NOW CLOSED: Win a £100 Argos voucher by telling Chad Valley your tips for toddler play

[AnnMumsnet]

Chad Valley want to hear from you about how your toddler plays - in particular how you (or your child's carer) encourage imaginative play, and how you get them to play by themselves? Do they do role play (have you ever "heard" yourself through your child? or does a sibling get bossed around and told to be a certain character? ) - what are their favourite games to play by themselves (maybe when they think you're not looking?!)?

Please share your top tips and stories on this thread - everyone who does will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will get a £100 Argos voucher.

We'll use a selection of your tips and stories on the Chad Valley pages on Mumsnet.

Many thanks
MNHQ

[AnnMumsnet]

Pleased to say mummybraineds name came out of the hat and she has won the £100 Argos voucher. Well done and thanks to everyone for the tips

[edwardcullensotherwoman]

Ds (3) loves his cars and trains. He not only drives them around but also has them talking to each other. I've noticed that he quotes from films/TV (I guess that is a kind of role-play) and has also started quoting us.
He plays very well by himself, always has, but more recently has started asking me to get involved. He'll tell me I can be the red car (or whatever) and he'll be the blue car, then says we have to race or something.
I second keeping it simple, Ds loves to make binoculars out of 2 mini yougurt pots stuck together (he often eats 2 at a time). He also has an old phone which he uses to "phone" people (usually he auntie or granny) to see how they are!

[Funtimewincies]

Keep it simple. Ds just loves random stuff from around the house - loo roll middles, plastic bowls, cushions .

[sunmonkey]

I gave my 3 tear old a hole puncher and a load of collected recipes printed from the internet or ripped from magazines, showed him how to hole punch them whilst I could quickly finish the dinner, he was very happy and did a surprisingly good job too! He loves to get involved in whatever I am doing as well. Out of his toys, his fisher price garage and box of cars keep him entertained for quite a while.

[Didi75]

I have a daughter who is nearly three and the one thing I have learned is that it is usually the simplest of ideas and toys that make her the happiest. For example, she enjoys role play with dolls - feeding them and changing their nappies and having tea parties on a blanket with all her toys making them tea and sandwiches. She likes to copy what I am doing with regards to cleaning and making tea.

[PasstheTwiglets]

My 8yo daughter and 3yo son were playing mummies and daddies a few weeks ago. DD always directs the play and they spent ages looking after the dolls. Then they put them both in the buggy and DD said to DS "come on - let's go to the pub"

[Catball33]

My dd (aged two) loves being a mummy to her baby doll - feeding, changing nappies,putting her down for a nap - and I often hear her saying the kind of things I say to her. To encourage her to play by herself I will often sit nearby and talk to her about what she is doing and then sit back and watch as she gets engrossed in her game. I find as long as I'm nearby and she knows I'm there if I need her then she will play by herself. Although she often likes games that actively involve me - one of her favourites is getting us to be in a band together. She'll hand me a drum or a shaker or something while she takes another instrument herself.
She also loves playing with animals and her toy kitchen. And I often hear her saying things like careful, it's hot to herself lol

[stickylittlefingers]

both my dds have been to nursery since they were a year old, so figures strongly in their play - the dolls and teddies get lined up, fed, taken on trips to various rooms in the house and put in time out when they've been bold... Definitely hear myself echoed as well (so I know, yes I really do sound like that!).

[RottenRow]

As long as DD (3) has had plenty of interaction with me she is happy to go off into to her own world and play all sprts of games by herself. I then creep around her to make sure I don't disturb her, she carries on with her games and I can get things done without her.

[herecomesthsun]

DS (2) is very fond of the cardboard roll around which some wrapping paper was attached. It is a telescope for a pirate, a light sabre, a vacuum cleaner, a fire hose...

[Trace100]

So, you may think I am MAD but when my DD was about 10yrs I used to let her collect sticks and wood, make a fire in the garden, twist some dough around a stick, bake it over the fire and then put a frankfurter inside to make a hot dog! (obviously mum was always on hand to supervise)

Love getting back to nature - teaches them the basics

[presario]

My 3 year old daughter role plays with everything and anything. Her tub of pencils are brought to life where they all talk with each and all have different personalities. She can do this with any combination of random objects. Really cool to listen to her. I never join in unless she invites me to as it's her world, her game.

Together we do loads of role reversal. She will be mum and I will be het or I will be dad and she will be mum.

I often start her off doing an activity, which I am involved in, then when she has her attention caught I say mummy is going to do whatever and will be back. I then go and do a chore, never more than 5 mins, come back for another wee while and then do it again.

When doing other chores I always involve her, she has toy Hoover, cleaning cloths etc. She has gardening toys.

I am studying an ou course and while I am studying so does she. Lol she has her own book, pens, calculator and will happily sit and doodle beside me. Every wee while we have a tea break.

I also have 3 older kids so have had lids practice

[zipzap]

DS2 will always play on his own for much longer and much more happily if he has 2 of things (one for each hand!) - be it little people, cars, sticks, building blocks, spoons, whatever... If he has 2 then they interact and he does both sides of the interaction. If he has just one of something he doesn't seem to be able to interact with it and have the same sort of games as if he has two things and it all finishes much sooner.

DS1 loved the hoover from an early age. And whilst he did get a toy one (which came complete with its own mess to hoover up as if I don't have enough of my own!) it's the real one that he loves. So taught him to use it properly and carefully - and then (if he's a very good boy ) he can hoover away in a room to his hearts content (has been able to do so since he was about 3, he's now 6).

OK so it takes longer than me hoovering the room so it isn't something for when you need a quick flip round to clean in a hurry, and I only let him loose in a cleared space, not the stairs or anywhere with potential for being dangerous, but he's pretty good and will get it all clean, he's happy, I'm happy . Likewise he loves mopping albeit that is usually a bit messier, and doing lots of other cleaning things that he does with my mum - she's taught him to spot clean on the carpets which is his favourite thing to do with her - and he'll also quite happily do it without her.

think the cleaning gene has jumped a generation because I most certainly don't like housework! Just hoping that he still likes doing it as he gets older and has to do it as part of family chores/for his own family rather than just doing it for a treat as at the moment...


i've also found that it can be useful to ask silly questions or throw in silly ideas to distract kids or send them off playing in a different direction if their own play slows up. and as I'm usually sleep deprived and grumpy I'm not very good at thinking of things quickly so I'll think of some silly words to throw in, in advance, and just change them every week or two when they are beginning to sound overused. Just things like hippo/helicopter/sausages/spotty/ purple/snorkleberry/

So - what are we going to eat - purple spotty sausages? crocodile toes? snorkleberry pie?
and how are we going to get to school - the hippo's helicoper? riding the crocodile?

Then either get them to choose the nice sensible option as what they want or you go the normal way but pretending to be the silly thing. Not describing it very well sorry, but it's easier than trying to think up something each time honest!

[Sassyfrassy]

In our house construction toys are a big hit. Both my daughters love playing with lego and building blocks. At first it was just simple towers and legos stuck together. Now they enjoy playing together building all sorts of things.

[missorinoco]

My children role play all the time. Their soft toys spend half their time on the "step" and the other half having their nappies changed.

Imagination developed with age. My son borrowed half of my kitchen gear aged two and a half, and used an empty box as an oven. To some extend I think not having everything makes them use their imagination more.

[coorong]

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[RainySmallHands]

DD loves her dolls, something which I had no interest in as a child and something which I have never actively encouraged. But she is never without a doll or stuffed toy.

Since the arrival of DD2 she has been understandably neglected left to her own devices a lot more. This had forced encouraged more role play and I have overheard some immensely cute playing: 'Do you want more booby?'; 'One, two, three - boo!'; 'Have you done another poo?'; 'Oh dear, what's wrong?'.

I am often to be found cowering behind doors sniggering softly to myself

[BiscuitNibbler]

If my DD needs distracting I'll ask her to "help" me. She's then happy to pick up leaves / draw a picture / whatever because she thinks she's helping me. Works every time.

[BringBackPacers22]

I'm convinced that playing by themsleves or not is nature, not nurture. I have 2 dd's and the eldest still requires adult input at almost 4 years of age, while the younger one of 14 months plays by herself for ages and actually throws a strop if I join in when it's not required. And no I have never pandered to the eldest and given her more attention than her sister. I have actively encouraged both of them to play by themselves from a young age.

Both love imaginative play, copying what they see around them, i.e cooking, cleaning, dressing up, but dd1 is very bossy and tells me, dh and dd2 what we are supposed to be doing. even though dd2 has no clue what she is saying. Frequently hear myself and dh in dd2, she is very vocal and sounds really patronising sometimes when she talks to us, but she is only repeating what we say to her or dd2.

Dd2 is turning into a mini me, she can't talk much yet, but actions speak louder than words and it is scary to see how much like me she is already. She often plays with stuff that is supposed for older children, that her sister would not have had the benefit of like a toy cooker and toy computer.

I encourage imaginative play through providing a good range of toys and not directing their play to much. If they want to use a golf club as a walking stick or a horse, or a box as a hat or a boat, so be it. I join in with their tea parties even if dd2 does insist on making me drink directly out of the kettle, into which she has dropped play toast and is stirring with a fork!

Both really love rough and tumble type games especially with each other and playing together on the trampoline, even though I cringe when watching them as I'm sure they are going to hurt each other, there is usually lots of giggles and the thing most likely to cause tears isn't them hurting each other, but if one of them decides they don't want to play anymore. They both alos like chalk drawing on the easel.

Final observation, they always want to play with whatever the other is playing with!

[Lizzie77]

Lots of great ideas on this thread. Thank you. I'll be trying loads of them out. My dd is 13 months and is not great at being left, but she loves her 'Tuff Spot' and it can buy me enough time to make dinner if I put something exciting in it. You can get them from some DIY shops as origionally they were for mixing cement! Now as many Nurseries and Reception classes use them you can get them from the internet in exciting colours. (About £9) You can buy sheets to put in the bottom to make it look like roads for toy trucks to run on or dinosaur habitat etc. I think someone has written a book of ideas but as my dd is a bit small for this these are all plans for the future. For now it is great filled with messy play activities like cornflour and water, rice crispies and cooked spaghetti (in garden). It reduces the mess from her art work and makes an ideal paddling pool as she can crawl in and out without my help (closely supervised of course).

[Adair]

My tip is to provide 'lots of' an item - so lots of blocks or pine cones or conkers. My 2yo son has been playing with a box of candles this morning - tipping into boxes and wrapping up then unwrapping. Both of them (him and the 5yr old) are delighted when I buy a new pack of nappies and play for ages, making bridges and towers and paths and tracks!

[r0se]

Playing Teachers, prince and princesses, mums and dads ... Teachers was always probably their favourite

[joolzy]

The other d ay I heard my son pretending to be me with a 'yes charlie@ responsebfrom his toy! He has a toy kichen and cars and 'little people' available at all times, then things like blocks and trains and aquadraw he can get out once we've tidied some space. Not very good at structured play like at nursery he is happy with freeform or making household things into playtime.

[jumblies]

I have a 3 yr old girl and a 17 month old boy. The 3 yr old will play happily by herself most of the time. She likes dressing up in a pair of beige tights ( rapunzel hair) and a couple of long dresses and she pretends to be princesses of various sorts. She also likes playing with her stuffed animals/dolls and pretends to be a vet/doctor. I provide her with a box containing a couple of bandages, a pretend plastic stethescope and real plasters. My son is more difficult to occupy safely for long periods of time as he quite likes to climb anything in sight, however he will play with the toy kitchen and bang and clatter plates etc and will also feed his teddy. He has a bit of a hat fetish and will spend a good 20 mins going through a box of assorted hats and scarves - he likes trying them on and then looking in the mirror, which I don't remember my daughter ever doing at this age. They both like it if I make them dens using blankets and a clothes horse and chairs.

I tend to leave them to make up their own games. My son loves copying my daughter and just potters about after her. She likes to pretend to be mummy and bosses him around...I hear my phrases coming out of her mouth all the time. She also 'reads' him bedtime stories before attempting to put him to sleep on a blanket on the floor, this quite often results in rough and tumble whereby he resists and they end up play fighting instead. It is quite a noisy household with the two of them but is very good fun most of the time.