By: Travis Waack
Cathy had a stressful day at work. After picking the kids up
from the sitter and rushing home to fix supper she longed
to sit down with a glass of wine, put her feet up and watch
some inane sitcom to relax her mind.
Of course, Cathy has a four year old and a two year old, so
sitting around and relaxing are not a usual part of her
evening until well after the children are in bed and the
supper dishes are cleared away. They relentlessly beg her
to play with them and when they momentarily give up it is
only to chase each other madly about the house, laughing
(which turns to crying) and coming back to look for
attention from mom.
The thing is, Cathy WANTS to play with her children. With
two young children she recognizes that their infancy is
quickly disappearing and soon enough she will be arguing
with moody pre-teens instead of putting off happy, eager
preschoolers. What is stressful is that Cathy doesn't know
HOW to play with her children.
Her daughters would love her to play dolls or chase them
around but Cathy has neither the energy or imagination so
late in the evening. However, there are some easy options
that Cathy and other parents may be forgetting. The
following suggestions are not only easy to do, but can
actually be relaxing for you.
Coloring:
If your child can hold a crayon then they will usually love
mom or dad to get down on the floor with a coloring book
and join them. Not only do they not care about your skill,
but they will love to turn pages on you just when you get
going! Coloring can actually be quite relaxing even for
adults, along with another easy to participate game...
Puzzles:
Large, 25 piece puzzles will thrill anyone over one. Perhaps
they are not at all able to work the pieces themselves but
they will happily slap a piece into position when you set it in
place. Puzzles can also be somewhat relaxing as they
engage your mind in a simple activity, thus switching off'
your ability to concentrate on work or family stress.
Clay:
Whether you buy it or make it, playing with molding clay is
another easy to participate game that can be very
educational to your children as well as fun. Having a few
tools to work with makes your skills at inventing less taxing.
You do not need store bought toys made especially for
clay, in fact your children will likely find more enjoyment with
cookie cutters and other kitchen tools or items from the
house. Your children will learn colors, shapes, textures and
even counting and sorting similar shapes.
The best part of all of these games is that they require the
child's full attention which keeps them occupied, does not
place undo strain on your own imagination, and best of all
they all require SITTING DOWN!
from the sitter and rushing home to fix supper she longed
to sit down with a glass of wine, put her feet up and watch
some inane sitcom to relax her mind.
Of course, Cathy has a four year old and a two year old, so
sitting around and relaxing are not a usual part of her
evening until well after the children are in bed and the
supper dishes are cleared away. They relentlessly beg her
to play with them and when they momentarily give up it is
only to chase each other madly about the house, laughing
(which turns to crying) and coming back to look for
attention from mom.
The thing is, Cathy WANTS to play with her children. With
two young children she recognizes that their infancy is
quickly disappearing and soon enough she will be arguing
with moody pre-teens instead of putting off happy, eager
preschoolers. What is stressful is that Cathy doesn't know
HOW to play with her children.
Her daughters would love her to play dolls or chase them
around but Cathy has neither the energy or imagination so
late in the evening. However, there are some easy options
that Cathy and other parents may be forgetting. The
following suggestions are not only easy to do, but can
actually be relaxing for you.
Coloring:
If your child can hold a crayon then they will usually love
mom or dad to get down on the floor with a coloring book
and join them. Not only do they not care about your skill,
but they will love to turn pages on you just when you get
going! Coloring can actually be quite relaxing even for
adults, along with another easy to participate game...
Puzzles:
Large, 25 piece puzzles will thrill anyone over one. Perhaps
they are not at all able to work the pieces themselves but
they will happily slap a piece into position when you set it in
place. Puzzles can also be somewhat relaxing as they
engage your mind in a simple activity, thus switching off'
your ability to concentrate on work or family stress.
Clay:
Whether you buy it or make it, playing with molding clay is
another easy to participate game that can be very
educational to your children as well as fun. Having a few
tools to work with makes your skills at inventing less taxing.
You do not need store bought toys made especially for
clay, in fact your children will likely find more enjoyment with
cookie cutters and other kitchen tools or items from the
house. Your children will learn colors, shapes, textures and
even counting and sorting similar shapes.
The best part of all of these games is that they require the
child's full attention which keeps them occupied, does not
place undo strain on your own imagination, and best of all
they all require SITTING DOWN!
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Article Source: http://www.parentsupersite.com/ad
Travis Waack is an author and Webmaster. To view a
collection of highly targeted educational categories visit:
official-education-resources.com/child-game-toy.html
Travis Waack is an author and Webmaster. To view a
collection of highly targeted educational categories visit:
official-education-resources.com/child-game-toy.html
Child's Play - Tips for
Entertaining Preschoolers
Entertaining Preschoolers