How much do you play with your children?

[Raaraaaaa9]

Just wondering g how much you play with you kids? I have a 6 and 3 year old and feel like that I play with them too much and they look to me for ideas on what to do or spend time. It's day 2 of half term and they are driving me crazy. I just want to get a few jobs done and they want my constant input or the telly! Maybe I'm just venting but wondering how/what your kids do and play

My 4 year old is an only child so we play with her quite a lot at home. If I have to potter about doing jobs like hanging a load of washing out, she will generally wander off and start occupying herself, usually in the room just next to me. She would rarely take herself off to her bedroom to play.

I think boredom is the mother of creativity, so if I just say 'I'm just taking the washing out (or equivalent)' she would rather do her own thing than watch or help me. She's getting much better at independent play as her imagination develops.

Not very much if I’m being honest 😬 Usually I’ll set up an activity and they do it on their own. Like today they’ve done Washimals, play doh, painting, the marble run (I helped a bit with that) and are currently working on a giant puzzle whilst I’m ‘tidying the kitchen’.

Too much here too. Has positive but also negatives. I truly believe kids need some BordoM to spur them on to be creative and make their own play.

One strategy I use is. “I’ll play with you for 30 minutes, then I’m doing XYZ and you need to find something to do on your own for x amount of time. I find with mine they have 30 mins of fussing and being annoyed before they settle and do something themselves.

I do quite a lot but she's an only so I feel I should. Connected to that I've thrown myself into every phase of her childhood because she will grow out of it and I won't have to do it again. So with playing I'm sort of making the most of it as when she gets older she won't want to do it anymore. If I had two I would want them to play together ideally.

Alongside that I can't live in a mess so I do usually make a deal of playing for 30 mins (say) and then clearing up the kitchen.

She has a couple of games she really likes to do alone so it works out ok.

I usually set up the play idea for 5 mins and they'll play for half an hour or so without my input. Then I'll do another 5 mins setting up something else if they need it and so on.

DD is nearly 6 and likes to play on her own more these days- she’s into Sylvanians and Lego and anything with a million tiny pieces- she seems to have quite involved imaginary games going rather than the endless loop of “put the babies to bed” we used to have to do! Activities like baking, crafts, etc we do together and she likes to do some rough and tumble with her dad

DS is 6 months so I sing to him, waggle his toes around etc but he doesn’t really “play” yet.

Hmmm I think I do with them too much to my own detrement. My 6 tear old is the hardest at times as the 3 year old can play well by himself. Maybe I need to slowly withdraw a bit and fi d a balance. I end up getting stressed as I don't get anything done.

Yes this is the trap I got in. I have come to the conclusion that a small amount of play when I am relaxed and enjoying it is much more benefit than more time plying with a grumpy frustrated parents. Also it’s good for children to start to understand other people have needs that they have to work around too.

There's such guilt isn't there, like we should be like Bluey's parents all the time!!!

I only had one dc so he helped when I need to do things in the house (washing, hanging laundry etc) or entertained himself, or chatted while I did it, if it was something he couldn't do.

They eventually learn playing by themselves is better than dusting!

I play with my toddler pretty much all day as they're with me all the time. Get jobs done when they are napping or after bedtime. My older child is primary age and we play all weekends and after school, though we have to fit in other stuff like homework and music practice. I don't think it's too much - I can see how it benefits them and we have a really close bond. They will get older and naturally drift away so I'm glad to make the most of our time together while they're young.

Hmmm not a huge amount, especially during the week. I have three though, so they play together a lot. I will often suggest ideas for them to do but they run with it. I generally only play things I like (board games, card games, puzzles, guessing games). Maybe a bit of pretend play like shops. All the plastic stuff they're on their own! At the weekends we go out a lot, and that's my quality time with them, as well as bedtime, mealtimes, school runs, general chatting. It works well for everyone.

A fair bit, but they are getting good at keeping playing by themselves if I say I need to go do the washing up.

I sometimes start them off by setting something up like the little farm toys and then leaving them to actually play with it- they just need a reminder that those toys are fun - and that they'd rather do that then help me clean.

Not much because I find what he wants to play completely mind-numbing. It's 100% vehicle based.

He's 2 and a half. On nursery days (3 days a week) the morning goes quick. Just enough time for him to have breakfast and potter about before we leave. When he gets home he's tired so he plays for a bit with his dad and watches a little telly before dinner and bedtime routine starts.

On the other days I like to take him out and about. Swimming, take his bike to the park, visit a museum, trip to the beach, aquarium, take a walk to the library, go for a train ride somewhere etc etc. I prefer going out with him. At home he'll honestly get maybe an hour of me down on the play mat in a whole day. Even then I like to engage in play that has an end result to it: building brio train tracks, Duplo houses, playing with the sand tray...that kind of thing.

I prefer reading books with him or taking him out on little adventures. Anything but pushing cars about endlessly. I'll happily build junk models of car parks and garages with him for ages. I do all the cutting and sticking and then he's happy pushing his cars down all the cardboard ramps.

I do painting, jigsaws, pretend play, reading, 'wrestling' etc with my 3 year old. My 7 year old I play football outside with them but inside they play by themselves or sometimes with their younger brother, running amuck basically. Oldest DS has a great imagination and can make a game out of thin air (it really impresses me tbh!). When he was younger and we had more time as it was just him until he was gone 4, I used to play a lot with him, maybe too much, but it doesn't seem to have held him back and he's happily played by himself since he was about 5 or so.