Better Late Than Never - Right?

I intended to post more on play on the day following my previous post but things don't always go as planned. I have had two deaths in my family in the span of two weeks and, as I am sure you can all imagine, my focus shifted a bit. I was only able to get done what absolutely had to be done and unfortunately updating my blog did not make the cut. I am, however, slowly getting out of the fog I have been in and back to work. I will have the play post up by this afternoon.

Play Is Work

For children, playing is more than just play - it is work. They are working to learn about themselves and the world around them. They are working to learn how to interact using words, what words mean, and how to put words together to express thoughts and ideas. They are working to learn how to solve problems, store memories, and to remember new information. They are working to learn how to grasp, to carry things, run, to climb and to balance. They are also working to learn how to negotiate, to cooperate, and how to play by the rules.

Theodore Roosevelt once said "Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing" - so remember to always work hard to play with your children to give you both a chance at one of life's best prizes - work worth doing!

Working hard as an adult to play seems silly to you I am sure - I mean how hard can it be? - it's only playing. The surprising answer is that it is much harder than you would think and many grown-ups, it turns out, are not such naturals at great playing after all so check back tomorrow for some tips on how to be a better playmate to your child.