I have been following Ralphie from Simply on Purpose for a while about open-ended play \u2013 because let\u2019s face it lockdown had us all asking, \u201ccan the kids not play on their own?\u201d Going into lockdown, a lot of us bought ample amounts of toys, crafts, activities and books to keep the kids entertained\u2026 and that seems to be the problem.<\/p>\n
We constantly try and keep our children entertained. Busy routines, extramural activities, playdates and structured activities. While there is definitely a place for this, but we never let them get bored. It is the boredom that leads to their creativity being ignited and flourishing.<\/p>\n
Where to start:<\/strong><\/p>\n With creativity and freedom to play, there will be a mess and that is fine \u2013 actually goal achieved! All messes can be cleaned and it will happen every time, so ask your children to help with tidying up. Pack away half of the toys, organise and store them so the kids can see what is available. Messy play can be orchestrated or set up outside (to calm your nerves).<\/p>\n Play is enough! At school, playtime is mostly goal-orientated \u2013 developing fine motor skills, gross motor skills and guided art projects. At home, play should be encouraged, Let them play as often as possible. After all, \u2018Play is our brain’s favourite way of learning.\u2019<\/em> – Diane Ackerman<\/p>\n Build memories and rich experiences through play. Remember, practice makes perfect and play is a skill that should be practised (most of the time by the parents more than the kids). Getting your children into the flow will only take a few minutes. Get on their level, literally, sit down next to them and let your child guide you \u2013 this should not feel like a forced or planned activity.\u00a0 This could simply be by playing parallel with them, Ralphie suggest. Let them see that you have your own story with your own toys. Let them hear and see you playing with \u201cyour\u201d toys and this will encourage them to start their own game. A quote by Janet Lansbury sums it up \u2018when you do play, do less and give more attention.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n Three simple things to remember while attempting this:<\/p>\n Sheila Eyberg says that interactive play for 5 to 20 minutes a day leads to a deeper and more loving connection between parent and child and less disruptive behaviour \u2013 where do I sign up?!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I have been following Ralphie from Simply on Purpose for a while about open-ended play \u2013 because let\u2019s face it lockdown had us all asking, \u201ccan the kids not play on their own?\u201d Going into lockdown, a lot of us bought ample amounts of toys, crafts, activities and books to keep the kids entertained\u2026 and that seems to be the problem. We constantly try and keep our children entertained. Busy routines, extramural activities, playdates and structured activities. While there is definitely a place for this, but we never let them get bored. It is the boredom that leads to their creativity being ignited and flourishing. Where to start: With creativity and freedom to play, there will be a mess and that is fine \u2013 actually goal achieved! All messes can be cleaned and it will happen every time, so ask your children to help with tidying up. Pack away half of the toys, organise and store them so the kids can see what is available. Messy play can be orchestrated or set up outside (to calm your nerves). Play is enough! At school, playtime is mostly goal-orientated \u2013 developing fine motor skills, gross motor skills and guided art projects. At […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2884,"featured_media":17450,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting-articles"],"yoast_head":"\n\n