C
hildren naturally love to play games.
scratch encourages their imagination and
Play is the ‘occupation’ of children and
creativity. Also, making up a course with
is how they learn the best. Even though
pillows, chairs or tables inside or planks of
this comes naturally for children, in the past
wood, rope or chairs outside encourages
few years TV and other screens (tablet/phone
the use of our gross motor strength or co-
games) have stolen large portions of time
ordination.
previously spent on play and learning activities.
2. Pictionary
is
a
great
game
for
activities,
encouraging turn taking, creativity and
requiring active participation by the child,
communication. It can be fun yet very
are thought of as being ‘boring’ or even too
challenging for some children who find
challenging as they do require a little more
writing or drawing difficult. This gives
concentration and social interaction for
some assistance and breaking down the
children than the immediate feedback that
task can be helpful and supportive.
Sometimes
these
games
and
screen play gives.
3. Pulleys. Rigging up some pulleys and
How do we encourage children to get back
rope in the back yard, over a tree branch,
to basics and ‘play’ in a super duper fun way?
or off a deck is guaranteed endless fun
Here are five fun games to try. Encourage their
and problem solving. Children just love
use as they will improve learning and social
hooking up buckets of sand, water or food
skills giving you and your child some special
to pull into the cubby house or onto the
time together.
deck. Let them go for it and then come out with morning tea that they need to figure
1. Create an obstacle course. This can be tailored to any age and can be inside, on
out how to ‘hoist’ it over a ‘river’ into the cubby house.
a deck, veranda or outside. The process of
4. Papier Mache. This is a great multi-
creating the obstacle course develops the
sensory craft for making fun and creative
skills of ‘ideation’ or
structures, such as a
coming up with new
piñata with contents
ideas or variations
inside that can then
on
and
be dried, painted and
planning.
then used at a party.
general
spatial
So many children
Tearing
struggle to come
encourages
up with new ideas
motor
these
days
skills,
having
to
create
glue and sticking is a
something
from
very sensory task and
and
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the
paper fine
manipulation dipping
into
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