3 WAYS TO PLAY EVERYDAY
by Meredith Sinclair View Bio
Meredith is a former elementary school teacher with a master’s in education who turned her expertise to improving people’s lives by spreading the gospel of play. She is a blogger and a regular Family Lifestyle contributor to the Today Show and Fox and Friends, and is a columnist for Chicago Parent magazine. Meredith speaks at social media conferences, parenting groups and companies about the power of PLAY in our everyday lives. Meredith's first book “Well Played” was published by Harper Collins in June 2016. She lives with her husband Jon and her two sons Maxwell and Truman, on Chicago’s North Shore.
- The easiest way to include more play in your child’s lives is by making it “fun”. Within every task, job, developmental milestone, or hard new skill our kids need to learn, there is always a way to incorporate a pop of play.
- Cramming a child’s days from start to finish simply leaves no space for play to break through. One sure-fire way to include free play is by intentionally marking off some chunks of time throughout the week for “spontaneous” playtime.
- If we want kids to value and make time for self-directed play, we need to model self-directed play of our own.
With recess being removed from many school days, the over-scheduling of kids’ unstructured time, and a culture that is increasingly attached to one device after another, “free” play is swiftly disappearing from childhoods everywhere. It’s past time to bring it on back.
Here are a few easy ways to help you invite more of play’s magical powers into the lives of the children you love.
* Take a cue from Mary Poppins: Remember when the world’s first super-nanny taught us: “In every job that must be done, there is an element of FUN”? Preach it Poppins! Within every task, job, developmental milestone, or hard new skill our kids need to learn, there is always a way to incorporate a pop of play.
- Does you child need improvement with their social skills? Puppet shows are an excellent way to increase verbal skills, cooperation, story telling, and self-confidence.
- Need to master your math facts? Try making flash card targets on a fence or trees in the back yard and then having your kids hurl water balloons at them giving the answers as quickly as they can for the ones they hit.
- Is your child working thru some sensory issues? Create a simple sensory tub out of a large plastic container and fill it with various high-sensory items like rice, packing peanuts, water beads, lentils, etc.… Add some kitchen utensils or other tools and then leave them to explore on their own.
"If we want kids to value and make time for self-directed play, we need to model self-directed play of our own."
*Leave space for the spontaneous: One sure-fire way to eliminate free play and its amazing benefits from our kids’ lives is by “day-cramming”. Cramming their days from start to finish simply leaves no space for play to break through.
- Take a look at your family’s master calendar and intentionally mark off some chunks of time throughout the week for “spontaneous” playtime. Sometimes spontaneity takes planning.
- Create a simple “Pops of Playfulness” jar for those random in-between spaces where there appears to be “nothing to do”. Using large tongue depressors found at the drugstore and a permanent marker, jot down one quick play idea on each one. Things like: “tell us your best joke”, “pillow fight!”, “5 minute puppet show” or “build the most epic blanket fort ever”. Then pop them into a mason jar. Now whenever you need a spontaneous spark of playfulness, simply pull one from the jar and jump in!
*Act your shoe size now and again: Parents and teachers are major influencers in childrens’ lives. And as such, what we model matters. If we want kids to value and make time for self-directed play, we need to model self-directed play of our own. Because FYI…play is super awesome great for grown-ups too!
- Whether it’s a romp on the trampoline with your significant other, some adult coloring book action, a DIY project you’ve been dreaming of, or a one thousand piece puzzle, take part in some personal playtime at least once a week.
- The next time you take your kids to the playground, surprise them by acting like you’re one of the youngins. Go down the slide, take a turn on the teeter-totter, hang from the monkey bars, or jump into a game of tag. Give yourself 15 minutes to play hard with them and watch their eyes lights up and your playful spirit soar.