"Utilise your child's interests."
Although seemingly simple, this principle forms the foundation of all play. To apply this, you must first observe what naturally draws your child’s attention. What sparks their interest?
Children will show you their interests regardless of their age. Our role as parents is to observe. We must be mindful and present in the moment when we spend time with our children.
To my great disgust, Mia (my then18-month-old daughter) was highly interested in the contents of our dog’s food bowls. She enjoyed playing with the pellets, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t keep her away.
Mia’s heart was set on the dog pellets, so I used her interest to play a game that was fun but also highly beneficial for her development.
We sat together, picked up the dog pellets one by one and dumped them in another container while practising fine motor skills and crossing of the midline. We even counted them together to create awareness of numbers and counting. She loved every second.
If you are lucky enough to have a toddler that shows no interest in the dog’s pellets, you can hide fruit loops or Otees breakfast cereal in a container filled with rice. This is a great alternative, and you get the exact same results as your child fishes the delicious snack from the rice.
Be creative in your approach to play as you carefully observe your child’s interests.
Use it to your advantage as you seize every opportunity to create fun, engaging, and highly beneficial play activities. When choosing toys, keep your child’s interests in mind. Remember that toys do not mean fancy, expensive, shop-bought toys; they can be any objects that are safe to use during play.
This article was written by Corien Kruger, the founder of MommaMia. MommaMia is a childhood development program that aids parents (or au pairs and nannies) to optimally develop their little ones with age-specific, home-friendly activity suggestions. Each play activity is demonstrated with a quick video and can be scaled up or simplified. Visit the MommaMia website for more information.
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