws and beaks until they had enough to eat. Object play is similar in that it allows children to investigate the functions of various objects and to create tools.