How Much Time Do You Spend Actively Playing...

[WImom]

During free play I don't play with them at all. I do 'play/interact' with them each day during art projects, music time and circle time. We also do puzzles or a game after nap until most of the parents come (I have a few that come 15 minutes after nap). Then it's free play again. I will say though my childcare is only 2-5y so they are pretty independent.

[QualiTcare]

what other things are there to do,.. Im asking serious questions here, not trying to be a smart butt, but what do I neglect by playing with the children 70% of the time they are here?


i don't see how anyone can spend that much time playing with the kids (70%) even if they didn't have paperwork to prepare, food to order, etc. just doing every day tasks of preparing meals and snacks, cleaning up, going to the potty, changing diapers, nap time, going outside, etc.....i think all of that takes well over 1/2 the time...and normally there would be some time (IMO) spent preparing activities. of course you can do these things and facilitate play - but sitting with the kids playing with them for 1/2 or 3/4 of the day doesn't seem possible. i'm assuming there's no assistant who's doing everything while the provider is playing also.

you mentioned several things before that i don't consider "active play" though. swimming, singing, hiking (or walking), looking at the clouds, etc - i don't consider that active play.

[Crystal]

I don't sit down and play barbies (I don't even have barbies, ) etc. BUT, I love just BEING WITH the children. I might sit and engage them in conversation while we roll playdough, or dance and sing with them, or ask them lots of open ended questions ABOUT their playing in an effort to extend their thinking - possibly leading to even more engaging play. I do nature walks and we look for bugs together, we tend the gardens together and feed the animals. we water the houseplants and prepare recipes for great snacks. I'll indulge them in pretend play ad let them take my order and bring me my meal or they might check my heart and ears while they play doctor......

SO, I guess I DO play with them alot, but it is all meaningful, purpouseful play and I DO get paid for that. I just don't charge extra for it.

[sahm2three]

Hmmmm, it really depends on the day. And who is here. The dynamic of the group changes depending on who is here. Some days I find myself being pulled into games, which is fine if I am not tending to other duties. Like my only little dcg likes to play house. My son will play with her most days (while being a super hero), but if my son's best friend is here (who I watch), he would rather play with him and not play house. So, I end up being "grandma" to dcg's babies. Fine by me. We play kitchen or restaurant quite a bit. I try their creations and ask them about their ingredients. I get games going for them (friendship ball is one of the favorites, sit in a circle and you roll the ball to someone and say something nice about them, the little guys pretty much just copy the older kids, but it is good practice), playdough I help the little kids roll out their dough and etc. I do a lot of assisting. We read TONS of books. We do a LOT of coloring and art projects. We decorated Christmas trees today. (Printed out plain trees and gave the kids materials to decorate them, they were fabulous!) So, I guess I don't do a ton of actual playing, but mostly because they play together. But if they bring me a creation to taste that they made in their kitchen, I absolutely try it and we talk about it, or if one of my "grandbabies" needs a "grandma" love, I will do that. I guess I just don't get brought in very often. I do dance with them and we sing silly songs. Is this what you are asking?

[Crystal]

Oh, and all the other things that I have to do.....aside from maintaining a clean, safe environment, are done during naptime or evening. So, I do dishes and keep the playspaces clear of hazards, but paperwork, food program, prep work, etc. are done during naptime.

[kidkair]

Things like your baby can read, baby einstein, etc. are not Developmentally Appropriate activities for children. I have never once used a flashcard, a video or anything even resembling those to teach young children. Society is wrong, but they also are not experts in the field. They do what sells to parents......it's not hard to convince a new parent that flashing lights and digital pictures are the way to go, as they have grown up in a time of electronics being THE way to go

Offering hands on, play-based, and real-life learning are the best ways to provide a solid foundation.

Wow! I didn't realize there was a disapproving attitude toward things like Your Baby Can Read. I personally like the idea of teaching kids at a fast pace. I love having a two year old read to me. I love the math idea too. I think the basic idea behind these programs is communication skills. I would take communication skills over large motor skills in a child any day. I have a slightly different take on the way to teach things than these reading programs do. I do flashcards and the kids love them! I don't force them to learn I just give them the information. I never test them. I never use electronics with them, no tv, no computer. I find doing my curriculum with the kids to be very rewarding and fun. I don't like to 'play' with the kids because their play tends to be simple and repetitive. I encourage them to play with each other and learn from me. I'm doing something with the kids or for the kids every minute that I am open except nap time when I'm on here though that could be a toss up since I learn so much on here.

[QualiTcare]

Wow! I didn't realize there was a disapproving attitude toward things like Your Baby Can Read. I personally like the idea of teaching kids at a fast pace. I love having a two year old read to me. I love the math idea too. I think the basic idea behind these programs is communication skills. I would take communication skills over large motor skills in a child any day. I have a slightly different take on the way to teach things than these reading programs do. I do flashcards and the kids love them! I don't force them to learn I just give them the information. I never test them. I never use electronics with them, no tv, no computer. I find doing my curriculum with the kids to be very rewarding and fun. I don't like to 'play' with the kids because their play tends to be simple and repetitive. I encourage them to play with each other and learn from me. I'm doing something with the kids or for the kids every minute that I am open except nap time when I'm on here though that could be a toss up since I learn so much on here.

your baby can read is horrible. they memorize words and have a hard time understanding the "rules" when it's time to actually LEARN to read. if they can only read the words they've been shown on cards, they don't know how to read - they know how to remember.

[Crystal]

your baby can read is horrible. they memorize words and have a hard time understanding the "rules" when it's time to actually LEARN to read. if they can only read the words they've been shown on cards, they don't know how to read - they know how to remember.

exactly. thanks for clarifying it for me.

[Unregistered]

Good to know...

your baby can read is horrible. they memorize words and have a hard time understanding the "rules" when it's time to actually LEARN to read. if they can only read the words they've been shown on cards, they don't know how to read - they know how to remember.

I am glad that I'm not the only person who dislikes teaching kids to read by memorizing words. I've seen lots of schools really pushing the memorizing sight words type programs as opposed to phonics. It ****s because if kids only know the sight words, then they aren't getting any type of comprehension when they read. I don''t necessarily have a problem with kids knowing the sight words, but I think that understanding the sound that the letters make is pretty crucial to really reading.

[DanceMom]

I don't think it is about how MUCH time you spend with your kids or your dck's its about the QUALITY of time you spend with them each day..if you are offering a warm, loving home, full of great foods, talk to them, read to them, offer comfortable nap spaces etc - I think THAT beats playing a game of Uno or barbies or anything else for sure !

My parents pay me for a clean, safe environment, where they can go to work and not worry about their children for the day. They are not paying me to "play" with them at all.

[Live and Learn]

I spend practically no time playing with my dck. I facilitate play by bringing out different toys and rotating activities. We have a fairly set routine. My dck are age 1 thru almost age 4. Don't get me wrong.... I read lots of books, dance to music with them, occasional crafts, daily painting or drawing, help if they are having trouble with a duplo something along those lines. Really even though my dck all love me they love their lil friends here more! We don't play computer games here, no electronic buzzing-light flashing toys either just lots of open ended play with more old fashioned type toys. It amazes me the imaginations that children so young can have. I love my little ones so much but sit down on the floor and keep them entertained for the day? Uh, no thanks. It isn't about not being paid enough ...all together I make more than a nanny does....it is about giving these sweet little people the opportunity to learn to be happy while keeping themselves entertained with close adult supervision and loving structure.

[Former Teacher]

I love this thread. I love hearing how others do things....... Except the bra thing. Lol. But I think she means she feels at home And
and part of the family. .

Thanks laundrymom...that's is EXACTLY what I meant. :: I just wanted to tell people that I am comfortable what I do and I love what I do...maybe I shouldn't have been so..umm..open ::

[QualiTcare]

Thanks laundrymom...that's is EXACTLY what I meant. :: I just wanted to tell people that I am comfortable what I do and I love what I do...maybe I shouldn't have been so..umm..open ::

i can't remember how i came across it, but the other day i was reading something that was saying the less hours you wear a bra, the less likely you are to get breast cancer. i don't know if it's true, but here it is:

Women who wore their bras 24 hours per day had a 3 out of 4 chance of developing breast cancer (in their study, n=2056 for the cancer group and n=2674 for the standard group).

Women who wore bras more than 12 hour per day but not to bed had a 1 out of 7 risk.

Women who wore their bras less than 12 hours per day had a 1 out of 152 risk.

Women who wore bras rarely or never had a 1 out of 168 chance of getting breast cancer. The overall difference between 24 hour wearing and not at all was a 125-fold difference.

[Former Teacher]

i can't remember how i came across it, but the other day i was reading something that was saying the less hours you wear a bra, the less likely you are to get breast cancer. i don't know if it's true, but here it is:

Women who wore their bras 24 hours per day had a 3 out of 4 chance of developing breast cancer (in their study, n=2056 for the cancer group and n=2674 for the standard group).

Women who wore bras more than 12 hour per day but not to bed had a 1 out of 7 risk.

Women who wore their bras less than 12 hours per day had a 1 out of 152 risk.

Women who wore bras rarely or never had a 1 out of 168 chance of getting breast cancer. The overall difference between 24 hour wearing and not at all was a 125-fold difference.

Thank you QualiTcare for providing those statistics. I never meant to offend anyone with my statement. I just wanted to give a glimpse of my "work" life ::

Not to get off topic but almost 5 years ago my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She never had a lump, nor do we have any other history in our family. She found it by tripping and falling on her breast. Her breast then formed a bruise that would not go away. The family doctor prescribed an antibiotic etc but nothing worked. Finally she had an test (MRI? I don't remember but it wasn't a mammogram) and the radiologist thought something wasn't right. Further testing showed that her own hormones caused the breast cancer which was in a liquid form. She did the chemo and radiation and she is going strong as ever!

[laundrymom]

Wow,,, not an option here braless is scary! Lol

i can't remember how i came across it, but the other day i was reading something that was saying the less hours you wear a bra, the less likely you are to get breast cancer. i don't know if it's true, but here it is:

Women who wore their bras 24 hours per day had a 3 out of 4 chance of developing breast cancer (in their study, n=2056 for the cancer group and n=2674 for the standard group).

Women who wore bras more than 12 hour per day but not to bed had a 1 out of 7 risk.

Women who wore their bras less than 12 hours per day had a 1 out of 152 risk.

Women who wore bras rarely or never had a 1 out of 168 chance of getting breast cancer. The overall difference between 24 hour wearing and not at all was a 125-fold difference.