subject: Analyzing Your Child's Playtime: Ask Yourself These 4 Questions [print this page] Analyzing Your Child's Playtime: Ask Yourself These 4 Questions
Let's be honest, not everything your child would like to do to pass the time is the best idea in the world. We want our children to focus energy in directions that will expand them and promote healthy development. It's no secret to most of us that playtime is more than just a time to giggle and be goofyit's the human way to build the body and mind. Here are some great questions for analyzing the options you give to your child for playtime to ensure these activities do just that.1. Is It Safe?This seems like a quite obvious questionbut that's only when the answer is cut and dry. Unfortunately, that's not always the case. Of course, we all know children should be running around with sharp instruments, playing with matches, or engaging in a game of tag in the middle of the street. Sometimes things aren't so clear.Every year, kid's products are recalled because of safety concerns, so pay attention to what products are giving problems, and sometimes it's a good idea to hold off on the next best thing until you've heard the scoop on it.And actually, most risks apparent in the products we use are not presented by their construction but how we use them. So always supervise and teach your children what they can and can't do.2. Does it Encourage Cognitive Development?Playtime is an excellent opportunity for developing a child's cognitive abilities. Even though quite a bit of this goes on in the general scheme of things, there are also plenty of different games out there that are designed specifically for this purpose.3. Does it Inspire Creativity?One of the most overlooked intelligences is creative intelligence, expect in the child's world. Watch a child at play, even when alone, and you will see they are masters at creating their own universes using nothing but their mind. You can encourage this by buying art supplies, crafts, building blocks, and musical toys. Or, just help them create great props out of everyday items.4. Is it Fun?Don't ever forget that play should be fun. Sure, we love to see them get something more out of it, but they also deserve their time to just be a child, and in most cases, the seemingly pointless activities are benefiting them in ways we don't really understand. The human, and child, mind is a wonderful mystery.5. Does it Require Physical Activity?You also want to make sure your children get plenty of physical activity. All their play does not have to be active, but it is essential they are doing some moving around everyday, building their motor skills and working their cardiovascular system. This doesn't mean you need to hand them a set of weights and push them onto a treadmill...Just put a couple kids into an empty yard and watch what happens. They will exercise until they drop.
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