How much do you play/do stuff with your kids

[HalloHello]

I have a 3.5 year old and a 3 month old. My 3.5 year old is a very bright, very talkative, very active girl. We spend a lot of time out at playgrounds, parks, the shops, the beach, grandaprents house and she goes to Nursery 3 full days a week. When we are at home, she is usually pottering about playing with her dolls, Barbie's, kitchen, or she'll do stickers or colouring, plays games on her kids fire tablet. She helps me cook sometimes and she does watch a bit of TV but usually while doing other things too.

Because of the 3 month old, between BFs, changing, and holding him, housework, cooking and washing, I don't feel like I have any time to play with my daughter, to teach her to write/draw things, she is often left to her own devices.

Am I prioritising wrong? Should I be doing more? How much are others doing with their preschoolers?

Not the exact same ages as yours, but my two are 4 years and 5.5 months. 4yo goes to nursery 2.5 days a week and spends a few hours on another day with my parents. The other 2 week days it’s me and both kids and honestly those 2 days still feel about surviving to me! The 4yo watches way too much tv and I consider it a success if we get out once, either a walk to the shops or to the park for an hour before the baby starts crying. 5.5mo is a contact napper so I’m stuck under a sleeping baby for 3 hours a day while the 4yo watches tv. The rest of the time we potter around; sometimes I get down and play, other times I leave the eldest to his own devices while I get on with stuff around the house. He’ll entertain himself for a while but will come and find me to show me the Lego/puzzle etc he’s done. I think it’s good for them to get a bit bored and learn how to entertain themselves. The 5.5mo comes around wherever I go and will sit in his bouncer/high chair/lie on mat etc and watch whatever is going on. It’s tough but we make it through with everyone fed and alive 😊

You're doing fine. You're showing her stuff all day, every day. You just maybe don't realise it. There is far more for them to learn than writing/numbers etc (that will be covered at nursery anyway).

She certainly knows a lot, she's very smart and intrigued by everything. We do loads but I just never play with her as frankly I just don't know how! We do play board games as a family I am just shit at make believe!

Sing her the alphabet in the car. Count to ten. Ask her what colour is this, that. In the supermarket ask her what the fruit, veg is. Same thing for shapes.

It sounds like you are doing great but if you want to do some learning could you get out a really simple task the night before so it is waiting for her at breakfast - just something like colouring a letter you have drawn and talking about what letter it is, or putting 3 stickers beside the letter 3 on a piece of paper? I am rarely organised enough to do this, but I saw the idea for “breakfast invitations” on an instagram called dayswithgrey - just an idea in case that would let you relax about it the rest of the day. I have a 3.5 yr old and a 1 yr old and I rarely do anything educational

I think you're doing fine. I hate imaginary play so I rarely do anything other than reading. I'll go to the shelves and pick 10 books and we'll sit and read them all. I try to make sure some are about numbers/colours or I'll ask questions about how many ducks etc there are as we read.

Follow your daughter's lead in role play. If she wants to play shops, you can be the customer.

Small world play is great too, mirroring is a good way to show her you really get what it's like in her world, that you understand her play.

I am a big fan of singing with all of mine. Easy to learn songs, lots of repetition. Doesn't require any resources as you look after your youngest.

I struggle with this too, but I remind myself that my DS gets so much educational stimulation from his four days at nursery that one day at home with me and the baby playing with the same toys and watching TV is not going to do him any harm at all. In fact, it's probably a nice break in routine.

We do all these things, she can count to 30, she knows the alphabet, she understands counting and we count everything. She recognises numbers up to 10. She knows all her colours and knows what everything is called as far as I can remember. We read a lot, always singing and being silly. Maybe I do more than I think!

I wouldn't do the alphabet because it can be confusing when they start phonics.

Sorting categories is a good one. Sorting animals, food, cars etc.

I mean she knows the alphabet song and recognises occasional letters like the ones in her name, if im spelling things or poitning out letters, I use phonics.

We did some Jewellery making this afternoon, felt nice to have some one on one time with her and do some crafts. It's just hard fitting everything else in and I don't want her to feel neglected. The baby is a little bit of a koala baby and never wants to be not touching me 🙈