Studies suggest that kids need at least 10 minutes of daily connect time with at least one adult to feel safe, connected, and loved. During this time, your child needs to have your full attention, and to get really connected, your full engagement. That means PLAY!
If you want to really connect with your kids, it’s not enough to just take them to the playground and watch them, you need to play with them (that’s the engagement part)! Although it can feel tiresome to play with your kids after a long day, the benefits far outweigh the negatives.
Joyful Ways to Play and Connect
1. Wrestling – Most parenting experts now agree that wrestling and rough-housing are really healthy for kids (especially boys) as long as no one gets hurt. Steve Biddulph, author of Raising Boys: Why Boys Are Different–and How to Help Them Become Happy and Well-Balanced Men, argues that wrestling is especially essential for boys to learn self-control. He likens them learning how to wrestle, without hurting someone else, to learning to drive a car (or their testosterone driven bodies!) without running everyone over. In order for boys to learn when to stop, they need practise. And, of course, boys (and many girls) love this kind of play!
2. Floor Play – Sometimes doing a simple activity like a jigsaw puzzle or a stacking game together on the floor can be all a child needs to connect. Open-ended toys like blocks, cars and trucks, and dolls provide many ways for your child to direct the play and you to follow their lead – something kids love!
3. Cooking/Baking – Start easy by making muffins from a pre-mixed muffin mix. Your child will love learning to stir and pour and especially enjoy the tasting!
4. Imaginative Play – Join in his/her play by being a willing participant (be a firefighter too!), a helping character (become the mechanic when the train breaks), or a subordinate (be the patient when she’s the doctor.) Remember to follow your child’s lead, ask questions like “Where should we go next? What should we do next?” and get on his/her level when playing.
Hopefully, you’ve found some inspiration in this post for some more ways to connect with your child.
Till next time
xoxo
Dream | Create | Inspire 