On the Coast – Families Issue 100 I June/July 2019 | Page 10

Let’s play
BY ELLE RUSHTON
O
every day!
ften time can get away from us
and suddenly we're looking back
wondering how it passed us so
quickly. We all have busy schedules,
whether filled with work, family or
personal responsibilities. But how often
does your schedule include time to
simply play with your children? How
often does your child’s schedule include
time for them to just play?
With extra-curricular activities and
other responsibilities such as homework,
chores, even visiting friends and/or
family, some weeks we may look at our
calendar and see that there isn’t really
much time left in the week. As adults,
no matter what industry you work in,
we will often hear a lot about the risks
of burn out and stress, how to
implement strategies to avoid and
manage these, ensuring to allow
ourselves some “me time” for self-care
practice each day. The same is needed
for children, and play has shown to be
one of the most beneficial stress
relievers for any age group.
School holidays are the perfect
opportunity to share play experiences
with your children. As a Nanny, I often
have school holidays off so when work
starts back up again, I always ask
children what their favourite part of
their holidays were. The responses are
always the same, rarely will I be told
about the latest movie they've seen, or
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ON T H E C OA S T – FAM ILIES
the gifts they were given for Christmas
or birthdays. More often the responses
include “I went for a bike ride with my
dad and we raced down the hill”, “Mum
let us make a cubby in the loungeroom
with all the couch cushions and the
blankets from my bed!"
As adults we often miss those
moments that stand out in the eyes of a
child. We see play as just that, play.
When in fact it is learning new things, it
is spending time with others, it is making
memories.
When was the last time you made a
blanket fort? With the colder weather
settling in, this weekend is the perfect
time to get the blankets out, move around
some furniture and why not spend the
evening making shadow puppets with a
torch or simply relaxing and enjoying
what you made together with your child.
You may be surprised with how creative
they get in their structures; today’s
children have aced the design factor
compared to when we were growing up
where we were proud to have thrown a
sheet over two chairs and crawled
underneath.
You may not have the time to make a
blanket fort, and that’s ok, even just five
minutes of play is beneficial. Quality is
more important than quantity. Making
the most out of your time together and
allocating time specifically to play will
mean the world to them.
“We don’t stop playing
because we grow old;
we grow old because
we stop playing.”
George Bernard Shaw
Here are my top 20 Family Fun
Time play suggestions as we
move into the colder months:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Blanket forts/cubbies
Camp out in the backyard
Sidewalk chalk drawings
Shadow theatre play
Board games night
Go to a local park/playground
Climb a tree
Work together on a big puzzle
String/crepe paper “laser maze”
in the hallway
10. Pebble pet painting
11. Kitchen band instruments
12. Have a picnic
13. Play Simon Says
14. Outdoor obstacle challenge
15. Get the kids in the kitchen, bake
a yummy nutritious treat for the
whole family!
16. Family nature walk
17. Nature collage
18. Go for a bike ride
19. Dance party
20. Read a story together