Playing with your kids is not a task, it should be fun!

Hi
I have a 4 year old daughter and love to play with her. We sometimes go out to a plaza so she can play out doors and be with other children.

I am always fascinated to see some parents playing and other struggling to play. This is a short post for them: do you find it hard to play with them? Do you get bored fast and want to check your cell phone? That is because YOU are not having fun

Playing with your kids is not a task! If you tackle it as an objetive or as something you need to do, you will find yourself bored fast, your kid distracted and you checking your phone.

The trick?

Have fun!

How? Invent rules, do something with him/her, do something different. Here are simple examples

• when my daughter is playing with sand in the beach, I sometimes put myself along her and start making a castle. For me. For fun. She always wants to participate sooner or later, but it is something I like and we will have fun together

• if she is playing with dolls that are having a tea party, I propose we give them dog popoo or cat pee. Or we can have tea on a spaceship while traveling to another galaxy

You get the picture

In a way, you have to act a little selfish, and think to have fun yourself also, so you can play with him/her.

Of course there are times I get tired, I am an adult and programmed to get distracted by "other improtant stuff". When that happens, I try to change the game or the enviroment or even watch a movie.

On that note, even watching a movie is something to be shared and commented, not an electronic pacifier. Interact with them during the movie, comment it and please, have fun!

Bernie