I tried & I failed

really I did.. I tried every day to post & either couldn't come up w/anything exciting & worth reading to share or couldn't type fast enough for the unpredictable spurts of time I found to blog  this week.  Today I am 586 blogs behind in my reader. So spending the afternoon cruising thru them I found this post & couldn't NOT share my favorite part of it here. I firmly believe in everything posted below.

Encouraging Natural Play

* Limit or eliminate screen time: Give your children a chance to flex their own imaginative muscles. They may be bored at first. Be prepared with simple playthings and suggestions for make-believe play to inspire their inner creativity.
* Curtail time spent in adult-organized activities: Children need time for self-initiated play. Over-scheduled lives leave little time for play.
*Choose simple toys: A good toy is 10 percent toy and 90 percent child. The child’s imagination is the engine of healthy play. Simple toys and natural materials, like wood, boxes, balls, dolls, sand and clay invite children to create their own scenes – and then knock them down and start over. Avoid passive toys that require limited imagination.
*Encourage outdoor adventures: Reserve time for outdoor play where children can run, climb, find secret hiding places and dream up dramas. Natural materials – sticks, mud, water, rocks – are the raw materials of play. Playing outside helps your child sleep better at night and helps battle the obesity epidemic.
*Bring back the art of real work: Believe it or not, adult activity – cooking, raking, cleaning, washing the car – actually inspires children to play. Children like to help for short periods and then engage in their own play.
*Spend time watching your child play: This can show children that adults value their play. Fight the urge to control; allow your child to make the decisions, control the flow of the play and assign the roles. Only participate if invited.

Thanks for reading & have a great weekend!!!