Play time sacred moments in a child's life

In the midst of our busy schedules, all of us try to find time to be by ourselves, where we try to make sense of the happenings of the day and work out the puzzle of life itself. We all have seen how important this time is as it helps us to relax and at the same time it gives us renewed energy to continue into the next task or day. Some of us just can’t live without that quality time as it helps us to grow in strength and find meaning in what we do. Did you know that children too need that special sacred time to make sense of their world and to be able to unwind themselves from expectations and rules. Adults choose a serene place or even put some music and relax. But with children the best tool for such quality time is their play time. Have you noticed your child so engrossed sometimes in their play that they just forget where they are. That is their sacred solemn moment. Leave them be. It is very important for children to have this space for free play, mind you not guided or instructed, but something that they choose to do on their own. The sad part is most of our children are so bogged down with things to do even at this young age( soccer class, lawn tennis, music class, chess class, homework and so much more) that they just don’t have time to play and when I mean play , it is just play. We as parents, teachers, and care takers have an obligation to our children to make space for SACRED PLAY TIME as we plan our children’s lives . Don’t be afraid of them wasting their time as they play. Let me tell you the impact of play on your child. ¬ Playtime has always enhanced learning. ¬ During play, children learn how they influence the world and their surroundings ¬ Play is an important part of keeping a child healthy; both physically and emotionally ¬ Play encourages children to use their imagination and enhance their problem-solving skills. Children learn about different people through play. They learn that not everyone is the same and that all need to be respected. ¬ Through play children can also begin to recognize their own special abilities. Children will learn what they are good at and discover what they like to do. Stuart Brown, a psychiatrist at the Baylor College of Medicine at Houston, has interviewed some 6,000 people about their childhood, and his data suggest that a lack of opportunities for unstructured, imaginative play can keep children from growing into happy, well-adjusted adults. “Free play,” as scientists call it, is critical for becoming socially adept, coping with stress and building cognitive skills such as problem solving. Kids and animals that do not play when they are young may grow into anxious, socially maladjusted adults. How can you be a perfect play partner? ( Here is something that I found eye catching) Although it is important to let children play alone. There are many things that adults can do that will help our children build confidence, self esteem, focus their attention and improve their language and motor skills by interactively playing with them. These skills do not always come naturally and parents need to be taught how to be a good play partner.

WATCH AND LEARN:

The first step to becoming a good play partner is to observe our child's play patterns while concentrating on what they like to do in specific ways. For example, what types of toy does your child choose to play with the most? Does your child like to figure out how it works or use the object to build something else? Often parents get in a hurry and don't take the time to sit back to watch and learn.

FOCUS ON THEIR IDEAS:

After observing, it is time for parents to start playing with their child. One of the biggest mistakes parents make when playing with their child is to dominate their play. When we take over a child's play we can send a negative message to the child that their way was the wrong way and their efforts were not good enough. To be a good play partner you have to focus on THEIR ideas, not your own! When joining our kids playtime ask questions like "What would you like me to do?" and follow their lead.

USE "INFORMATION TALK":

When parents and care givers describe playtime using information talk it helps kids notice their surroundings. It can also help provide them with information they can process and help them understand and use language skills as they listen to your speech patterns and sentence structure. While describing make sure you don't overload your child with information. Keep it on their level. Most importantly spend time with your child, down on the floor sitting at their level and help them feel loved and important part of your life. We just need to go down memory lane to those moments when mum and dad repeatedly called us saying, “Play play is that all you like to do. Go and do something constructive” Let us be different and say, “ Have you had your play time. I think it is time you begin”

1. Peer Play:

Give your child exposure to their peer group especially when they are an only child. Children need to observe other children of their age so as to understand that they belong to a bigger group and thus feel a sense of belonging when they join preschool.

2. “I am responsible”:

Giving them simple responsibilities like helping you to clean up for eg: packing away one’s toys, being responsible for your things. These activities are also very empowering for little ones and help build their confidence.

3. Simple but consistent rules:

Rules must be set in order to set clarity on what is expected and what is not such as we keep our things in the right place, we go to bed at this time, we put our dirty clothes in the laundry basked etc

3. Simple but consistent rules:

Rules must be set in order to set clarity on what is expected and what is not such as we keep our things in the right place, we go to bed at this time, we put our dirty clothes in the laundry basked etc

4. Social Skills:

Have family activities which teach your kid how to share, wait their turn, and work with others. Teach them to use magic words such as “Please”, “Thank you”, “Sorry” that give them the magic ticket to be the most popular kid in school.

5. Emotional Skills:

Help your child learn how to express their emotions, understand them, and learn self-control. Help them to “label their emotions” such as “ I am sleepy, I am tired, I am angry. Labelling emotions helps them to voice out their emotions and deal with it in a positive way with support.

6. Create a routine:

One of the most important and easiest ways to get a child ready for school is set a routine right from waking up to bed time. Children learn to discipline themselves to do what they are supposed to do without being told.

7. Story Telling:

Read out books to them every night . Ask them to describe what they see in the picture or ask questions that make them think in speed and answer in precision. For eg: What do you see here? Why is the Baby Bear sad? This activity helps them to communicate effectively.

8. Fine Motor skills:

One of the areas of development we need to focus upon is the physical development that include gross motor skills ( bodily functions) and fine motor skills ( finger dexterity). Activities such as knob puzzles, counting objects such as pulses, pebbles, sorting them according to colour, shape, size can be fun alongside giving ample exercise for flexibility in the fine motor skills.

I hope these tips will help you in your endeavours as you look forward to your child’s first day of school. Finally I would like to end with a quote that puts it perfectly. “Every great journey has a great beginning” May the great journey of school for your little one start with a great beginning.