Play

Finding time each day to play with your young child, even if it’s a few minutes, strengthens your relationship with them. It also gives them more opportunities to learn about the world and gives them the basic starting blocks for their future life at school.

If children really get into an activity they are less likely to be posting the remote control in the bin or wrestling with a brother or sister!

Through play your child will learn to:

• Develop their hand-eye coordination

• Walk, run, jump and balance

• Take turns with other members of your family and other children

• Explore their emotions and feelings

• Develop curiosity and interest in what’s around them

And it’s not just your child that benefits – play can be relaxing and enjoyable for adults, and is a great way for you to find out what your child loves doing.

You can find out more about your local Children’s Centre here.  All Children’s Centres offer free Stay and Play sessions, sensory rooms and lots more!

You can find out more about Parent and Toddler groups here.

There is more information about Family Learning Programmes at: www.wiltshirecommunitylearning.co.uk/.

www.wiltsplay.org.uk/

Make use of your local Scrapstore where you will find a treasure trove of resources to stimulate all the senses and inspire imaginative and creative play.

How to start playing with your newborn baby

The best toy ever invented for babies is you. A playful attentive adult comes equipped with a voice, eyes, ears, hands, a lap and a memory of what the baby liked yesterday. Babies learn by repetition and by trying out lots of different ways to do the same thing.

You do a great deal of care for babies and they are keen to learn while you are feeding or changing them. Try singing as you change a nappy, for example.

Newborns love physical play, especially when you gently tickle their face or count their fingers and toes.

Fitting it in to everyday life.

You don’t need to spend time planning your play – the things that you do every day at mealtimes, on journeys and at bedtime all add to your child’s learning about the world and their environment.

All the time you spend with your child is an opportunity to play together – just joining in with what your child is doing is a great start.

When the TV is switched off, try doing a puzzle or building a tower together. Watch out for the things that your child really loves doing and spend a bit of time each day joining in.

What to use and where to do it

A starting point for play:

Messy play

• Think about anything that your child can get their hands into and experiment with: water, sand, mud, glue, glitter, cooked and cooled spaghetti, jelly, paint…

• Have a water fight on a hot day in the garden.

• Don’t forget playing in the bath – a plastic cup and jug can provide young children with endless fun.

• Make your own playdough and add different colours or glitter.

Imaginative play

• Sort out a few of your own clothes and add in some hats, scarves and bags from charity shops to encourage your child to explore their imagination by dressing up.

• Try making a paper crown and decorating it.

• Offer boys and girls a range of clothes, puppets, dolls and figures that they can use.

• Have a pretend tea party or picnic to learn about sharing, turn taking and looking after others.

• Do some simple baking and cooking together.

• Set up a zoo made up of all sizes and shapes of toys and let their imagination run wild!

Physical play

• Climbing, jumping, sliding, swinging, balancing, throwing and catching form a really important part of your child’s development so encourage them to let off steam at your local park or playground.

• Keep fit by getting involved in chase, hide-and-seek or kicking a football.

• Encourage their sense of adventure by going on the swings or slide but make sure they don’t attempt to use playground equipment that is too big for them.

• Create a place in the garden where children can just dig in the earth or install a sandpit.

• Children love to be out in all sorts of weather – windy days can make them excited, shovelling snow will hold their interest for a long time.

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