Kids Play Blog Archive

Here is a link to some easy Valentine Crafts that I found:

Valentine Crafts

I especially like the heart that folds into an envelope and the one with the cutout hearts that stand up.

Have fun creating your own Valentines!

In America, it is Thanksgiving Day -- a day we reflect on our blessings.

Being thankful can be done at any time though.

One activity you can do is to cut out leaves from construction paper or paper bags.

Then let everyone write down something they are thankful for on the leaves.

Put the leaves in a basket or on a twig tree and use as a centerpiece.

If you are in another season, just make a small square or rectangle piece of paper.

You could do this anytime your family gathers together.

Have a great Thanksgiving in America!

As I was pulling out of the parking lot at the grocery store today, a young couple looked at each other & spontaneously started skipping together with big grins on their faces.

It brought a smile to my face also as I recalled the many times I have skipped.

Skipping is just walking by hopping on each foot. While jumping up and down or the little hop, you soon develop a rhthym of skipping from one foot to the other.

It doesn't matter what your age is, skipping can still be delightful. It is also good exercise.

Of course, a baby or toddler does not have the physical skills yet to skip, but everyone older than that can enjoy skipping.

It is a great thing to do if you play Follow the Leader and have enough space so everyone can try doing it.

Try it with a partner and make sure your skipping together by hopping on the same feet each time.

You could even try it with more people together. Make a line with everyone and start out with the same foot.

Take time to skip today and delight in doing it.

Yesterday on the morning news, they profiled adult women who have purchased expensive life like baby dolls which they dress, put in car seats, and push in strollers. Are these women crazy?

I don't think so. They are doing what I have said all along -- they are still playing. Playing is OK. Men play too -- with model trains, sports cars, and other hobbies.

If you enjoyed playing an activity when you were young, there is nothing wrong in playing it today. Playing is theraputic. You can put your worldly problems away for a while and pretend in your imaginary world. Just don't stay there forever.

Talking through dolls has been a time honored method of therapy also. When my oldest son was struggling in the second grade, he would talk to his Dumbo blow up doll what he couldn't say directly to us. We found out what the problem was by listening to him play. Then we were able to rectify the situation.

Talking today with dolls can help eliminate the stress of today's life. Dolls bring out the loving feelings we have. Children grow much too quickly. They don't stay babies very long. A baby doll allows you to recapture those feelings or capture them for the first time if you don't have children.

Watch adults when they look at a new born baby or a very young baby. They goo and gaw and make a fuss over the new little one. It's because the babies grow so quickly that we enjoy this stage so much. Baby dolls can reconnect us to those feelings.

So if you have dolls, enjoy them. Check out the Young Adults and Young at Heart sections for more ideas. It doesn't have to be expensive.

Tell us what you think about adult women playing with dolls.

I want to ...
Fill in the blank.

Prime the pump with items from our Materials list. Sometimes it just takes looking at something in a different way.

At the Museum where I work, we sell a chinese fan that is stretched very tight. One lady purchased one because she could make a drum like sound with it and was not interested in the fanning part of it at all. It did indeed make a very pleasing sound as the main part was stretched tight over a wooden frame similar to a drum top. She was married to a drummer, so she had her own unique perspective.

Take something around you and think of how you can play with it. Water bottles make a clicking sound when you push in on them and let them come back on their own. Maybe you can find enough things that make sounds to make a rhythm band.

People have done this in past times too. They took old wash tubs and broom sticks and added some wire to make a bass fiddle out of it. The old fashioned washboards were used with a stick to make a strumming sound. Shells were used to blow through and create a specific sound. All of those people used what they had around them to make sounds.

What can you see in a cloud? Can you find a face, an animal, an object? Use your imagination. Maybe you see an alligator's head.

Take time out of the next cloudy day you encounter. Put a blanket on the ground. Sit with your family or friends and just take the time to look up. Lie down and just day dream as you look at the clouds.

Create a story for what might be happening. Share parts of it with your family or friends. Let them come up with part of it too.

This is imagination in full action. Creating something from nothing. It is how the Greek Myths got started. Somebody was trying to explain something around them.

Enjoy the fun!

The weekend is a great time to take the family to the park. I am in the Northern Hemisphere and fall is just starting. The leaves are just starting to turn and some are falling. It's fun to observe the changes that are happening. Take a bag with you so you can put your treasures that you find in it. Have fun running and playing. Take a ball or fisbee with you to throw to each other. Play old fashioned games like Tag. Enjoy each other.

See how many different kinds of leaves you can find. When you get back home, put the dried leaves between two pieces of wax paper. Use an iron to seal the wax paper together with the leaves inside. You can use them for a placemat, put them in a frame, or put them in a notebook. You then have a nice souvenier of you trek.

For those of you in the Southern Hemisphere, where spring is just starting, you will have even more things to look for. Going on a regular basis, you will see the changes as they happen. Enjoy them also.

What do you to like to do at the park? Leave me a Comment at my Contact Me page.

Do you or your kids have enough time to play? With so many activities scheduled, we are seeing that children have no time to play. I am talking about unorganized play. Time to pretend. Time to act out. Play is important for the internalization of learning. Without it, learning is not quite so effective.

I am not talking about play on the computer, cell phone, or video games. I am talking about unstructured time without technology. You are the adult. Sometimes you just have to say, "It's time to do something without all the electronic devices."

It's O.K. if they say they are bored. Tell them to come up with their own game or something to do for a while. Without having to be faced with being bored, creativity is stifled. So for their own benefit, turn off the electronic things. See what they can really come up with to do.

Do you have enough time also? Play time does not just come. We have to schedule it in. Mark the time on your calender. Treat it like an appointment. Do something fun. If you haven't played in a while, you may not know what to do.

Here are some suggestions:

• Doodle


• Color in a coloring book


• Play a game with someone


• Try something new



What do you to play? Leave me a Comment at my Contact Me page.




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Children Need to Play without Electronic Toys

I just got back from a wonderful Native American Pow Wow in our local town. It was a terrific experience except that the little boy in front of me was playing on his handheld electronic game and missing the total experience of where he was at.

He was missing all of the live action. He was not looking at the vivid colors, the wonderful costumes, or the dancers. He also seemed totally oblivious to the music, drums, and chants that provided the background to the whole event.

How sad it is to be at something so stimulating and to totally ignore what is actually happening around you!




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New Look and Feel Completed

All of the Simply-Kids-Play pages are now converted to the new look.

Contact me directly and tell me what you think about the new look.

I hope you enjoy it.




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Remember

"You're Never Too Old to Play"




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