Learn to relax for your child |
Does your child know how to play and relax? Is he watching too much TV or doing too many organised activities? |
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Children who play well tend to be more creative, imaginative and sociable. Children "play out" their lives, re-working events they have witnessed to make sense of them. Having time to play and to relax is vital to your child's development but getting the balance right is not easy. |
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The value of free play |
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As your child grows, each new skill that he learns means a new game to be played. The 18 month old is happy to play on his own, repeating actions, practising skills, discovering and exploring. By the age of 3 years most children are playing for between 50 to 90% of their waking hours. They want to play with other children in small groups, learning about life through their world of make-believe. By the age of 5, play has become governed by complex rules. |
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Setting the scene for play is as important as any structured activity. Children need a good selection of toys and the opportunity to be messy and untidy in a safe area. They love it when adults join in with their play but hate it if we try to take over or direct the game. |
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Children learn about their world through their play, exploring our language and customs, practising how to behave. To realise how vital play is to a child's development you need only consider the plight of the children in the Romanian Orphanages. Deprived of the opportunity to play, they had not learned about their own bodies or developed many basic skills of concentration and co-ordination. Once they were encouraged to play, their emotional, social, intellectual and physical skills began to develop normally. |
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The value and threat of TV |
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Some children watch so much TV that they are deprived of the chance to play freely. They do not know how to stack bricks, cannot entertain themselves and lack imagination. A survey showed that most 2 to 3 year olds watched TV and videos for more than 18 hours a week. Much of that time was spent without an adult present, passively watching. |
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TV has a lot to offer. Children can learn enormous amounts from watching, discussing what they have seen and acting out their new knowledge in their play. However, there needs to be a balance between watching and playing. Most adults like to unwind in front of the TV after a busy day. Children who have been working at their play all day enjoy the same relaxation, but TV should never be allowed to replace the opportunity for imaginative play, social play and real experiences. |
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Physical Activities and Games |
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Playing physical games, running around outside, swimming, going to Tumble Tots or other activity groups are great ways of directing your child's energy. Children benefit from the opportunities to learn about how their bodies work, gaining success, increasing their skills and developing their self-confidence. |
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Some children attend activity groups and lessons every afternoon. Tap dancing, football, swimming and music lessons are all excellent ways of stimulating your child but avoid too much structured activity as it can exhaust your child and restrict the amount of free play they have time for. It is important to consider what is right for your child. No one likes to be rushed from place to place, activity to activity. We all need time to relax and unwind. |
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Learning to relax and keeping a balance |
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Teaching your child to pace themselves is a skill which will stand them in good stead throughout their lives. Balancing an energetic activity against a passive one like watching a favourite TV programme is ideal. A good routine, plenty of sleep and a healthy diet are only part of the skill in preparing your child for life. You will need to set limits on TV, computer games and other compulsive activities to secure a balanced approach for your child. |
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Teaching him to draw, sharing books and being creative together (See Teddy's Own for suggestions if you are not naturally artistic) are just as important as structured activities. Your child need to learn how to occupy himself so be make sure you leave plenty of time for imaginative play and fee play. Children who rely on adults to suggest activities and are "bored" need even more chance to develop their own imaginations but they will also need you to spend more time relaxing and sharing their play with them.
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