"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" is probably one of the most tired truisms in the English language. However, the truth of this adage hasn't worn off with repeated use. The fact remains that play plays an important role in the development of a child.
Today, babies are part of the rat race almost from the day they are born. Parents rush to register their babies in "good" schools at birth. Parents think of college funds and ponder on the future achievements of their children while their babies are still in the cradle. There is great pressure on today's children to achieve and perform even before they have joined kindergarten. Sometimes in the anxiety that their child will 'miss the bus', parents tend to forget that childhood is a special time when the child should look forward to the next day eagerly, without a care in the world.
Children discover the world through Play
Young children seem to want to play all the time. Parents who think that their children should stop "goofing off" and focus on getting on in the world, should remember that play is a means of learning for children. Children discover the world through play. Fancy toys are often wasted on children at this stage. Children have vivid imaginations so that the simplest objects can endlessly fascinate them. For instance, a cardboard carton could represent a bed, a house, a castle, etc.
Around the age of two, children love to mimic the actions of their parents and other members of the household. Children will attempt to shave, wash dishes, sweep the floor, and so on. Building blocks give free rein to the child's creativity at this age.
Parents should remember not to apply adult rules and regulations to the games that they play with their children. If your daughter wants to dress her doll in mismatched clothes or wants to colour the sky red, let her. The child should be allowed to play at the level of her maturity, not yours. If she is to be corrected and instructed in the 'right' way to play with toys, she will lose confidence and interest in playing. Parents often tend to buy toys that they find interesting. These may be too complicated for the child.
Children have to be taught sharing
Children are not naturally altruistic. They have to be taught to share. If another child tries to take away your two year old's favourite toy, she will probably react by crying, throwing a tantrum or may be even hitting the other child. This is quite normal. However, if your child looks like she could hurt the other child, draw her attention elsewhere. Reprimanding your child at this stage will only make her more aggressive as she will be unable to understand why you are making her give away something that belongs to her. Sharing is too advanced a concept at this stage.
If your child tends to grab things from a smaller or weaker child, separate them till your child has learnt to share. If your child is always the grabber, never the 'grabbee', it may help to make her play with slightly older children who will stand up for themselves and put her in her place. If by the age of three, your child is still aggressive it is a good idea to find out if there is something bothering her. In the beginning, children do not really care about other children. As they grow older, they develop a feeling of attachment to other children and they will voluntarily exhibit generosity. Parents can offer some guidance by explaining that the children should take turns playing with a treasured toy.
Subconscious actions can limit horizons
Parents subconsciously discriminate between daughters and sons from a very young age. Girls are gifted with dolls whereas there seems to be some unspoken rule that only boys can play with cars and toy soldiers. Girls are supposed to be too delicate to climb trees or play rough games. Household chores are considered to be a part of the female domain. Therefore boys escape this routine. Parents who bring up their children with the idea that there are certain appropriate behaviours and activities for either sex are limiting their children's horizons and perpetuating gender bias and the idea that females are the weaker sex with limited capabilities.
Select the right toys
Parents should select toys that require the child to sit still for a longer period of time. They should select toys that require greater sensory involvement, toys that require the use of touch, sight and hearing. The greater the sensory involvement, the greater the learning. Video games, for instance, instead of developing attention and concentration, only result in the fluctuation of attention and concentration. These games just have fast-moving images on a screen that requires no concentration or thinking. The child merely has to make mechanical actions. It's just for fun, there is no learning involved. First of all, the child has to focus its attention on the object. Whereas in toys like Ludo, Carrom, and Lego, a child has to think and use its imagination.
Spend time with your child
Dr. Mehrotra says, "Parents should spend a lot of time with their children. They should not just give them toys, they should also play with them. There are age-appropriate toys available in the market. For instance, Lego is an excellent toy for developing attention and concentration. However, if you leave a child alone with a Lego set, he will probably just throw the pieces around, as he will not understand what he is supposed to do with them. Parents should demonstrate how to use Lego to their children and also show their keenness towards the toy. Another way in which parents can help is by helping their children to draw properly. Even that will help develop their attention and concentration and improve their perception skills.
It is important that parents not just sit around and watch TV or entrust them to older siblings and expect their children to play on their own. Children need parental involvement and guidance."
Name:
saaaloni
Country: england
wemusthavesomee xpectationfrom ourcchilddddre nsothatouurchi ldrencandoit
Name:
praveen
Country: india
encouraging a child to play on his or her own develops creativity & independence.
Name:
Vasundhara Chowdhary
Country: usa
parents using a little imagination can teach kids while playing with them that way kids won't feel the pressure and fear of learning.
Name:
sunny
Country: india
childrens are like thefragile glass we should give in lots of attention towards them
Name:
Been there, Done that
Country: usa
children learn a lot just by observing adults. sing and dance with them, draw and colour for them. read to them when they are babies. they don't need expensive toys - most of which are wasted on them. talk to them like they are intelligent people (no goo-goos and gaa-gaas), and show them things in their surroundings. they understand a lot even when they cannot talk.
Name:
natasha
Country: india
we should encourage the children to play with other kids as this inculcates the habit of sharing among them.
Name:
RAMA SHANKAR
Country: india
children generally tend to copy their parent's actions.
they try to repeat what their parents say. so the parents need to
sit with the child and talk to them.
though the infants cannot talk, they just look at you and make some
noise. allow the child to say something and repeat the same after her.
this will help the child to be more confidence.
Name:
Meena
Country: india
playing with children makes them confident and they learn a lot from the parents.
Name:
nisar
Country: india
would like to know as to what is the effectiveness of introducing computers in early childhood learning days viz - a- viz good quality books and age related toys?
Name:
Storm
Country: england
children learn about the world from play. with the help of parents they can learn a lot. as long as they are taught to share they will learn from other children who are playing as well!
Name:
Vinod
Country: usa
my son is 13 month old. i have joined him in day-care center when he was 6 weeks old. i just cannot imagine myself he has learned lot of things from day-care center. at age 13 months he has a vocabulary of 50 sounds and words. i recommend other parents to encourage the children to computers at very young age. now, he know how to turn the computer on, he uses the mouse to start his computer educational cd's. he will click on objects and it makes sound, he has memorized the sounds it makes, so before he presses the button, he will make that sound, and wants to confirm the computer makes the same kind of sound. thank god, i am in usa easy to buy computer and education cd's, its inexpensive here. another thing, don't ever say "no" to anything, just give to them, let them feel the texture of the object they touch. ( i will give you the following examples that i implemented on my son, at age 4th month, he wants to grab my eye glasses, i let him touch and play with it, just made sure he doesnot drop and break it, at age 5th month onwards, he doesnot want to play with glasses anymore, everytime he finds my eye glasses, he calls daddy and gives it back to me, another example most parents want to feed the baby, my son at 13th month can eat by himself with spoon and fork. initally used to make lot of mess while eating, not anymore). sorry, i am not braging about my son, i can go on and on with examples. just enjoy playing with them, listen to their needs, respect them, give them responsibility, when the finish the responsibility, reward them. so here is the secrete "rrr" - respect, responsibility and reward. they work amazingly. good luck to all parents.
Name:
Raji
Country: singapore
allow the child to walk on the footpath with your guidence and allow him to stand on his own when he falls to make him confident in walking.
Name:
Madhu
Country: india
parents have to resign from adulthood and accept chilhood when they are with their children
Name:
sandesh
Country: india
though they can not say by words children always need their parents to be with them so they should spend as much time together as they can.
Name:
chithu
Country: india
i am the mother of 2 year old twin girls. i am working lady and inspite of my very hectic schedules i make it a point to play with my kids for atleast 1 hour in a day. but sometimes i run out games!! can any one suggest a list of interesting games. also i tried reading stories to them, but they just won't isten, is it too early to start stories? any guidance for story telling?
pls help
Name:
Purva
Country: india
i used to read my daughter alphabet book when she was just an year old.soon,she started recognising all the pictures in the book and if i ask her where is the cow
or where is the apple , she used to point out even before she learnt to talk.so repetitive reading helps kids a lot even from the age of 6 months.
Name:
val
Country: southafrica
thanks for the wonderfull information, i am a first time mom and i would really appreciate it if you guys could have more topic on babies 0-12 months.
Name:
munira
Country: india
parents are the role models for their children.hence through the medium of games and playway parents can inculcate ample of good values in the growing minds.
Name:
nivetaa
Country: india
my child always talks against. if i say don't do, he says,"i will do like this only" if i say very softly then he accepts. but most ofthe time he goes against. for sometime he plays very with other child, but sometime he figths them, even if i tell him that you should give your toys, snacks to them and they are your friends he does't listen.pls tell me how to handle him. he is 3yrs old
Name:
Malini
Country: india
my son who is 7 yrs old is just not listening to me, he gets angry when i tell him to do something, he just wants to play all the time please help me
Name:
malini
Country: india
i also have a very similar problem
Name:
nisha n nitin
Country: india
we have triplet. parents have to play with children n teach them good things while playing.leave u r adulthood n become child. they will do all things u teach them,our's have race to clear utencils after lunch/dinner at the age of 2 yrs.they fight amongthem but forget when told and also say "sorry" by touching each
others face by their little hands, full day they playing among themselves n the house is silent only when they r sleeping n we also feel lonely when they r resting,should have lot of stamina n strength to go about the triplets. we have a rare experience, thankyou the all mighty god, who has given us strength n stamina.
Name:
Full of questions
Country: usa
i have a question, should a boy play with barbies at he age of five. if a boy plays with dolls it is for him to ge motor skills would they get it from playing with barbies? at what age is it not appropriate for boys to stop playing with dolls and what are the danger signs? in this day and age parents aren't spending that time with their parents, so is it okay?
Name:
Mokshitha
Country: india
i used to read my daughter alphabet book when she was just an year old.soon,she started recognising all the pictures in the book and if i ask her where is the cow or where is the apple , she used to point out even before she learnt to talk.so repetitive reading helps kids a lot even from the age of 6 months
Name:
irene dsa
Country: India
i am a single mother of a 9 yr old boy. my son is so good that he listens to everything that i tell him. he seldom fights back. i do not know if i am being too good to him that he listens to me or is he being too good to listen to everything i tell him. sometimes i get scared to have such a wonderful child. i want to make him a little naughty. i am scared to see him being too good with me.
any advices please.
