Children Learn as they Play

A close friend of mine recently asked me to blog about what activities I do with my boys.  So, it got me thinking about what has guided me in planning out activities for my boys daily.  For my eldest son Isaiah, I tried to follow every book and advice that I read about how to engage with your child to help stimulate them and meet every milestone there is for that exact age.  One advice that I saw really stick as he's gotten older (mind you, he's only lived four years of his life thus far, but I still believe this to be true) is his love for reading.  I literally started reading to him while he was still in my womb.  I was more lax with my youngest son Jude.  Perhaps it was this feeling that Isaiah lived through his first year and turned out fine, so I don't have to do it exactly by the book. :)  Jude loves sports, basketball in particular.  A good friend of ours gave him a basketball hoop for his first birthday and he has not stopped making those slam dunks ever since. :)   Naturally, both my boys have different interests, personalities, and capabilities based on their age and developmental abilities. And being a stay-at- home mom, I've had to factor those things to figure out activities that they enjoy, can learn from, and help to meet their age appropriate milestones.  Although, I'd also recommend exposing them to things that they may not seem to have interest in because that might just change for them and they can always grow from that experience.  Their activities have varied depending on the season too, so I'll share a few things that I'm doing with each of them this summer.  And I'll continue to share the activities I'm doing with my boys, so keep posted.  I've also relied on different types of resources like Pinterest, family/childrens magazines, moms group at church, and other mom bloggers for ideas.  Here are some links that can help you begin your fun day of exploration and learning with your little one.

Developmental Activities by Age

Age Appropriate Activities from Ages 0-4 years old

DIY Montessori Activities

Physical Activity by Age

Developmental Milestones by Age


Some of the Summer Activities for My Boys

• The library is a hot spot all year long for us since we borrow different books every week or two, participate in their reading program and play with toys in the children's section.  And depending on the library there are free activities offered throughout the year for children (i.e. puppet shows, magic shows, etc.).  
• We're blessed to live fairly close to the beach to cool off during the hot summer days and to play in the sand.  Both my boys love the sand and can play with it all day long (I have yet to meet a child who doesn't like it)!  Some benefits to your little ones playing in the sand: sensory play to develop their sense of touch through the texture of the sand, creative and imaginative play in trying to build something using sand toys or simply abstractly with water, develops fine motor skills (e.g. eye hand coordination, etc.), and it seems to be so relaxing for them that it will keep them in place for awhile.  Other places to go to would be the sandbox at the park or consider purchasing an outdoor sandbox for your backyard or create an indoor sandbox with either real sand or a homemade "moon sand".
• Water play is also popular with my boys who are quite the water babies.  There so many forms of it too, so it always makes it exciting for them.  Some suggestions would be to purchase a water table to float boats and watch things sink to the bottom (put a sudsy spin on it by adding soapy slime), have a bucket filled with water and a paint brush to wet "paint" the sidewalk or concrete ground outside, make homemade bubbles and bubble wands, fill the kiddie pool with water and sea animal squirt toys, and make dish soap foam where they can clean windows or their toys all in the name of fun.
• Playdough is another favorite of theirs.  My youngest, Jude, tends to still put it in his mouth so homemade playdough is what we use at our home.  We do a lot of creative play with the playdough particularly with my son Isaiah who likes to pretend play with the boats, mermaids, and octopus we molded into action figures or molded into food for the pretend meal we're trying to make. Also another fun way to learn alphabets is by molding the playdough into letters. Check out the other 39 ideas you can play with it.  

What's most important is that you just have fun with your kids and let their curiosity (safety measures considered) lead their learning by play.  After all, we have noble prize winners below sharing with us the importance of play.

"Play is the highest form of research."  -Albert Einstein

"We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” - George Bernard Shaw