A Natural Solution for Healthy, Happy Kids: Play
Written By Savvy Auntie Staff Writers
By Jaime Herndon
Wanting the children in your life to be happy and healthy is natural. Nancy O’Conner, a family therapist and the director of the Kansas State University Family Center, has a simple solution for how to help make that happen: play.
Uninterrupted free-play can help develop children from the youngest age, on. O’Conner says: "Learning the ABCs is important and children need the opportunity for free play. That's where parent [and aunt] and child interact, make noises, play dress up, chase each other in games of tag, get down on the floor together and play.”
According to O’Conner, play encourages the four C’s: courage, capable, connect, and count. And aunts are in a great position to help kids in this way. Spending “QualAuntie Time” with nieces and nephews – the term Melanie Notkin coined for the uninterrupted play time an aunt reserves for her time with the children she loves – helps children develop cognitive, social, and emotional skills. Overwhelmed parents don’t always have time for uninterrupted playtime, so when Auntie visits, it’s the perfect time for play
O’Conner shares three suggestions on ScienceDaily.com to help maximize free play:
• Focus attention on the child. Turn off the electronics. Ignore the dirty dishes or briefcase full of work. "It doesn't matter how busy you are, don't sacrifice playtime with your child," she advised. "When a child gets full, undivided attention, he learns he is valued and he will grow up valuing others."
• Enjoy each other. Create traditions for yourself and your child that are specially yours. "Playtime should be joyful," she said. "Play is a time when a child doesn't have to perform so use other time to learn colors."
• Use the child's language. For example, a baby's language is sounds, gestures and expressions. "Pay attention to what the baby is telling you by crying, or smiling, or turning away," she said. Learn to understand that language and meet the baby's needs. When a parent reacts to a baby's language, the baby feels safe and loved.
For more information on the how QualAuntie Time helps develop the children we love through play, pick up Melanie Notkin’s Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and All Women Who Love Kids.
Published: April 22, 2015
Photo: SerrNovik