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What to Play with Pre-Schoolers
If you are a mother of pre-schoolers and you work outside the home, does this describe you?
"Cathy had a stressful day at work. After picking the kids up from the sitter and rushing home to fix supper she longed to sit down with a glass of wine, put her feet up and watch some inane sitcom to relax her mind. Of course, Cathy has a four year old and a two year old, so sitting around and relaxing are not a usual part of her evening until well after the children are in bed and the supper dishes are cleared away. They relentlessly beg her to play with them and when they momentarily give up it is only to chase each other madly about the house, laughing (which turns to crying) and coming back to look for attention from mom."
The thing is, you WANT to play with your children. With two young children you recognize that their infancy is quickly disappearing and soon enough you will be arguing with moody pre-teens instead of putting off happy, eager preschoolers. What is stressful is that you doesn't know HOW to play with your children. Your daughters would love you to play dolls or chase them around, but you have neither the energy or imagination so late in the evening.
However, there are some easy options that you and countless other parents may be forgetting. The following suggestions are not only easy to do, but can actually be relaxing for you.
Coloring: If your child can hold a crayon, then they will usually love mom or dad to get down on the floor with a coloring book and join them. Not only do they not care about your skill, but they will love to turn pages on you just when you get going! Coloring can actually be quite relaxing even for adults.
Puzzles: Large, 25 piece puzzles will thrill anyone over the age of one. Perhaps they are not at all able to work the pieces themselves but they will happily slap a piece into position when you set it in place. Puzzles can also be somewhat relaxing as they engage your mind in a simple activity, thus switching off your ability to concentrate on work or family stress.
Clay: Whether you buy it or make it, playing with molding clay (a popular type in my part of the world is Play Dough) is another easy to participate in game that can be very educational to your children as well as fun. Having a few tools to work with makes your skills at inventing less taxing. You do not need store bought toys made especially for clay. In fact, your children will likely find more enjoyment with cookie cutters and other kitchen tools, or items from the house. Your children will learn colors, shapes, textures and even counting and sorting similar shapes.
The best part of these 3 activities is that they require your child's full attention, which keeps them occupied, does not place undo strain on your own imagination, and best of all they all require SITTING DOWN!
All three of these activities are Grandpa Richard approved! In fact, I keep a large box of old crayons in my living room, ready for Jasmine and I to dig into. I also keep a stack of pre-used paper, and Jasmine has never complained about the fact that one side already has been used.
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