Why don't my children play????

[lunavix]

I have a ds of nearly 5 and a dd of 2.5, and they do not play!

We have lots of nice toys, craft stuff, and books, and unless I actively pick something, get it out, sit there and do it, they will not join in. And even then it's 50/50 as to whether they will.

They both like watching tv, so it's quite limited. We don't have time in the mornings, except for occassionally one cartoon, and if we get home from school they may have half an hour to an hour, which I'm not too worried about. But it's the weekends it's noticeable. I've got a stinking cold and I'm finding it hard to do anything, and yesterday was trying to conduct everything from the sofa, so that's exactly where the kids were too till I dragged myself up at lunchtime and got us lunch, took ds to a party then took us off to a friends house.

I'm looking around at their christmas presents which are largely untouched, thinking does anyone else have this???

It's strange because I don't remember this being a problem before.

I used to CM and weekdays were no problem (but then they aren't now either)

I think I'll go back to what I used to do and let them have 30min while I cook dinner. See how that goes.

Thanks for the advice. I have no worries about their development, I'm just sick of moaning about who's watching what.

Will try and cling to my sanity! I'm having one of those self pity days... house is beyond a tip, no washings been done, I have two essays due in, a tax return due Saturday that I haven't done... and if I move I feel sick and dizzy Ah well, life of single parent lol

Fingers crossed. Thanks everyone

let them fight a bit
let them moan a bit
put a few simple toys where they can get them themselves
hide the rest
if you are not working, stay home a bit more - imo they need a bit of downtime/boredom to have the heaqdspace to let them get in the mood for play
if you get bored [and hell i know i do] just go to the park for an hour or invite someone over for a coffee

Leave them to sort it out themselves, fight,go nuts, whinge and what have you.
Itsettles and then they are fine.
Tv is the scourge of the modern day home,stifles initiative,imagination and energy.

I don't have it on at all anymore ever as I personally can't bear it. We/they will watch a dvd on occasion but it is a special hyped up event. So, today they are painting /drawing happily next door.Then we have Sunday school, then lunch out then swimming.Home to do homework,reading, diary writing. Then a bath, changed for bed and we will all sit down and watch Oliver and really enjoy it.

I ignore leave my children to it . They soon learn to occupy themselves, and I also find they would rather the kitchen teatowels and boxes of tissue to play with rather then the expenive toys.

I think it is very important for children to get bored. It stimulates the imagination. They will thank you for it, instead of plonking them in front of the idiot box for hours on end.

We have now changed the automatic right to have the tv on all the time in our house. Ds has been not great with behaviour/concentration at school and getting very lippy at home so he now has to earn tv by listening and trying his best. If this happens he gets tv for 30 mins and then it's turned off. He has been fab with it, no hassles, no pleading he comes straight in from school and gets out toys, magnets, lego and starts building. He had a fab game with all the different bottle tops (milk, plastic bottles, washing softener + pringle tops) I'd been collecting for ds 2 2. They played brillaintly for ages. So you don't have to provide amazing toys to get them to play, just interesting things. I am saving all shaped cardbaord boxes at the mo and also yoghurt pots for both the ds's to put things in, build with etc.

Yes, quite Scienceteacher.
I'm a salt and we have seen a huge increase in children with no attention span or self control who have no idea how to concentrate or regulate themselves.

Most homes have waaaaay too many toys as well. Limit them.It works their imagination which is the fundamental building block of language and learning.