How to help children last longer in play
Does your child spend a lot of time setting up their play and arranging items, to then lose interest and walk away? They may even become frustrated, bored or start to announce, “I don’t know what to play!”
Sometimes this happens because children have a small idea (what to build or setup) but that’s as far as the thoughts go. Sometimes they may just need some help to expand their play, to come up with ideas on what to then do in the play to keep it going.
For some children the fun is in constructing and creating. We certainly want to encourage the child who enjoys this type of play, particularly if this is their strength. Encouraging play to extend beyond the setup can have its benefits. When we come up with stories in play our imagination is explored, attention is increased, language opportunities arise and if other children are involved in the play then turn taking, sharing ideas and getting along with others will be put into practise!
So if your child seems to setup play and then wander off and you’d like to encourage them to stay a little longer and try to do more, here’s a useful tip…
Once they set up the play, grab some paper and textas and draw some possible ideas of what they could then do in the play. These simple drawings can provide your child with a clear idea of what they could do beyond the setting up. An example could be:
your child builds a cubby; you could then draw some ideas like having a picnic inside, playing card / board games, reading books with a torch, pretending it’s a cave to explore etc.
Visuals are POWERFUL and sometimes it can make all the difference!
About the writer:
Lauren is a speech pathologist who has over 15 years experience working with children and teenagers who present with a range of learning and communication difficulties. Lauren is passionate about helping others and loves to find simple and creative ways to make learning fun!
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