Now that Christmas is over and kids are busy playing with their video games and other technological, modern parents still struggle on engaging with their children. It’s different than just handing them a video game or tablet and letting them entertain themselves. That has its purpose and uses, especially when a parent is busy and need distractions for their child while they focus on something else in the home or just relax and unwind
It is harder to engage them and engage with them to make sure they are learning from playing as well. BecomeANanny.com shared with us these crucial question to ask yourself and then offered suggestions for engagement.
As you consider the time you spend with your child, ask yourself:
- Am I actively interacting with the children?
- How does the entertainment I offer deepen or enhance their learning experience?
- Is the activity the children are doing designed to benefit them or me?
- Am I nurturing the children’s sense of curiosity about themselves and their world?
- Am I providing tools for hands-on learning?
- Is technology trumping your relationship?
- Are we going places more than doing things together?
If your answers lead you to believe the children would benefit from more engagement and less entertainment, consider spending more time engaging the children by:
- Playing play-dough
- Building blocks
- Doing arts and crafts together
- Playing board games
- Having a tea party
- Rolling a ball back and forth
- Taking part in fantasy play
- Playing outside
- Putting on a puppet show
- Baking cookies.
Good luck!