Some of my favorite moments are spent with children who are not armed with electronics. With some help from you, their world can still hold opportunities to dig in the sand or pretend to be a superhero or play with each other solely for the purpose of imagining and pretending and being creative. Let’s talk about imaginative play for toddlers.
These days we surround ourselves and our families with costly gizmos and electronics to keep us busy, keep us current, and keep our children focused elsewhere so we have time for ourselves. This all feeds the habit I refer to as “electronic addiction.” This electronic addiction in children is as real as it is with adults today, and in many ways carries the same risks as chemical addiction (i.e. withdrawal from relationships and preoccupation with stimulation and input that leads to isolation).
If you want to look at the world though a new lens, or actually an old lens that got lost somewhere within the availability of too many electronic devices, then turn off all of your devices and think quietly for a moment. Ponder the questions, “What should I do now? What can I do with my child that would allow us to share a moment of fun just between ourselves in which both of us participate and create and just enjoy one another?”
Here are some simple ideas for some unique playtime that both you and your child deserve to enjoy!
Idea #1: Hunt for Treasure
Put away your phone, turn off your electronics, and look around your home for an empty egg carton, muffin pan, bowl, or a little bag to collect “treasures” outside.
Go for a peaceful walk and invite your child to search for these treasures along the way. Grab a little bag to collect these interesting treasures, such as interesting pebbles or rocks, pretty leaves that have blown to the ground, acorns, pinecones… whatever else catches his eye. Share your delight with encouraging phrases like, “Look what YOU found!”
Bring all the treasures home and invite the child to sort them the way he thinks they need to be sorted. Suggest he use the egg carton to both sort and store them, using each one of the dividers in which eggs were stored to create a special place for the treasures he finds. When you get home you may suggest that he wash them first. This may open up a whole new possibility involving water play and perhaps even a bowl with soap and soapy bubbles that sits in the sink.
Celebrate as you watch your child celebrate his discoveries. Experience the fun, the creativity, and the tactile stimulation of imaginative play with water!
Idea #2: Homemade Finger Paint Recipe
Have you ever created your own “finger paints” with your child? It is actually very simple. To make this finger paint recipe, all you need is shaving cream, bowls, and food coloring. Plastic spoons for stirring and some type of paper or an empty pan on which to finger paint are optional.
Fill the bowls with generous squirts of shaving cream and put a dab of food coloring in the middle of the shaving cream. Let your child stir the food coloring into the shaving cream, and observe how his attention is focused as he creates new colors with just the tip of his finger or a spoon. He can create swirls and various other designs as he continues to stir, and you might even let him mix more than one color together to see what happens. Once he is done mixing, the child can “finger paint” a design on the bath tub wall while he takes a bath, on the kitchen counter, a piece of paper, or a paper plate. This will be easy to clean and fun for everyone.
Idea #3: Baking Cookies
Here’s one more fun idea: even if your child is too young or too impulsive to help you measure and stir ingredients for cookies, try buying pre-made cookie dough in rolls at the grocery store. Set your child up at the kitchen counter or the table and let him play with the dough by stretching it, pushing it into different shapes, or anything that he pleases. Tear it into small pieces (or let him tear it if he is able to do so) and let the child stretch it and roll it and mush it with his hands.
When he is done with each piece, place it on a greased cookie sheet and bake the creations he has made with his own hands. The beautiful thing about this activity is that there is no “right or wrong.” After they are cool, let him help you arrange them on a tray so they can be served with dinner. Proudly praise your child for the delicious cookies he made while your family enjoys a special treat.
Imaginative Play without the Electronics
Engaging your child in imaginative play is very important as it helps your child experience the world in a different manner. It fosters creativity throughout life, and helps bring wonder and amazement into a world outside of the smart phones, tablets, and televisions that so often preoccupy our time and lead to electronic addiction. Additionally, you have engaged the child one-on-one, or even in a group, and this time spent bonding and connecting on something fun and creative is invaluable to their self-esteem and their ability to grow personal relationships in daycare, school, and all aspects of life.
Human beings are meant to interact and have relationships with other human beings. We thrive on solving the challenges of defining ourselves and our own personal power and balancing this with the needs, rights, and personal power of others. Human beings are wired to be sensitive and responsive physically, emotionally, and cognitively. When the bulk of our time is spent isolated from these opportunities, it is almost as if a part of us becomes numb. It is this pattern that ultimately leads to isolation and loneliness that deprives us from developing and celebrating the challenges and joys of human relationships. The loss is immeasurable, and the ultimate risk of losing unrealized opportunities to experience a sense of “belonging,” significance, and self-worth affects our self-image, our self-esteem, and our ability to develop as compassionate and caring human beings who can share meaningful relationships.
Is electronic preoccupation worth it? Is this what you want for your child?
