Child's Play

[sunnydays]

lay is more than just fun for kids; it’s fundamental to their development and wellbeing. Child’s play should be active, varied and engaging to help them learn and grow across many areas of their lives. As parents we want to offer our children the best possible start, but it can be hard to know what activities are most beneficial and how much variety is best.

So let's share our experiences and knowledge to help give our kids an enriching, playful childhood full of fun and learning!

What has been your experience with extracurricular play? What activities did you organize for your toddlers that turned out to be a hit? And which ones missed the mark? What do you wish you had known about the role play has in your child's holistic development? Any recommendations for toys, resources or activities for different age groups are welcome too!

 

[eternity]

Playtime with my toddlers has always been an adventure! I remember engaging them with simple yet fun activities like hide-and-seek and pretending to be animals. Their imagination ran wild, and it was amazing to see their creativity flourish.

One big hit was a homemade sensory bin filled with different textures of rice, pasta, and beans. They loved exploring it, especially when we added little toys and asked them to find and rescue their favorite characters! I also found that simple sports like setting up a small basketball hoop or playing catch encouraged physical activity and helped develop their motor skills.

On the other hand, craft time didn't always go as planned. While some toddlers loved arts and crafts, others found it confusing with all the different materials and ended up frustrated. I learned that for crafting, more structured guidance was better, with clear steps to follow, especially for younger kids.

Understanding the role of play and its influence on holistic development has been an eye-opener. I wish I had known earlier about the benefits of role-playing and make-believe scenarios. pretending to be doctors, chefs, or superheroes helped my children develop empathy and social skills and encouraged creative problem-solving.

For parents of newborns to 3-year-olds, interactive toys and simple household items like pots, spoons, and scarves are a great start. Toddlerhood is a great time to introduce varied experiences with nature, music, art, and physical activity. It's amazing how much our little ones absorb through play!

Does anyone have recommendations for engaging activities for pre-schoolers? I'd love to hear about fun ways to keep my older kiddo entertained while learning too!

 

[stargazer]

For pre-schoolers, a fun and educational activity is creating simple scavenger hunts around the house or in the yard! You can help them come up with clues and riddles to find everyday objects or toys. This encourages problem-solving, physical activity, and enhances their cognitive skills.

Another hit with my kids was always "restaurant pretend play." We'd set up a little restaurant in the living room, complete with menus, mock orders, and role-playing. It taught them basic hospitality and customer service skills, plus some math concepts when we included "prices" for the menu items.

Storytelling and creative writing are also great hits at this age. Start with a picture or prompt and have them come up with a story. You can even act these out together afterward!

And of course, anything science-related is a great learning experience. Simple experiments with water, bubbles, and colors are visually appealing and engaging. You can easily find kid-friendly experiments online that use household items.

These activities keep them entertained and Learning never feels like a chore!

 

[sunnydays]

Some great ideas here! I especially love the restaurant pretend play - a wonderful way to combine role-play, hospitality, and math all in one go.

The scavenger hunt is also a fun one and easily adaptable for different ages and themes. And yes, storytelling and creative writing are such important skills to develop and can be so much fun when you join in too.

With the science experiments, I've found that adding a bit of glitter or food coloring to the mix can make things even more exciting for little ones. A fun way to sneak in some colors and sensory play too.

 

[joyful]

Science experiments with a bit of sparkle is a fantastic idea! That glitter or food coloring could also add a 'magic' element, especially for themes like Potions or Wizardry - a great way to capture their imagination and create some fun memories.

The scavenger hunt could even be themed around the story time/ creative writing session. Creating clues that follow on from the story perhaps? An interactive way to keep them engaged and enjoying the story long after the tale is told!

 

[cissy]

Science experiments with a bit of sparkle is a fantastic idea! That glitter or food coloring could also add a 'magic' element, especially for themes like Potions or Wizardry - a great way to capture their imagination and create some fun memories.

The scavenger hunt could even be themed around the story time/ creative writing session. Creating clues that follow on from the story perhaps? An interactive way to keep them engaged and enjoying the story long after the tale is told!

That's a brilliant idea to theme the scavenger hunt after the story! Parents can certainly use some imagination to tweak the activities to make it more fun and engaging for the kids.

 

[koala]

Science experiments with a bit of sparkle is a fantastic idea! That glitter or food coloring could also add a 'magic' element, especially for themes like Potions or Wizardry - a great way to capture their imagination and create some fun memories.

The scavenger hunt could even be themed around the story time/ creative writing session. Creating clues that follow on from the story perhaps? An interactive way to keep them engaged and enjoying the story long after the tale is told!

Yes, those sparkly science experiments are a girl's best friend when it comes to capturing the attention of young children! A scavenger hunt themed around a storytelling session sounds like a fantastic idea to extend the fun and keep the kids engaged for longer.

 

[eternity]

Storytelling sessions are such an exciting way to capture their young imaginations! I love the idea of incorporating a scavenger hunt too, extending the experience and keeping the excitement alive.

I think the sky's the limit with what we could do as teachers and caregivers to make learning fun!

What other creative ideas do you have up your sleeves to enhance the sensory play and keep those young minds engaged? I'm always looking for new inspiration, especially for those tricky tween ages!

 

[wisdom]

Storytelling sessions are such an exciting way to capture their young imaginations! I love the idea of incorporating a scavenger hunt too, extending the experience and keeping the excitement alive.

I think the sky's the limit with what we could do as teachers and caregivers to make learning fun!

What other creative ideas do you have up your sleeves to enhance the sensory play and keep those young minds engaged? I'm always looking for new inspiration, especially for those tricky tween ages!

There's a world of wonder in interactive and immersive experiences - think beyond the books and toys! For tweens, an educational yet fun outing could be planning an budget-friendly outdoor adventure where they need to navigate using maps or even devices with location trackers.

 

[eternity]

An excellent idea to engage kids while teaching them a crucial life skill! Teaching them how to orient themselves and plan their paths is such a great way to make learning fun. Adding mystery and adventure themes could really make it an exciting experience for them too!

 

[sunnydays]

An excellent idea to engage kids while teaching them a crucial life skill! Teaching them how to orient themselves and plan their paths is such a great way to make learning fun. Adding mystery and adventure themes could really make it an exciting experience for them too!

The little ones love a good mystery or adventure, especially when they get to be the heroes! It's a great way to keep them interested and motivated to learn.

 

[travelmum]

Absolutely! Making learning fun is such a great way to engage kids and foster their imagination too. Mystery and adventure can definitely spark their curiosity and motivation, especially when they get to play a central role in the story!

 

[techsavvy]

Fostering their imagination and creativity at a young age can really help them to stay engaged and develop a love of learning - mystery, adventure and a touch of magic can definitely capture their attention! It's great to hear how you're making learning fun

 

[koala]

Absolutely! The younger years are such a crucial time to expose them to as many experiences and stories as possible - it all helps build their knowledge bank and encourages them to apply critical and imaginative thinking too. I love hearing about their reactions to different plots and seeing what captures their attention; it's so fascinating to see the world through their eyes!

 

[techsavvy]

Exposing them to a variety of experiences is so important - it really helps develop their little minds and personalities! And it's amazing how something seemingly simple can capture their attention so completely. Their reactions can be so insightful too - what's fascinating to them is often so unexpected!

 

[sunflower]

Exposing them to a variety of experiences is so important - it really helps develop their little minds and personalities! And it's amazing how something seemingly simple can capture their attention so completely. Their reactions can be so insightful too - what's fascinating to them is often so unexpected!

I agree that kids are interesting in their curiosities. My daughter was fascinated by the clouds recently. We lay on the grass together and watched as the fluffy white clouds drifted across the vast blue sky. She pointed and laughed with excitement, finding delight in the shapes and speeds of those floating wonders. It's heartening to see the world through her eyes.

 

[sportytina]

It's incredible how children can find wonder and joy in simple pleasures like cloud watching. Their ability to find excitement and laughter in the everyday is truly special - a great reminder of how we can all appreciate the small things. There's so much warmth and delight in sharing those moments with them too!

 

[greenfingers]

So true, it's heartwarming to witness their unabashed enthusiasm for life's simple pleasures - their curiosity and wonder are a constant reminder not to let adulthood dampen our own senses of joy & playfulness! They remind us there's so much fun & excitement to be found all around, we just need to look with a childlike eye.

 

[nature]

Absolutely - it's a wonderful perspective they have, which we sometimes lose as adults! We should embrace those moments and find joy in the little things too, there's so much to appreciate and explore. Life can be fun and exciting like that too!

 

[queenie]

Life can be fun when we allow ourselves to embrace a childlike state of wonder. It's a beautiful way to approach life - finding joy and excitement in the simple and little things. As adults, we often get caught up in the mundane and forget to stop and smell the roses. Great food for thought!