Just Go Play!

[Msdunny]

Does anyone else have kids that just don't seem to know how to play? Whenever there is free- play time, they are either walking around watching me, or whining at each other. If I sit on the floor in the room, they will just take turns sitting in my lap, not playing at all. I don't remember my kids having trouble with just playing!

Help!! :confused:

[blandino]

Yes !! If I am on the floor, instead of playing with me - I just have kids climbing and sitting all over me. I really think a lot of kids are so used to being entertained (either non-stop activities with parents, or TV, or Ty's that don't require imagination), that play is hard for them.

I remember a DCG (who is 11 now), looked at the doll I handed her and asked "what does it do ?".

[slpender]

Yes same here. This weekend the daycare tv is going and all toys w/ batteries are going to either be tossed or batteries removed. I have one little girl almost 4 and all she does is ask to watch tv all day.

[Daycarelady1979]

I have that problem too...especially when I'm in the kitchen trying to make lunch or dinner. All the kids come in the kitchen & just stand there. We have a pretty small space & everything is carpeted except the kitchen. To give them boundaries & a visual clue, I always say, "Go to the carpet!" Even then some of them go to the edge of the carpet nearest the kitchen & just stand there. Drives me bonkers! There's a million things to play with here...go find something to do!

[cheerfuldom]

about 2 years ago, I took the TV out of the daycare room and removed 95% of battery operated toys....best thing I ever did. one of my daughters played with ONE single wipe for almost 30 minutes yesterday! LOL

the daycare kids have a harder time with it as does my oldest daughter who is school age but overall, they are a billion times better than a lot of other kids I know. my neice has an attention span of about 2 minutes....I hate watching her because you can tell that she does a lot of TV time and being entertained by her parents. its always worse with the single children.

[Blackcat31]

about 2 years ago, I took the TV out of the daycare room and removed 95% of battery operated toys....best thing I ever did. one of my daughters played with ONE single wipe for almost 30 minutes yesterday! LOL

the daycare kids have a harder time with it as does my oldest daughter who is school age but overall, they are a billion times better than a lot of other kids I know. my neice has an attention span of about 2 minutes....I hate watching her because you can tell that she does a lot of TV time and being entertained by her parents. its always worse with the single children.

Been TV and battery free now for almost as long.

Cannot say enough about the positive changes I have seen.

More imagination
Longer play periods
New playmates/groups
Creativity galore
Deeper more intense play
Attention spans I have to cut off to come eat or nap

Less rough housing
Less whining
Less jumping and wild play

BEST thing ever! Honestly, if I knew then what I know now, I would have ditched the TV/batteries when I had my first child.

The kids who have the hardest time when you say "Go play" are the ones who generally watch the most TV and have the most electronic toys. They become dependent on someone or something to entertain them.

[blandino]

Been TV and battery free now for almost as long.

Cannot say enough about the positive changes I have seen.

More imagination
Longer play periods
New playmates/groups
Creativity galore
Deeper more intense play
Attention spans I have to cut off to come eat or nap

Less rough housing
Less whining
Less jumping and wild play

BEST thing ever! Honestly, if I knew then what I know now, I would have ditched the TV/batteries when I had my first child.

The kids who have the hardest time when you say "Go play" are the ones who generally watch the most TV and have the most electronic toys. They become dependent on someone or something to entertain them.

Absolutely agree !! We are about 75% battery free (most of the battery operated toys come out as a specific activity and aren't available except for when we take them out maybe 2x a week) and we do have a TV -but it is used in a deliberate way , instead of having the TV on during free play, it is about a specific "movie time". If that makes sense...

I would say that one of the BEST things I have done recently is mount two magnadoodles on a table with extra strength Velcro strips. That way they may "draw" whenever they please. It has amazed me the amount of time thy spend at that table - and how two stations doesn't seem to be enough.

[cheerfuldom]

I agree with BC that less TV/entertaining means less rough housing generally. when they are calm and focused by particular activities, there is less there that just wants to bounce off the walls and act like a fool LOL

[Play Care]

I do agree about No/limiting tv and getting rid of toys that "do" for the kids. BUT I also think some kids just need some more direction then others. When I have kids like that I will give them three choices of what they can do. This works well with my more concrete little ones for whom being told to "go and play" is just too open ended. I may "assign" kids to do/play with things if it seems they need more direction. Mostly after I've given them the first option they are then able to move more idependently in the play area. They just needed a little help.

[LK5kids]

I agree about the battery operated toys. Everything seems to have a battery option! Right now I have two toys out that have batteries.

I don't have tv as an option b.cuz I only have two 2 yr. olds and a one yr. old.
I must confess, I do like the luxury of tv time while I make lunch but my kids just are not old enough.

I love the magnadoodle idea! I will do that eventually!

[daycare]

I agree no tv and no battery toys.

i do have to admit that I do have the trackmaster thomas trains, but the kids love love love these.

they spend more time building tracks than they actually run the trains, but they could spend hours playing trains if I let them......

every year in march we do an inventors week. we build all of our own toys.....the kids have a blast..........

[daycarediva]

Been TV and battery free now for almost as long.

Cannot say enough about the positive changes I have seen.

More imagination
Longer play periods
New playmates/groups
Creativity galore
Deeper more intense play
Attention spans I have to cut off to come eat or nap

Less rough housing
Less whining
Less jumping and wild play

BEST thing ever! Honestly, if I knew then what I know now, I would have ditched the TV/batteries when I had my first child.

The kids who have the hardest time when you say "Go play" are the ones who generally watch the most TV and have the most electronic toys. They become dependent on someone or something to entertain them.

I can count on one hand the toys in my daycare room that have batteries.

My littles were so engrossed in a game today (one had a pizza shop, one was a Mommy going to the store with her baby, one was a cashier, one was a bus driver and lined the chairs up for his bus, DS was the Daddy at work as a zookeeper, and one little guy who watches way.too.much.tv sat on the floor whining that he was bored) The rest gave a loud AWWWWWWW NOO! When I said "Time for lunch!"

What kills me about watching the kids play is how much they are actually LEARNING. There are so many social skills (pizza guy was making sure he had enough pizza, and the right toppings for each kid, and Mommy was making sure her baby was safe, and counting money for pizza out of her purse, and zookeeper was deciding which play food went to which animal, the cashier was counting the money, and the bus driver was telling everyone to stay in your seat and buckle up!) My electronic addict kiddo was missing out on ALLLL of that fun!

[Heidi]

I don't have anything to add, other than it's funny how questions cycle on this board. I think this one has come up at least 3x over the last year and a half, and I was one of the OP's.....

So happy to say that the kiddos I have right now are GREAT players. Hardly fight, hardly fuss, just play, play, play! happyfacehappyfacehappyface

[CozyHome]

Oh yeah, annoying high maintenance kid - look at this, look at me, look at the truck, look at this excavator, look, look, look. Me: GO PLAY WITH IT! Play with your friends, talk to your friends.

Goddamn the parents who buy into this freaking crap! Thank goodness I only have one kid like this.

I had one tattletale girl in the past who narrated the entire day and everything everybody did all day long. I really didn't like that girl at all and managed to put up with it for 3 years but the one I have now that I described above is in his 2nd year and I don't know that I'm going to make it until he goes to JK. I just don't think I'm going to make it!