With four children under the age of six, I am always looking for
opportunities to entertain the kids. Sure there are plenty of toys like
Lego, trains and dolls, which are all great fun and of course have a
place. But what I find lasts the longest and promotes cooperative play
are those basic play opportunities, such as rolling down hills, finding
snails or playing with boxes. Many of these activities are easy to
organise or already naturally out there, just waiting to be experienced.
Following are a few of my children's favourites -
Ponding; After considering buying the net, I ended up making three ponding nets out of left over tulle and wire coat hangers. Ponding can be done anywhere where there is a catchment of water. What you find can vary depending on the water source. A healthy dam was our favourite so far, with lots of yabbies, stick insects and tadpoles. Venture to your local creek, lake or pond and be amazed at what you will find. We even saw a water rat on our latest visit to a local creek!
Rolling down hills; This requires no preparation and is so much fun. The bigger the hill the better! Younger, less adventurous children can just start a little lower down. Wear comfortable clothes, vary your hills and have a ball. Children love it when adults join in, so mum and dad get involved. Note: Do a quick dog poop check first!
Watching clouds; A great way of relaxing with the kids. Find a comfortable spot, like the grass, a trampoline, the beach-lay back and simply watch the clouds. Spot tigers, whales, trains and other shapes. Just use your imagination!
Finding snails; Encourage children to be 'snail snoopers'. Where would snails hide? On fences, under rocks, just take a look. We always play this game on the way back from school. Respect snails and pop them safely back into their environment.
Insect spotting; This one is great to do your own backyard or further afield. Look for different types of insects. Talk about where they could be, what may be safe and what's not. Look under rocks, in bushes, and on fences. When you start looking be amazed at what you can find. You could also draw/ paint pictures of the insects. We also like to find out about them with a book or using the computer.
Stone play; A bit like sand, stones are great for play. They make a great sound when they hit tin or wood. Provide the children with a few items to use with the stones, a bit of plastic, some metal or wood. I normally use spoons, trucks, containers, cooking trays etc. The children immersed themselves in the play and so far, I never had children throwing them at each other! Give it a try.
Water Play; An old favourite. Use tank water if possible. Fill a large bucket or container. Don't make it too small, otherwise it could be tipped straight over! Provide the kids with a few different sized/shaped containers and watch them have hours of fun. Mine usually head to the sand pit to gather a few other supplies and some sort of cooking normally eventuates. Note: Adult supervision is always necessary when children play with water.
Gardening; Pots or a small vegetable plot is all that is required. Let children decide what they would like to plant and this can even encourage them to eat their vegetables. Involve them in the entire process, from planting to watering and harvesting. Make a cheap watering can out of a bottle (pancake containers are ideal) with holes through the top - they are the perfect size and each child can have one. It is so rewarding to watch plants grow, especially if they are edible. Currently, my daughter is patiently waiting for her snow peas to grow!
Boxes; Let their imagination run wild. A box can be a bus, a boat or train. Make one big enough to sit in, or small enough to push. Make a cubby house or even a city. These can be creatively decorated with paint, markers or pasting.
With all of these activities, make sure children are suitably dressed- normally comfortable clothes that you don't mind getting dirty.
Following are a few of my children's favourites -
Ponding; After considering buying the net, I ended up making three ponding nets out of left over tulle and wire coat hangers. Ponding can be done anywhere where there is a catchment of water. What you find can vary depending on the water source. A healthy dam was our favourite so far, with lots of yabbies, stick insects and tadpoles. Venture to your local creek, lake or pond and be amazed at what you will find. We even saw a water rat on our latest visit to a local creek!
Rolling down hills; This requires no preparation and is so much fun. The bigger the hill the better! Younger, less adventurous children can just start a little lower down. Wear comfortable clothes, vary your hills and have a ball. Children love it when adults join in, so mum and dad get involved. Note: Do a quick dog poop check first!
Watching clouds; A great way of relaxing with the kids. Find a comfortable spot, like the grass, a trampoline, the beach-lay back and simply watch the clouds. Spot tigers, whales, trains and other shapes. Just use your imagination!
Finding snails; Encourage children to be 'snail snoopers'. Where would snails hide? On fences, under rocks, just take a look. We always play this game on the way back from school. Respect snails and pop them safely back into their environment.
Insect spotting; This one is great to do your own backyard or further afield. Look for different types of insects. Talk about where they could be, what may be safe and what's not. Look under rocks, in bushes, and on fences. When you start looking be amazed at what you can find. You could also draw/ paint pictures of the insects. We also like to find out about them with a book or using the computer.
Stone play; A bit like sand, stones are great for play. They make a great sound when they hit tin or wood. Provide the children with a few items to use with the stones, a bit of plastic, some metal or wood. I normally use spoons, trucks, containers, cooking trays etc. The children immersed themselves in the play and so far, I never had children throwing them at each other! Give it a try.
Water Play; An old favourite. Use tank water if possible. Fill a large bucket or container. Don't make it too small, otherwise it could be tipped straight over! Provide the kids with a few different sized/shaped containers and watch them have hours of fun. Mine usually head to the sand pit to gather a few other supplies and some sort of cooking normally eventuates. Note: Adult supervision is always necessary when children play with water.
Gardening; Pots or a small vegetable plot is all that is required. Let children decide what they would like to plant and this can even encourage them to eat their vegetables. Involve them in the entire process, from planting to watering and harvesting. Make a cheap watering can out of a bottle (pancake containers are ideal) with holes through the top - they are the perfect size and each child can have one. It is so rewarding to watch plants grow, especially if they are edible. Currently, my daughter is patiently waiting for her snow peas to grow!
Boxes; Let their imagination run wild. A box can be a bus, a boat or train. Make one big enough to sit in, or small enough to push. Make a cubby house or even a city. These can be creatively decorated with paint, markers or pasting.
With all of these activities, make sure children are suitably dressed- normally comfortable clothes that you don't mind getting dirty.
Louise F. is a primary school teacher, a mother of four young
children and is one of the founders of "jac&lou" which specialises
in Women's, Maternity and Breastfeeding Wear. Please visit http://www.jacandlou.com.au to view the jac&lou range.
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