Experts: Remember the value of play

There are ways to both
entertain and teach children at the same time.

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Back to school time doesn’t necessarily mean that children and parents should forget about play time.

Parents may be in the “Back To School” mode, but they shouldn’t forget about the value of play and just how important it is in developing children’s creativity, skills and self-esteem, according to Brent Taylor, president and CEO of Brilliant Sky Toys & Books.

Spending quality time

He offers 10 tips on how parents can spend quality time with their little ones while having fun and teaching them new things after school, on the weekends or before they hit preschool:

•Play alphabet, number, shapes or colors bingo. Bingo is fun and this will get preschool age children ready to enter kindergarten.

•Sit on the floor or at the table and put together a puzzle. Puzzles help develop manual dexterity and problem solving.

•Remember that at any age, a new experience by nature is educational. Don’t be afraid to try something new.

•Feel like a kid again and play classic games such as jacks and pick-up sticks while improving your child’s hand-eye coordination.

•Create paper collages or scrapbooks and watch their creativity explode while developing their fine motor skills.

•For older children, building model airplanes and cars will help them create and problem solve while learning about math and science.

•Have a family game night to encourage communication while increasing your children’s social development by taking turns, sharing and cooperating. Games can often be adapted to various age groups by creating rules of your own.

•Take them outdoors to jump rope, hula hoop, skip and jump to build large motor skills and keep them in shape.

•Reading to any child or buying books for children that can read independently gives them not only a chance to learn and build reading skills, but lets them use their imagination and be a part of the story.

•Never forget that the ultimate goal is to have fun. Accomplish this goal and all of the other benefits will fall into place.