We love our arts & crafts & imaginative play. I’ve encouraged my kids to play, explore & use their imaginations since they were babies. They are real experts now! I’m really delighted with the way they play together & with me. And, I’m thrilled that I don’t need to entertain them all day long. They come up with wonderful games to play together both inside & outside.
Not all kids entertain themselves. There seem to be a lot of parents who are super busy keeping their kids busy. And, there are kids that play video games all day. I think if kids are used to being entertained, then they won’t use their imaginations to come up with things to do by themselves. They need someone else to come up with the activity.
We all found it difficult to settle into life at home after getting back from our holidays. The kids were at each other & no one was very happy. When we were away, there was constantly fun things to do – kids pool, water slides, beach, kids clubs, & arts & crafts to name a few. The kids got used to being entertained all day & being so busy. It was hard to settle back into our routine.
I decided we needed a little bit of structure this summer to keep the peace & get back into the swing of things. Here’s what we came up with: In the morning, the kids play together until 11:30 (I blog & clean). If it’s nice, they play outside. At 11:30 I drop what I’m doing & play with them. The kiddies take turns choosing the game each day. We play with our imagination! Some of this week’s games were: mommies & daddies, car garage, doll house, veterinary surgery, & under the sea explorer. There’s so much learning through imaginative play. I love to see my kids coming up with new games & new ideas. We can turn our playroom into any place in the world with our minds.
At 12:30 we have lunch then I practice speech with my son & daughter. After that, it’s arts & crafts time. I go back to blogging or cleaning & they enjoy their crafts. I go back & forth & help them when need be. It’s a slippery slope from there until dinner & bedtime so the rest of the day my kids entertain themselves while I get things done around the house.
My kiddies are allowed to use their tablets for a half hour each day (they get a little extra time over summer holidays). But some days they don’t ask for them at all. It makes me so happy to have kids that play together, come up with creative games & use their imagination. Don’t underestimate the importance of imaginative play. A creative & imaginative mind is a wonderful thing to have as a child & adult.
Here are some examples of my kiddies creativity this summer. What is your day like with the kiddies? Do you they enjoy imaginative play?
I’m sharing With: #FartGlitter
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