"Play is often talked about as if it is a relief from serious learning.  But for children, play is serious learning.  Play is really the work of childhood."  ~Fred Rogers 





I have a background in early childhood education and have had quotes like the one above drilled into my head.  The evidence regarding the importance of play to a child's brain development is overwhelming and I have seen from personal experience how quickly kids pick up what you are trying to teach them if they are having fun! 





I know all this but....it can be really difficult to just sit and play.  Repetition may be the key to a toddler's learning but let's face it...I'm not a toddler.  I don't want to act out the same picnic 5 times in a row, or make a baby doll sing "twinkle-twinkle little star" 10 times in a row and I deffinitely do not want to read the same children's book 20 times in a row.  Having your daughter pretend she is a kitty name Pierre is really cute...for the first three days.  After that you are pretty ready for her to respond to her actual name, stop licking you and walk on her own two feet rather than crawling or demanding that you "carry your kitty that you found because you love her so much!". 


Having said all that, I am slowly discovering that sitting and playing with my daughter is magic.

Something amazing happens when I let myself forget about everything else I could be doing with that time.  If I let everything else fade and just watch her explore, imagine, discover and create I become completely captivated by her.  The way her little brain works is fascinating.  When I stop and really listen to the conversations she is acting out between two teddy bears I am able to catch glimpses of the way she is processing the the world around her.  I have a front row seat to the way her heart and mind are growing.  Why am I so quick to trade this precious time for a few more minutes in front of a sink full of dishes?

 


Let the laundry and dishes pile up....this weekend, I am focusing on playing with my peanut!