Play times as your child grows
You can have fun with your child at any time. The more you play and share words with your child, the closer you’ll become. Bath-time and feeding-time can involve play and keep everyone in good temper.
Think WEAN
If you enjoy humour, you’ll notice how many ways' life can be even more fun with your child. It’s easy to pick the perfect moment for playing. Remember the letters W-E-A-N because that’s the order babies generally do things:
- waking
- eating
- activity
- napping
You might find it suits you to plan activity after mealtimes and before naptimes. To help your child enjoy their nap, it's important they're relaxed and settled before they go down for a sleep.
Housework for beginners
Toddlers see you doing chores and wish they could join in – and they can. Try asking your child to help you around the house – it may take more time but they'll love lending a helping hand.
They can help you to:
- sort socks
- wash dishes (with more soap suds than usual)
- polish with a duster
It gets them out from under your feet and they’ll have so much fun. It's important to keep all sprays and harmful chemicals out of their reach.
Watching your child as they play
You’ve got the best seat in the house for some of the funniest things you’ll ever see. Children love to play on their own and make up their own games. Using their imagination helps to develop their minds. To see the world through their eyes, all you have to do is sit back, relax and listen.
Information based on similar messages from Play Talk Read Scotland.