The Work of Childhood

I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that playing is great for you and your kids. It reduces stress hormone levels and helps with brain development. It's also great fun and a wonderful opportunity for exercise. The bad news is that kids are done with imaginative play sooner than they used to be. They're trading the fun of physical play for TV and video games. This is bad for kids and for adults too. We all need a little time for low-tech fun.

Here are some of Dr. Shapiro's suggestions for age appropriate play presented in The Secret Language of Children.

Babies don't need a lot of toys at first. Staring at the ceiling fan was one of our baby son's favorite activities for the first 4 or 5 months of life. Peek-A-Boo and This-Little-Piggy are great ways to get a smile from your little one too. For the first year of life, babies usually are just interested in manipulating toys (holding and turning and exploring with the mouth).

Toddlers and Preschoolers begin to use toys for their intended purpose (blocks get stacked etc.) and engaging in imaginative play. Cooperative play in which two children engage in the same game (like "house") and have two different roles usually begins around 2 years. Entering your child's make-believe world of play is a wonderful way to bond with him as he works out his feelings and "try on" many adult roles. Studies have shown that undirected play with children is very beneficial. Try to hold back from telling the child how to play the game.

School Age Children can be a lot of fun to play with! This is the age where kids can turn away from play and towards more sedentary activities if you let them. Dr. Shapiro has some great suggestions for fun games to play with kids this age that can help them develop a more cooperative spirit:

(1)"Robot" involves three kids or adults holding hands. The person in the middle is the

"brain" and the people on each side are "arms." Try making a peanut butter sandwich or

vacuuming this way. Sounds like fun to me!

(2)"Mommy Says" works just like "Simon Says" and is a great way to make clean-up fun.

Teenagers need some family playtime too! Board games or family sports are good ideas. If the competitiveness is getting too divisive, try changing the rules so everyone wins when 10 baskets are made or a certain amount of money earned total in Monopoly.

Keep some fun in your day, no matter how old your kids get! It's good for all of us.

RESOURCES

The Secret Language of Children