When did you start your play activities with your children? Was it when they were starting to get into everything you looked online and started searching for activities……around 18 months when the toys are just not cutting it anymore?
I hope you said earlier because play activities start from the beginning. Although they seem to just eat, sleep, poop and cry this is the perfect time to bond with your baby with play activities. No not getting out the pencils or scissors to craft or expecting them to hop or jump.
Sing songs- Go for the old favourites like Twinkle. But learn new lullabies and make up songs using the tune of a familiar song. It really doesn’t matter at this stage. Hold your snugly bundle of joy against your chest and humm or sing softly. Even when they are wailing the vibration of your voice and beat of your heartbeat will be a comfort. It does feel ridiculous holding a crying baby and singing softly but it can work.
Objects: They are big sensory seekers. Everything goes to their mouth. They need to be safe but let them explore various natural objects. Start your treasure basket. Talk to them about what they are experiencing using gestures the more you talk & gestures about the object science tells us the better it is for their future development. Playtime whilst you change their nappy or tummy time or floor time.
A new baby is a steep learning curve for everyone. With tiredness and feeling overwhelmed one of the best things we can do to support new mums is to encourage them to play and sing with their little one. Lifting everyone’s spirits.
They don’t stay little for long and soon they are moving and reaching.
If you are a new mum with a brand new baby some other blogs I would recommend
Becausebabiesgrowup is another great blog with focus on the little ones. Each day Amber talks about a play activity or something to get you thinking. Here she’s talks about her favourite posts so far.
These two are my current favourites because the activities are fun and appropriate for the little ones.
Good play activities are easily adapted to suit your developing child and are developmentally appropriate…. you can’t go far wrong with singing.
What are baby blogs do you like or would recommend? What baby play activities do you want to know more about? Share your ideas of ones you love below..
I was reading I never grew up and was inspired by their guest poster. Angelina from The Little Travelers will be making 52 meals from 52 countries. I loved seeing her kids participate, although older than mine, plus a neat way to include the Geographical & cultural element in a fun and meaningful way.
Imagine all the things you could talk about, that would come up naturally as you decide which country? Where is it? Who makes this food? what does it look like? What a perfect way to talk about diversity and food.
We learn about the world around us by being active participants. If you look at your meals for the week do you see diversity? The routines and things we do with our family make it our family way. Whether you pray over your food or wait for everyone to be seated to start. Have milk or water at the table, have salad with every meal, always have soup first… Go somewhere else and see how even though you didn’t teach it your kids are surprised with the differences.
If your staple diet is beans and rice as a child you probably think everyone eats this. Just changing one meal will give you an opportunity to talk about how other people eat and live. An important message in our diverse culture to accept difference and embrace them.
Giving the right toys and play experiences is paramount to our children but so is the slow drip drip feed of diversity. Whether you live in a monocultural neighbourhood, your friends tend to be of one race or you live in a multi racial city or town- set out with food and learn together as a family.
How are you doing with family time at dinner time?
We’ve been working on it after I sent a message to PreschoolMama. Her suggestions we regularly do. Dinnertime is the first time we get together as a whole family so we all have something to say. Now our littlest guy has joined us. It can easily get disjointed with one of us constantly getting up and doing things for one of the children.
I eat with the kids no matter what as it gives us a time I wouldn’t miss in the world to talk and share. Lately work has squeezed my husbands time with us so either dinner is late and we’re altogether or if the kids are hungry we dine without him.
We’ve never been an eat in silence family- one boy always thinks it’s appropriate to sing…..we have no idea why. Another always assumes the role of butting in or knocker over of something. Ripe opportunity to teach manners. We’re going for the touch the arm if you want to interject or say something. Respecting others stories- ok some stories aren’t funny or interesting but we can still say something nice and not go ” yeah- I knew that” or immediately discount his story by launching into your own story. How to use a knife and fork ( We’re English. It’s what we do).
Whilst good ideas like teachable moments come up and the TV is off- meal times still seem a little chaotic. Whoever set the table forgot a glass or someone’s cutlery, where’s the booster seat,the serving spoon is missing (feared slipped inside the food because someone chose the wrong sized spoon) baby waited too long and now needs milk, we didn’t want this plate but this other one etc I could go on. But this is my problem.
The dining experience is a lot of fun really once we get going. Some things we’re trying
I’m trying not to serve everyone but let them serve themselves.
We sit in new seats everyday chosen by whoever puts out the mats.
Whoever is loudest wins! trying to change this and ask the middle one ( isn’t it always the middle one) questions
We really like this game 51 dinner games to play while you eat. Guess what’s in the oven mit that gets passed around is a good one. As is what animal would you be if… questions. It’s really interesting what comes out of their mouths…….
Why talk about dinner play activities?
Talking at dinner time is so very important. I read kayleym blog She wrote about William Doherty’s lecture on “Parenting Wisely in a Too-Much-of-Everything World”. The lecture sounded like a good one.
one-half of American families have the TV on during dinnertime, and that children in families that eat meals together three times a week or less are two-and-a-half times more likely to be over-weight or obese in childhood. Another fact I found interesting was that family mealtime influences academic achievement more than school, studying, sports, church, or art activities
How many different types of ball do you currently have available at home?
Balls are great for exploring with little hands because they are tactile ( tennis ball, nubby ball, smooth ball etc) Being able to hold, grasp and move a ball in your hand takes coordination of body, and visual skills. Then there’s the motor planning of moving it from hand to hand without dropping it. Anticipating and compensating for weight, Rolling it, catching, throwing and kicking it in the direction you want using the large muscles
Whatever the weather balls make a great toys because you can use them in different ways inside and outside. Kids love working with them and improving their skills. Try to have out at home different shapes, colours and sizes.
Current favourites in the house
1) the small very bouncy balls that work best on wood/tile surfaces. They play, how high can it bounce ( before we hit something)? How many bounces can we get with one big throw? ( 7 is our record) Who will catch the ball once we bounce it wildly?
2) Nobbie Gertie Ball, rolling it to your partner, bowling it like a bowling ball and using your arm like a hockey bat whilst sitting on the floor opposite each other seeing if you can get it pass the other.
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, rolling it to your partner, bowling it like a bowling ball and using your arm like a hockey bat whilst sitting on the floor opposite each other seeing if you can get it pass the other.
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