Take Time for Playtime
LEGOs scattered all over the floor, just waiting to stab you in the feet like little, spikey landmines. Crayons littering the tabletop, leaving nice streaks of colored wax all over your furniture. Stuffed animals strewn to the far reaches of the living room and back, presenting the cutest, fuzziest slipping hazards ever conceived. Sounds like a familiar scene, right?
In some ways, playtime (for parents, at least) can be a real pain, literally and figuratively! Despite that, we can’t recommend enough that you give your kids plenty of time to play with toys, books, and more. Why? Because it’s the number one way that children learn!
When kids are playing, they’re not just having fun – they’re learning about their world. They’re investigating toys to understand how they work; using objects in new ways and discovering different ways of combining them; and exploring concepts through storytelling. In fact, research shows that kids use more sophisticated language in play time than any other time of day!
So, while you may not associate tea time with Mr. Rabbit, or whatever your child’s favorite friend’s name is, with literacy, trust us: that’s exactly what it is!
Beyond literacy, playtime is a key component in a child’s social/emotional development, too. It’s how they learn about and practice concepts like sharing, problem solving, and critical thinking.
Make sure that throughout the day you’ve given your children plenty of time to play! They’ll appreciate and learn from it, and you’ll get all the joyful memories that come with it.
Just mind your feet.