The Playful Parent™Games, crafts, and activities for playtime with parents and kids
WHY WE PLAY: Research has shown that the ability to play is a critical part of maintaining a happy lifestyle, of sustaining social relationships, and fostering a creative and innovative personality. Play actually shapes the neuron paths in the brain and makes us smarter and more adaptable to life circumstances. Additionally, a healthy play-life as a child is a surprisingly accurate predictor of career success as an adult. 1 And...it's fun to play. So what are you waiting for? Use this Playful Parent idea to share a little bit of play-life with your children today! --- BOOK-O-RAMA! Sure, you read to your kids all the time (well, we HOPE you do!), but it’s easy to get into a reading rut. These ideas will freshen up your reading time. Summary: Parents and kids will try a few new ideas to generate new enthusiasm for reading together.Best For: Preschool and elementary aged kids.
Supplies:
Books!
Before you begin…
No prep necessary. When you’re ready to go!
Try one or more of these
ideas to get you going:
• New books. OK,
it’s hard to get excited about reading the same book over and over and
over again (Goodnight Moon anyone?). And as basic as it sounds,
getting new books added to the mix makes reading a lot more enjoyable for
everyone. It’s time to head to the library, the bookstore, or to a used
bookstore. Let everyone pick out a pile of books that look fun, colorful,
and entertaining. Don’t put the focus on “educational” books or those that
are certain to have a moral message—just go for what looks like fun. Then
head home and read them aloud together.
• Do the voices.
Kids LOVE it when mom or dad read aloud and do the voices of all the
characters. Put your inhibitions aside and really ham it up! Come up with
crazy accents, gruff renditions, high-pitched characters, and so on.
You’re certain to get lots of laughs—and hopefully your vocal chords will
hold up!
• Act it out. This
is where you can get the kids super involved. Let them choose one of the
stories they love (the shorter the better), and help them find simple
props or costumes, and then everyone gets involved acting out the story.
Find your inner Hamlet (or just your inner ham) and be enthusiastic with
the drama. This is a great way to encourage your children to find hidden
creative talents!
• Eat a book. OK,
not literally, but we think it’s tasty to eat something that’s mentioned
in a book. If you’re reading about characters who are eating apples,
crunch along with them. Green eggs and ham anyone? What about making
Turkish Delight while reading The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe?
Try beans and cornbread or sourdough bread while reading the Little
House books. Encourage your children to take note when a character is
eating something you own children may not have tried before, and use it as
a chance to try a new food. Find recipes online or in cookbooks from the
library. 1 Source: Play by Stuart Brown, M.D. (New York: Avery, a member of the Penguin Group USA, 2009.) Pp. 4-13 ---
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