Activities that you can engage with your kids
BY THABITHA DAVID · PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 23, 2020 · UPDATED NOVEMBER 20, 2020
Topics
- activities that you can engage with your kids
- Things to remember while playing with kids
- 6 effective things to do when you don’t like or know how to play with your kids
- Conclusion
Activities that you can engage with your kids
There are many activities that you can do which can also be considered as play to stop or you can make the activities become play.
some of the activities are listed below to get your creativity cracking so you can build up on this.
- Go to playgrounds or a park or a beach and build sand castles together, or blow bubbles and see whose bubble is going the highest.
- Do decoration, arranging, cleaning, rearranging and painting your house together.
- All chores can be made into fun activities and can be done or played together some can be competitive in nature and some can be complementary in nature.
- You can play a ‘spot’ game while you are going around doing your outdoor work. Here all you have to do is tell an object that you spot while you are shopping and your kid needs to bring it to you. (You can finish your grocery list soon that way)
- While driving you can still have simple games such as who spots an even number on a vehicle number plate.
- While going for a walk with your kid. You can rhyme games. Where you tell a word and your kid replies with a word that rhymes. You both can take turns with it. They make conversations interesting. Ask random questions to make conversation interesting.
- You can also build stories with your kid. While you start with a line and the next line needs to be built up by your kid.
- Cook together. Make your child a commentator who will tell all the steps or process that you are doing. You can get your child to do a small help and you can also play the commentator while they are doing it.
You might be interested to read our article How-To motivate your toddler to do chores
Things to remember while playing with kids
Be patient
When you are playing with your child, keep in mind that he is a child. He does not know how to play. Show patience when he is doing wrong. Do not be harsh. If you shout, he will be afraid of you. He will not like to play with you.
Appreciate your kid
If your kid is playing well appreciate him. He will be more energetic. By appreciating you can develop more interest in your kids.
- Clap for your kids
- Give them gift
- Encourage them
Be energetic
Remember, if you are not showing any interest in playing it is not effective. Your children will do the same. He will not show any interest. You have to be more active than your children.
Be a kid with your kid
When you are playing with a kid you have to be a kid with him. Play simply. Do not choose difficult games. If your kid does not like any game then leave that game.
Do not criticize
Remember, if you criticize your kids’ gain and again your kids will become negative. He will become arrogant. Do not criticize them every time. If they are doing oppositely kindly tell them. You give them to love more they will be confident.
It is important you read our article observing you.
6 effective things to do when you don’t like or know how to play with your kids
I personally feel very bored when I play with my children. And not really motivated enough when they come and call me to play.
If you are a parent like me and you don’t like or know how to play with your kidsthenbelow a few things that have helped me to indulge in play with my children.
1. Commit to a time
When I say commit to a time it does not mean you have to commit to hours together. It can just be 10 minutes for 20 minutes of whatever duration seems best for you. But commit to a time in the manner that you commit to a meeting at work. I calendarize the date and time (15 mins after dinner on Saturday) and I make sure that I am available for 15 minutes and just play with the children.
2. Just jump in
In my opinion I love this point much more. The reason is when my children ask if I can play with them it just takes a second to decide yes or no.
There is always work and if for some reason your work is slightly lesser at that minute or you can spare 5 to 10 minutes. Just say YES and get up from your seat.
It works like a charm just say yes get up play with your kids for 5 minutes come back to your desk and start working.
It will not derail you from your work more than what a trip to the washroom or a trip to the coffee vending machine would do. Consider it like that.
3. Don’t have an agenda
Earlier when I had these scheduled times. I would try to rack my brains to come up with an agenda of what to play or how to play.
It took me a while to realise that the fundamental thing of fun is that it is not really planned out to the last T.
Just be available and present with no distractions and have no agenda and let the wind take you where it has to. Go with the flow.
4. Have a routine game
I have seen my husband use this practice very well. He and my daughter have this routine set of games so that there is no need for extra creativity with your racking your brains to come up with something to engage.
It has the simple game of Rock-paper-scissors. He plays one or two sets of 5 rounds each with my daughter every day. He does this in the morning which is a good and fun way to start the day. This also helps my daughter get out of bed soon. And that is all the game that he plays and has played for years now with her.
5. Just chill and follow your kids lead
We put additional pressure on ourselves trying to engage our children. When they call us to play with them, we automatically assume that they are wanting us to entertain them and we need to take the lead. It need not be so. Just be present, sit with them. Ask them what needs to be done. And follow whatever that they are doing. Whatever they are asking you to do.
You can shut your brains up and blindly follow them and participate in the game. it is more your presence that they seek rather than your skills at the game.
6. Get them interested in your favourite game
Call it a trick or manipulation. But this makes these times of playing with your children are interesting for you also. When you don’t like or know how to play with your kids, use your favourite board game, or card game and teach and make your children a worthy opponent for you.
In that way you also enjoy the game and you spend time playing the game that you enjoy with your child. It is definitely a much more fun way to pass time and spend play time with your children. Your children also get better at the game over time.
Conclusion
After reading the above content I am sure that you have understood the importance of games. Spare time for your kids to maintain a strong relationship with them. Your kids will enjoy playing with you. These tips will help you to make your kids active, energetic, and sharp-minded.
So, if you are like me and you don’t like or know how to play with your kids then use the tips that is outlined above. The bottom line is that you send time with your kids and play.
God Bless!!