Teach you [tag]how to play[/tag]?
Not such a strange idea.
The Guardian reports of a project by Portsmouth Play Development Project, founded by the Pre-school Learning Alliance and Sure Start. The project, run by a team of [tag]play workers[/tag] who visit families in their home and lead [tag]play sessions[/tag], aims to encourage parents to bond with their children through play and thus improve early learning and social mobility.
Learn more about this project: The play’s the thing
One of the families highlighted had three children under 5, quite a usual thing now with parents deciding to have children closer together. The time for individual play is harder with the demands of multitasking a mobile family with very different needs all the time. I can relate.
I am glad to see that there is a project that helps parents learn the skills of playing with their children ;teaching them how to play together and individually. We’d like to think we all know how to play but there’s always something new to learn.
We all get caught up in the day to day running of a home. There are so many things to do and it’s easy to become a reactive parent. We know we should play but someone just spilt the milk, the baby needs changing, the kids are fighting,someone else just had an accident, the phone rings, is that the time ?, no one’s dressed to go out, one wants a snack…….. time goes. Tired and frustrated play is the last thing we want to do.
How did our parents do it before us?
We’re tired and busy. If we have children not playing well finding time to look up ‘how to play’ gets pushed down our agenda. Don’t be discouraged.
What’s special about this project? For me, it’s about how the professionals are in our communities teaching us in our situation. They see our life and help us adapt. Books can make us feel like failures and can’t speak to individual circumstances but your local professionals can help. There’s no fanfare or TV show highlighting a family that we can all think- “Phew my kids aren’t that bad.” Instead, there’s a very happy family playing well together and happier children.
So if you are floating out there not sure of what toys to use or avoid, what play should you be encouraging? Here are a few places you should bookmark to shape your play ideas and give you encouragement.
KaBoom
I’d love to hear where do you learn your play skills? What influences you- magazines, latest crazes? Where do you go to learn more about ways to play?
Thanks for the linky love. I have written quite a few posts on play this month. I love seeing so much written in the blogoshere about play.
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