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With three boys roughly equally spaced I often get the impression that I’ve been here done this before. Not just with clothes, which is inevitable. But with behaviours and play activities.
The first time my oldest threw himself on the floor and let us know how he felt I was stunned, embarrassed and lost. Fast forward the middle one, we could smile and had a few options up our sleeve and now the youngest tried for a week then gave up ( Well right now he’d rather climb than tantrum). We still get thrown a loop don’t get me wrong. Each child is unique and brings a little something the other one didn’t so there is still the challenge but I feel my confidence has grown with each child.
I think play activities can catch you like this too.
We can get a bit like a deer in the headlights. So many options and that crippling tiredness.
Apart from the obvious reach fors. Here are some activities we’ve loved over the years.
5 ways to overcome the play activity blues
If it’s not working, it’s not working try something else
You child may not be ready for crafts, playing by themselves, not creating a mess, always dumpsthe Legos, sit for anything like you expected. Not everyday needs to be a fight. Try something else and come back. Development may happen in steps. I see my children skip steps and fall down the steps all the time. Keep heading toward the goal but don’t get discouraged along the way. My child won’t do craft activities- what now? Childhood games
Repeat. If it worked before it is likely to work again
We all have those moments when the play activity goes well for them, you and the universe. Then we forget what we did or what happened exactly and it’s like a moment of loss. Keep a record of successful activities so when we have, “one of those days” we can try something we know worked well before. That’s not to say it will work well again but we know it did….once.
Getting stuck in a rut is easy. We love routines. Buy the same cereal and coffee. Unless something jumps out at us like a Sale or Advert we’re pretty much creatures of habit. All good except sometimes even we get bored. Trying something new requires more work but the rewards are usually right behind.
If you love reading but 2 hours of reading to your little one is getting old even though you had decided it was what you wanted to do. Try using an Audio story. Love reading yourself but too tired to read at night try a non fiction audio book or parenting podcast.
Change the way you think about play activities. They maybe learning experiences but they need to be fun. Remind yourself of what learning is happening when the button won’t stick with the glue stick ( problem solving). Is our reaction to go and get the white glue or rescue the child? Once you’re retrieved the thrown button and everyone is calmer. What happens next? That lovely activity cut lovingly from the magazine is now a big old mess of high emotions and high expectations but the opportunity to grow socially and emotionally should not be forgotten. Could you change the activity to a science one of investigation, think on your feet? An essential adult skill is the ability to work through problems logically, the knowledge to know when to walk away from situations that are frustrating or dangerous and knowing how to check our feelings. Tell our boss they are a dumb idiot maybe what we want to say, at times but we learn that doesn’t keep us our job and saying something else would have got the same point across.
I guess I’m saying that many times it will be the things you learn as you go along over the end product especially in the Early years. We can help our little guys and appreciate without belittling their efforts.
Blissdom is a conference for bloggers who are moms or who work with moms.
If you’ve never been to a conference before I would really recommend this one as it’s small enough to get to know people and have genuine connections plus there are so many people to meet and you get to stay in drop dead gorgeous surroundings.
As usual with so much going on I really forgot to take photographs of people. I got the notes and met the people I wanted, apart from a few. I’m sure there were lots of others I didn’t know were there.
The Opryland hotel was amazing. Who would think you’d get a walk in before breakfast and have scenery like this and not be bothered by the walk…..ever!
I was excited to room with Stephanie of Keeper of the home and Rene of Budget saving mom. If you’re looking for organic tips and money saving tips I learnt a lot from these ladies. Please say hi when you go visit them:)
Stephanie is a passionate homeschooler, organic gardener and amateur nutritionist. She’s also the wife of an entrepreneur and a mama to three little ones. Taking a practical approach, she writes daily articles on inspired natural living for homemakers at her blog, Keeper of the Home. Her first book, Healthy Homemaking: One Step at a Time, was published in 2009, and her second book, Real Food on a Real Budget, is due to be published February 2010.
Rene is the wife to a great guy, mother of three daughters with one more on the way. She loves to save money, find deals, freebies, and garden. She tries to eat mainly organic foods on a budget, and has started a gardening series to show others how to raise some of their own food. Rene blogs at Budgetsavingmom.
Are you planning on any conferences this year? Which conferences do you prefer- ones away from home or day conferences locally?
This post is part of the Tell me Thursday meme. Found at Tellmethursday.com
You can find other stories about Wordless Wednesday pictures and link up yours today.
Don’t forget to enter the book contest. Click here to go there now- Running Monday 15th February to Sunday 21st February 2010.
My first post on Play Activities took a very long time to compile. I was nervous and worried if anyone would read it and if anyone would make a comment.
While times change and our children get older play remains the same. The aim of this blog is to document the play activities that I have done with my family. We have a lot of fun and mishaps, smiles and tantrums over play. But sticking at it when times are tough helps. During the time that I’ve been blogging I’ve had two more babies, hospital stays and change of work habits because of this, moved 4 times, lived on two different continents and three different countries. Life has sure been busy but during all this what has grounded us and kept us together as a family is that we play together.
Why this style of play?
There has always been a lot of very talented people who craft or have visually stunning pictures. I love those sites like everyone else. I want this site to keep it real for those of us that wish to play with our children and not feel the pressure to make everything look beautiful. They can and do . We try and have fun.
What do you do?
This is a one stop resource for all different types of play experience. The play activities email is a free weekly email of play activities that parents can do with their children using everyday material found in your home. You usually have to hand more things than you imagine that will easily be useful as a play activity. If you’re a regular blog reader you’ll love these activities. Sign up is free ( Top right sidebar)
Recently I started a podcast where I interview people with a big heart for Early years play. Experts, authors and parents who follow the philosophy of Play Activities- engage and not entertain.
I’m often asked to provide printables. I try and include downloads if I have them or make them. Most of our play activities use materials we find around the home and are interactive. We don’t use many printables ourselves. My boys are avid artists and I love it. We use lots of sticker books, supplied by family, colouring books when we’re out and about.
The first of anything is really exciting. How do you keep play exciting for your kids?
Raising Playful Tots is an Internet radio or Podcast available 24hrs a day . Host: Melitsa Avila of Play Activities. Download each episode yourself visit each show notes to do this or have iTunes do this automatically for you.
Week 14th Feb 2010: Playing outdoors….with Caroline Webster of http://salisburydowns.wordpress.com shares the final part of her series on imaginative play activities for the little ones Outdoors. She gives away two copies of her book in an easy contest.
Keep up to date with new show by signing up for the newsletter. When you sign up for the newsletter you get a free 11 page special report 10 ways to extend your child’s play. New show on Wednesday!
If you blog what was your first blog post……….post it in the comments section. You probably took the longest time writing it.
Don’t forget to enter the book contest. Click here to go there now- Running Monday 15th February to Sunday 21st February 2010.
My LO loves repeating things over and over again. Something about this stage that can drive you potty or not, I think. I watched him pull out the wipes today and try to put them back, 3 times in quick succession before I could get to him and the wipes. Then later put a block into a box and out again. Filling the box with whatever he could find. His latest thing is staying with me in the kitchen and stacking tin cans now he’s mastered swinging the door open in the larder. He’s up to 3 cans on top of each other as well as pushing them onto the countertop at record speed.
These activities make me smile.
They are also easily overlooked.
He’s playing.
His most exciting thing of the day is what happens next.
Although the same thing happens. He wants to pull out and put in then walk off.
We had some fun with it.
I used sing song voice and said, “Pull out”. When he was……….pulling. I thought put back in was too much so we went for, “Push” to signal put back in.
Taking the towels out of the drier by myself………………..30seconds tops!
Quicker YES! Easier YES! Missed an opportunity YES!
Taking the towels out and in, out and in with the LO………………………..3+ minutes.
What did I get for my trouble?
Smiles
Excitement
He attempted to imitate my words and gestures
He was attempting to anticipate. He’d wait for me, looking at me and pausing before he pulled or pushed. Next time I may mix it up but this time I didn’t think to do that.
Turn a simple chore into a play activity. You just have to see the opportunity.
What other play activities constructed or spontaneous have you done for push and pull ?
How do you cope with chores with your helpful toddler?
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