Play Time With Your Child
One of the most precious gifts we can give our children is the gift of our time with them. Making time in the daily routine to give "quality attention" to our children seems to be a difficult task for many busy parents to accomplish, but the benefits of at least 15 minutes of special time a day with each child are many. Setting up a regular time and calling it by a special name provides a concrete way of telling children that you love them and that they are "special" to you. Children learn through their play and interactions with others. Daily "Special Play time" will strengthen the parent-child relationship and will help your children learn and grow.
Four Tips for Parents During "Special Play Time"
- Enjoy your child's play instead of bossing.
- Observe and celebrate your child's imagination instead of judging.
- Listen and learn from your child instead of teaching
- Let your child lead, as you become his or her playmate.
Play Dough Recipe
1 ½ C. water and food coloring
½ C. salt
Mix in pan. Heat until bubbles appear in the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and add:
2 T powdered alum
2 ½ C. flour
1 T. oil
(mix the above together)
Stir. Knead until smooth. When cool. Store in plastic bag in the refrigerator.
Things to do on a rainy day:
- Bowl. Make a bowling set, using plastic cups or empty plastic bottles and a large ball. A hallway is a good place to set up your bowling alley.
- Boxes, pans, or pails make good targets for bean bags or foam balls.
- Indoor play houses can be made by throwing a sheet over a table.
- Have a dinosaur egg hunt with plastic eggs.
- Tape-record your child's voice and/or you telling a story.
- Clean a closet. Your child will almost always find something intriguing to play with.
- Have an indoor picnic. Pack everything up in a picnic basket and spread out a blanket in the family room.
- Blow up balloons for a game of baseball, soccer, or volleyball.
Fun Things To Do With Your Children
- Go to the park.
- Visit the zoo.
- Plant flowers.
- Wash the car.
- Go to the library.
- Do a puzzle.
- Play hide and seek.
- Read a storybook out loud.
- Talk about the story.
- Look at family photo albums.
- Reminisce about your child's early years.
- Go to a matinee movie.
- Play a card game.
- Have a scavenger hunt.
- Take a walk.
- Make popcorn.
- Take a bike ride.
- Take the family for ice cream.
- Have a kickball or baseball game.
- Listen to quiet music while you rub your child's back.
- Play "Simon Says."
- Make a collage of pictures of something your child enjoys.
- Go on a nature walk, collect stones, shells or leaves.
- Bake cookies.
- Work on a craft project.
- Prepare a special dinner to honor a member of your family or celebrate a recent success.
- Allow the family member to choose the menu.
- Serve that family member on a special "company" plate. Share what you really like or appreciate about that member of your family.
- Visit a museum.
- Visit the Farm Park.
- Go to a high school sporting event.
- Make pizza.
- Fix a special dinner together.
- Create an artwork on the driveway with sidewalk chalk.
- Go swimming.
- Play Candy Land, checkers, or other board games.
- Go on a "date" with each child alone.
- Go fishing.
- Fly a kite.
