Hard at Play

Hard at PLAY!

Fun-time activities that are high on enjoyment,

excitement and participation; from infancy on and up

Play can be the activity by which a young child begins to learn about himself and the world around him. You won’t have to teach your child to play, for him it would be just as instinctive as breathing or eating. However, as a parent you can create a stimulating environment to reinforce and widen his interest and skill in various playtime activities. Choose the most enjoyable activity according to your child’s age, ability and interest.

Year one: `absorbing’ play

Till the time he is three months old, a baby would be most attracted to bring colours, strong patterns and the human face. a mobile hung over his crib would make an ideal plaything – choose a musical one that is lightweight. By the time he is six months old, gentle tugging and playing with his toes and feet can teach him body awareness; an the tickling will amuse him, too! At this age, give him toys that he can operate himself – for instance, a toy telephone encourages poking, and two-handed play.

Year two: `moving’ play

Looking at things with different shapes and, playing with water may interest him now. Stacking or putting various things in a container and, taking them out will begin to have a fascination for him. Rocking or push along toys, or those that he can ride on would be fun. You could strap him in his high chair, and get together some track and field equipment! Make a discus out of paper plates taped together, the javelin out of aluminum foil tube, and a round sponge or a softball for shot put. Let him aim for a basket and have Olympic-size fun at these events!

Year three: `nova’ play

Copying, comfort toys and pretend play will influence his idea of having fun. A playhouse will be an interesting place for him to make into a pretend home. Some children also become fascinated by miniature figures with which they are able to act out make-believes games. This may be the time for messy play – he could have fun with dough, clay or sand.

Year four: `object’ play

He may like toys that look like the real thing, from an intricate train set, to carpentry tools. As pretend play would still be fascinating, puppets can be an excellent tool to encourage his speech and language development. You can make finger puppets from paper and pen and he can use them to act out favourite stories and rhymes. Clothes and things around the house can be used as props in his pretend play and for him to dress up. Use chairs as props, put them in a row to represent a train or in a circle and drape a sheet over it to make it into a tent or his hideout.

Year five: `active’ play

Your child will be a bundle of energy, as he’ll develop his co-ordination and movement. Put a few pillows at a certain distance from each other, on the floor. But clear the place of furniture and other obstacles. Under your supervision, mark how far he can jump or run around them. Try making games out of household tasks, have him practice shots with dirty clothes and throw them into the laundry basket. Or, tell him to scrub away dirty spots with the sponge placed on the floor.

Year six: `creative’ play

Your child at this age would also enjoy making music, playing instruments or singing along with a record player. He could also make masks using large paper bags, which he can slip over his head. The child can locate the position of his eyes and with a crayon, gently mark the eye openings on the bag. Next come cutting, pasting, making eyes, nose, mouth, hair and ears – as he is capable of doing. He can also use strands of wool or pieces of ribbon to decorate his masks. A bottle cap can become a nose and a scrap of coloured cellophane a hair clip.

Year seven: `mixed’ play

Odds and ends like buttons, costume jewellery, ribbons, magazine cuttings, fabric scraps, sequins et cetera are ideal for a collage. Encourage the child to express his feelings through a selection of colours, sizes and shapes. The problem of arranging opposites will help the child become more sensitive to different kinds of materials. For example, placing light against dark, shiny against dull, rough against smooth and so on.

Year eight: `innovative’ play

At this time, activities that are beyond the usual would interest your child. Salt ceramic is an excellent substitute for clay and plasticene, which can be made by you in your own kitchen. It will require 1-cup table salt; ½ cup corn starch; and ¾ cup of cold water. Mix these ingredients in a double boiler and place it over heat. Keep stirring constantly for about two or three minutes till it reaches a bread dough consistency. Remove from heat and place it on a piece of wax paper or aluminum foil and allow it to cool. When it has cooled sufficiently to be handled, knead it for several minutes, after which it is ready for use.

Salt ceramic will harden to the consistency of stone and is excellent for painting with any type of paint. It has several advantages over clay as it does not powder and make your room dusty, and is much more durable than unfired earth clay because it dries very hard. Your child could make tree ornaments or decorations with it. Among the simplest forms will be little balls that children can roll in the palms of their hands, into which they can suspend a bit of string that will dry in place and can be used for hanging. When dry, these balls can be decorated with paint or glitter.