How to Play with Your Children

It should be the simplest thing, something that requires no instruction or inspiration beyond the desire to have a fun moment with your children. But sometimes we run out of ideas on how to entertain the little ones, or the ideas we're trying just don't grab their attention. Here are 10 play activities we've been using lately (we think these are good activities for ages 6 months to 2 years). We hope they work for you, too! 1. Cars and trucks. (Great for girls as well as boys!) Find a special part of the home with a smooth, hard floor. It should be a spot that can become your regular play area for cars and trucks. Keep a bucket full of Hot Wheels, Matchbox, and other cars and trucks of various sizes. Sit several feet from the kids and just start rolling the toys right to them. There's a bunch of things the kids can do with them... roll them back, pick them up and twirl the wheels, or flip them over and spin them upside-down. Make a special car time each day, and everyone will look forward to it. For us, this is good for at least 20 or 3o minutes. 2. Peek-a-boo. It's the simplest of games, but our kids (around a year old) absolutely love it. Our technique is to go back and forth. First, we keep repeating "Where's Cameron? Where did he go?"... as Cameron holds the blanket in front of his face himself. We pretend to look all around while he giggles behind the blanket. He drops it and we take a moment to finish looking around then suddenly notice him and make a surprised yelp. He laughs, then it's our turn. This is a blast. 3. Building blocks. We'll build towers, and the kids will watch in great anticipation of knocking them down. Holding them back from tipping the towers is half the fun. They love the horsing around of being tickled and pushed back while we keep building. Then, when we're happy with the height, we allow them to get close enough to bring the towers down and tickle them for destroying our creations. A few of the kids have watched enough to start making their own towers. 4. Puppet shows. You don't need real puppets. Even socks will do. Just hide behind the couch and have at least two puppets interact in goofy, big gestures. The sillier the voices, the better. Bring up the children's names to pull them into the story. 5. Wagon rides. Even if it's a rainy day, you can still bring a wagon inside and pull the kids from room to room. Make it a real adventure, searching for wild stuffed animals you've hidden around the house before the ride. 6. Water play. Fill the kitchen or bathroom sink with water (after making sure it's clean, of course), and supply some cups, floating toys, plastic utensils and other items for splashing. Run a thin stream of water and let the child splash around seated next to the sink, perhaps even with their feet dangling inside. But always stand beside the child, never leaving in order to ensure the child doesn't fall. 7. Pots and pans. Kids love making noise, so sit them down with some metal pots and pans (nothing too heavy) and metal and wooden utensils (no knives, of course). Show them how to bang things together to make fun, unique noises, and watch as they experiment. 8. Rotating toys to keep them "fresh." Your children may have more toys than they could possibly play with, but if they're all out in the open and visible at all times, the kids may quickly get bored with them. Once every week or two, we go through the main baskets of toys and even larger ride-on toys. We'll put some away in closets or the basement, and pull out others that have been stored away for some time. This way, older toys seem new and grab their attention all over again. 9. Forts. Push a few pieces of furniture close together and throw a blanket across them, creating an enclosed area. Spend time inside the fort with the kids, pulling some of their favorite toys inside. (But make sure they can't pull the blanket down and become smothered.) 10. Fun with Music. Play an appropriate CD or tape of light, fun music and sing -- maybe even dance -- in front of them. Take their arms and help them sway to the beat. It will help instill an early appreciation of music and maybe even get them up and moving for some exercise.