The Importance of Playing with Your Childby Lyn Newton | More from this Blogger 18 Nov 2007 09:47 AM Many parents work and have busy lives. Because of all of the activities and chores that must be completed, most parents spend very little time actually playing and talking with their children. Many parents would like to spend more time playing with their children but simply are unsure how. Adults are set in the fast pace of the world and have a hard time slowing down to do much of anything, including taking the time to listen to what children need and want. I am guilty of this myself. It can be difficult to sit down to play dolls or a game when you know that dishes, laundry, and cleaning awaits you. However, much of a child's learning takes place during the first six years of life. During this time a child will learn more and faster than any other time. During these years the learning does not take place through formal lessons or preschool teachers, the majority of the learning takes place through play. As a parent, it is important to foster your child's natural learning through play activities. You can encourage curiosity, creativity, and learning development at home by interacting with your child. These activities can help give your child a heads up on basic skills that will be used in school. The activities do not have to be complicated to create or carry out. They can be created with common household materials. During some of my rest articles, I would like to introduce parents to some play activities that you can carry out with your child at home. The activities are simple, fun, and engaging. While most of the activities are designed for preschool children, they can be enjoyed by most any primary age child. The holiday vacation breaks are a great time to get started on interacting and having fun with your child. Learn more about Lyn Newton  Lyn is a kindergarten teacher and mommy to a girl and a boy. In her spare time, she enjoys informative and creative writing. Relevanteducation tags User Comments  Dale Harcombe (10126) 03 Mar 2008 09:06 PMCouldn't agree more that as parents we need time playing with our children. It is something my husband and I did with each of ours. Time playing with our children is not wasted but relationship time. Our family are grown now but they remember those fun times. We still like to get together sometimes and go to the footy together, picnic or play games. Settlers of Catan is a favorite these days. Community Tags activities for learning, learning through play, preschool, parent child interaction, talking with children Discuss this article
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