All play is developmental play

First, it’s important to relax and remember that whenever your child is playing, they are learning.

Early Years Child Development Specialist Sophie Pickles says:

"All play is developmental play; there’s not a type of play that isn’t developmental. And, so, all play is good play."

Don’t feel under pressure from social media

We’ve all seen the extravagant set-ups on social media that make us feel guilty for having not spent hours constructing activities to nurture our little one’s creativity and development. Or maybe we have spent the time, only for our child to engage with it for five minutes before getting bored.

Early Years Child Development Specialist Sophie Pickles says:

"It’s important, and reassuring, for parents to remember that you don’t have to be doing workbooks or Instagram activities with your little ones. The activities you see on social media probably haven’t been played with and the children are probably not that interested in them. The type of play that works well is child-led. So, whatever your children are interested in, start there, and it will all help develop different areas of learning."
As an example: Sophie’s son developed a habit of picking flower heads off plants in their garden. Rather than throw them in the bin, Sophie talked to him about which flowers were okay to pick. Then they made potions together with the flower heads.

Early Years Child Development Specialist Sophie Pickles says:

"It was about seizing the opportunity with something he was interested in. If I’d have set up potion making that morning, he might have come to it and spent two minutes playing and then gone off, or he might not have been interested at all."
 

How to get started

How else can we build developmental play around what our children are interested in, and make it work for our everyday life? Below are some fun examples. If you try any of them at home with success, then please do send in some photos to customercare@kiddylicious.com as we love seeing your little ones benefitting from our tips!
 

1. If your child enjoys playing hide and seek:
   It’s fun to play with them, but if you need a break then take a set of their toys (for example five dinosaurs or five farm animals) and hide them around the room. Help your little one count to ten and then encourage them to find all the hidden toys.
2. If your little one enjoys making mess:
   Invest in a messy mat or outside, put your little one in an apron and some clothes you don’t mind getting dirty, and let them loose with paint. Let them get stuck in with their fingers and hands instead of restricting them to paintbrushes. Why not grab some items from the recycling bin and let them paint them? Head to the garden in old clothes, armed with some old containers and kitchen utensils, and help your little one make a mud kitchen. Throw in some leaves and sticks, and sit back while they enjoy inventing mud stews and soups.
3. If your little one won’t let you get on with cleaning the house:
   Pass them a dustpan and brush and ask them to help! Children love copying mummy and daddy. Obviously, they shouldn’t be allowed near any of the cleaning products. But if they like to throw their food around at dinnertime and there are remnants stuck to the wall, you could pass them a baby wipe and ask them to clean it up. You’ll be amazed at how seriously they will take this very grown-up task, and how pleased they’ll be with themselves for helping. Fill up a storage container with water and washing up liquid and task them with cleaning their plastic toys while you clean the house. It’s a win-win!
4. If your little one enjoys knocking things down:
   It’s worth investing in some stacking blocks for them to hone their fine motor skills. They might also enjoy sorting shapes at this stage and both activities will keep them well entertained. Help them by joining in and take turns to stack the blocks before they have the satisfaction of knocking the tower over.
5. If your little one is an explorer:
   Get them out into the woods and go on an adventure! Read a book like We’re Going on a Bear Hunt with them first, and then head out on your own ‘bear hunt’ singing the song as you make your way through grass, mud and puddles. Or let them come up with their own quest to hunt down their favourite animal or character. You could search for pinecones, too, and take them home to paint later.
6. If you’ve had a big item delivered recently:
   We all know children love to play with cardboard boxes! Once your little one has explored the box, flatten it out, grab a pen, and then draw some roads over the cardboard. Place some blocks and toy cars next to it and watch your little one enjoy their new box road. Another fun and easy way to make use of an old box is to create a drop box out of it. Just cut some slots in the top of the box and colour a border around each slit. Make sure you have pieces of card or crayons that correspond to the colours of the borders, and then task your little one with ‘posting’ items through the correct colour slot."