Comments on: How to be a Playful Parent http://naturemoms.com/blog/2008/11/18/how-to-be-a-playful-parent/ Green and Natural Parenting Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:28:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Bethe http://naturemoms.com/blog/2008/11/18/how-to-be-a-playful-parent/#comment-8821 Bethe Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:40:27 +0000 http://www.naturemoms.com/blog/?p=1596#comment-8821 Great post! Playful Parenting is a great book, and Dr. Cohen is a kind and wise man. He wrote a great blog post for us at Green Hour on play and brain development. Give it a read! Cheers- Bethe http://www.greenhour.org/content/blog/detail/5971/ Great post! Playful Parenting is a great book, and Dr. Cohen is a kind and wise man. He wrote a great blog post for us at Green Hour on play and brain development. Give it a read! Cheers- Bethe

http://www.greenhour.org/content/blog/detail/5971/

]]> By: Kristen's Raw http://naturemoms.com/blog/2008/11/18/how-to-be-a-playful-parent/#comment-8820 Kristen's Raw Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:04:04 +0000 http://www.naturemoms.com/blog/?p=1596#comment-8820 Tiffany, you are full of never-ending TRULY valuable information. I have so many of your posts saved for future reference when I become a mom. :) Thank you for always being on top of eco issues, family, home school, etc. You're terrific! :) Kristen Tiffany, you are full of never-ending TRULY valuable information. I have so many of your posts saved for future reference when I become a mom. :)

Thank you for always being on top of eco issues, family, home school, etc.

You’re terrific! :)
Kristen

]]> By: Sheri http://naturemoms.com/blog/2008/11/18/how-to-be-a-playful-parent/#comment-8819 Sheri Wed, 19 Nov 2008 01:40:50 +0000 http://www.naturemoms.com/blog/?p=1596#comment-8819 I homeschool my 5 children and I am busy, busy, busy! Endless dishes, laundry, outings, lessons...but I always make time to play with my kids because it's good for all of us, and these childhoods, they go so FAST! We are a TV-free and video-game-free family and I really do think that has everything to do with my kids' rich imaginations. It's a pleasure to see :) Great post! Will look into that book you mentioned. I homeschool my 5 children and I am busy, busy, busy! Endless dishes, laundry, outings, lessons…but I always make time to play with my kids because it’s good for all of us, and these childhoods, they go so FAST!

We are a TV-free and video-game-free family and I really do think that has everything to do with my kids’ rich imaginations. It’s a pleasure to see :)

Great post! Will look into that book you mentioned.

]]> By: Melinda S. http://naturemoms.com/blog/2008/11/18/how-to-be-a-playful-parent/#comment-8818 Melinda S. Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:58:26 +0000 http://www.naturemoms.com/blog/?p=1596#comment-8818 What a great reminder!!! We limit the tv time as much as possible and my boys don't seem to care if its on or not. They love to keep busy using their imaginations. What a great reminder!!! We limit the tv time as much as possible and my boys don’t seem to care if its on or not. They love to keep busy using their imaginations.

]]> By: Melitsa http://naturemoms.com/blog/2008/11/18/how-to-be-a-playful-parent/#comment-8817 Melitsa Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:37:49 +0000 http://www.naturemoms.com/blog/?p=1596#comment-8817 Well said. I think you really touched on something when you talked about your great experiences from childhood of your mom. I have great memories of making playdoh from scratch and dropping the colouring on the kitchen table; making games; cooking; listening to a radio play on everyday at 3 "Listen with Mother" with my mom. Because of what I received I wanted to replicate. But many moms don't have that positive experience to draw on so they do the best they can. That's why it's great that books like this one and many others can encourage us to stop and remember to play with out little ones. We help build their foundation and play is a major component for everything else. Things have swung too far one way with so much screentime whether through TV, Video games or Electronic Toys for preschoolers and infants. A little screentime, when appropriate according to age needs to be balanced with adequate play opportunities especially unstructured play. It's that last part we all don't do well. Let them get bored. It's amazing what they come up with to do...:) There are also a lot of websites with ideas if they truly get stuck. Well said. I think you really touched on something when you talked about your great experiences from childhood of your mom. I have great memories of making playdoh from scratch and dropping the colouring on the kitchen table; making games; cooking; listening to a radio play on everyday at 3 “Listen with Mother” with my mom.
Because of what I received I wanted to replicate. But many moms don’t have that positive experience to draw on so they do the best they can. That’s why it’s great that books like this one and many others can encourage us to stop and remember to play with out little ones.

We help build their foundation and play is a major component for everything else. Things have swung too far one way with so much screentime whether through TV, Video games or Electronic Toys for preschoolers and infants. A little screentime, when appropriate according to age needs to be balanced with adequate play opportunities especially unstructured play. It’s that last part we all don’t do well.
Let them get bored. It’s amazing what they come up with to do…:)
There are also a lot of websites with ideas if they truly get stuck.

]]> By: Mrsgarageflower http://naturemoms.com/blog/2008/11/18/how-to-be-a-playful-parent/#comment-8816 Mrsgarageflower Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:01:57 +0000 http://www.naturemoms.com/blog/?p=1596#comment-8816 My husband and I were often impressed by our twins imaginative play... you know the kind of happy times on the patio as we watched them pretend elaborate scenarios of pirates and maidens and sea dragons. For us, the best times ever! But we never appreciated how great it was until this year when they began to have friends from kindergarten over to the house. Our kid's imaginations are leaps and bounds over the other children. I know exactly how this is reading and I dont' mean for it to sound so proudful. My point is that we don't purchase cable or satellite. We really are those parents whose children only watch PBS "IF" they watch anything. And I give a lot of credit for our children's imaginations to that - no tv. My husband and I were often impressed by our twins imaginative play… you know the kind of happy times on the patio as we watched them pretend elaborate scenarios of pirates and maidens and sea dragons. For us, the best times ever! But we never appreciated how great it was until this year when they began to have friends from kindergarten over to the house. Our kid’s imaginations are leaps and bounds over the other children. I know exactly how this is reading and I dont’ mean for it to sound so proudful. My point is that we don’t purchase cable or satellite. We really are those parents whose children only watch PBS “IF” they watch anything. And I give a lot of credit for our children’s imaginations to that – no tv.

]]> By: Rachel http://naturemoms.com/blog/2008/11/18/how-to-be-a-playful-parent/#comment-8815 Rachel Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:19:44 +0000 http://www.naturemoms.com/blog/?p=1596#comment-8815 GREAT article; I was a teacher for several years and it's unbelievable how many kids can't think for themselves, play by themselves, or creatively problem solve. I think it's because, in my school district, parents didn't take an active roll in helping their kids learn these skills AND the TV/video games were the babysitters of choice. :( GREAT article; I was a teacher for several years and it’s unbelievable how many kids can’t think for themselves, play by themselves, or creatively problem solve. I think it’s because, in my school district, parents didn’t take an active roll in helping their kids learn these skills AND the TV/video games were the babysitters of choice. :(

]]>