Have fun.

We all tell our children to have fun, whether that’s school, preschool or daycare. When we pick them up, we ask our children, their teachers or educators if they’ve had fun that day. Rarely do new seem to talk of our own, our work, what your doing whilst your child is at school or kindy. It’s equally uncommon that children, get to play with their parents at the centre, unless the centre is hosting parents often rush their child home.

Half of having a child is spending quality time with them. And whilst there is a few options as to how to do that, one way you can increase time with your child is though their routines. As educators we are trained to not have children waiting in a space for routines allowing children to play as much as possible. You take one child at a time to do their nappy allowing all other children to play around them, your always sining for playing with children whilst transiting them between actives and routines so that their not waiting in the bathroom to wash their hands. You can do the same at home by actively engaging with your child even whilst your doing something else. Remember your baby isn’t going to need your physical care for long.

The other half of having a child is caring for them, providing food, bathing and putting them to sleep. It’s always easier to make a ‘must do’ fun and enjoyable then it is to force an issue and whilst bribery may help, I recommend not relying on that. You need something that’s repeatable, free and not transactional like a prize box or a sticker can be, I use the simple hi-five and try to make a game out of getting a ‘good one’ quantified by whenever they get sick of the game. They need stability and interactions with adults, not tokens of transactional caregiving that get discarded in the same amount of time.

You can have them ‘help’ cook food too, they can tip the ingredients in and give the ingredients a mix. There are knifes that are made to cut food not fingers, again with out the rush. Or they can help turn the tap on when you run their bath and put the soap in. Show them how to make a bubble bath and have a laugh along the way, sing some songs be a bit silly, suggest things that is defiantly wrong. Most children tend to be more agreeable when there having genuine fun, agreeable children equals easy children. Must dos are must dos for a reason, you need to take care of their physical needs. Can dos are choices, you can do this thing or that, you get a choice. Adults have the ability to recognise that they must complete the must dos to survive, young children don’t.

Make your day fun, give your child an understanding of what you're doing too. You can tell them a funny story about what you did that day. Make it look like your having fun too become relatable because sometimes having a chat about your job will make your must dos seem fun. Get them to ask all the same questions that we ask them and allow time for that discussion within your daily routines. Remember, most children will be more agreeable when there must dos are fun. Your task as a parent is to make the must dos fun.

Activity of the week

Textures are a huge deal in early childhood. It helps build on there sense of touch, and this one might smell good too.

Cloud dough

You will need

Corn flour (corn starch)

Conditioner

Mix equal parts cornflour and conditioner together to form a workable dough. You may need more corn flour or conditioner dependent on the consistency. As your child plays you may need to add more conditioner to the mix to soften the dough. Insure that your child doesn’t eat the mixture.