5 More Ways to Get Kids to Play More

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1. Get Kids Outside in Nature -  When you get kids outside to play it does wonders for them, heart rates slow, attention spans lengthen. On this particular day at the lake we did not bring any “beach toys”, no problem my kids decided to take a break from swimming and begin building with piles of rocks.
2. Teach Your Kids to Play -  if your children are not used to having unstructured free playtime you may have to show them how to play, get them started then let them lead the play, before you know it they will be creating their own games.
3. Make Sure Kids Have Clothes that Allow Them to Play – kids really do like  to keep things simple. They like simple clothes and and often have their favorites. Make sure these are clothes that they can move it and they can get dirty, because kids will get dirty. My girls were able to take advantage of a mild evening this fall, one night after church even though they were wearing a dress and skirt because they had either built in shorts or were wearing bike shorts underneath. The wearing of bike shorts or leggings under a dress or skirt is something I highly encourage for young ladies of all ages.
4. Encourage the Use of Non Typical Toys – Kids love to play with things that are not toys, think boxes, and blankets and paper towel tubes. Give your kid some free reign to build things and you may be surprised at what they make. Don’t be afraid to let your kids play with non typical toys. This sweet boy above would play with the same “toys” each night as I was cooking dinner.  When he was a toddler he would help himself to a potato a wooden spoon and a metal bowl out of my cupboard and “cook” for himself.  
5. Make Play a Priority – If you want kids to play more you need to make it a priority, schedule time for it each day. I know we are all busy with work, school, home school, laundry, cooking dinner and shopping. However if you want play to be an important part of your child’s day then you need to make it a priority and set some time aside for it each day. For some families and seasons in life that may work best in the morning for my family play time is for after school. My children are at an extended day school. that means they are in class from 8-4pm. When they get home  they need time to play and just recharge their batteries, homework can wait.

If you give kids the time to play and the tools to play they will soon be teaching you how to play. It is important to remember that play has a purpose even though it is “fun”.
How do you get your kids to play more? Share Your Ideas here.


This post is linked up with Simple Lives Thursdays

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