5 Fun games to play with the kids
“Cool dad” and parenting blogger Terence Mentor (who most of us know as AfroDaddy) shares 5 great ways to connect with your kids through play.
The wonderful thing about the age my two boys are currently at is the fact that pretty much anything can be turned into a game. Something as simple as a walk up the road can turn into a massive, swashbuckling adventure that will leave them happy and, more importantly, tired enough to go to bed.
Being active with your kids has many other great benefits (other than getting them tired). More and more research tells us that play, especially earlier on, teaches children to engage with the people around them in positive ways, lies a foundation for further learning and, of course, develops their motor skills.
To add to all of those positives is the one thing that I find most important when it comes to playing with my kids: bonding. Sure, there are loads of opportunities to bond with them, but this is one that just comes naturally to me, and I think my boys pick up on that ease. My real hope is that all the fun, silly moments we have together will grow into real fond memories – just like I have about playing with my dad.
So here are my 5 tips for playing with your kids:
Be ok with silliness
Let them take the lead
Let them win (but not all the time)
Know your child
Get in there
There’s a lot of research about the importance of just letting kids play by themselves without adult interference, but I think it’s also important for you to show your kids that everyone plays! I don’t want my boys to think that they are too old for Hide and Seek, because that’s “not what adults do”. Luckily, since dad is still the reigning champ of this house, that is never going to happen.
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