Category: All about Playtime!

Discussions on why and how playtime is important.

Independent Play: Allowing Children to do their Work

Posted on by Nandhini Chandrasekaran
independent play

Independent play is a child’s ability to initiate and play for a considerable time without depending upon another child or adult to accompany them. Though some children find it difficult to sustain their focus on one play for a few minutes at a stretch, independent play is quite a natural thing for a child.All it needs from our part as parents is to closely follow our children’s playtime, allow them to play with no or minimal interference, get them things that they need for their play, and most importantly, stay away from playing for them.

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Kinetic Sand – Indoor Play Sand for Kids

Posted on by Nandhini Chandrasekaran
kinetic sand for kids

Do your kids love playing in sand? Are they fond of building sand castles?  Are they obsessed with beach play?  If you answered yes to even one, your next item to your shopping cart is definitely this one – Kinetic sand!  Imagine sand in the form of a slime which can run smoothly down your…

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Identify your Child’s Types of Play

Posted on by Nandhini Chandrasekaran
Types of play

All that we see as our children’s random acts of childishness can be characterized into different types of play. When you identify their play types, you get a fair idea of whether their activities cover all types of play. If not, you can sense what kind of play they are missing as a child and if it has an impact in their development.

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The Power of Play – Play is more than ‘Just Fun’

Posted on by Nandhini Chandrasekaran
montessori quotes

We hear parents feel happy and proud when their two-year olds recognize alphabets, when their three-year olds write alphabets and when their four-year olds read sentences. How often, but, do we hear parents describe how amazing they feel to observe their children play?! More often than not, parents and elders look at play as a…

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How ‘Play-nourished’ or ‘Play-deprived’ was your Childhood?

Posted on by Nandhini Chandrasekaran
importance of play in early childhood

What emotion does the title of this post bring in you? What is the first image/scene/incident/memory that comes to your mind when you think about ‘play’ in your childhood? What/who did you often pretend as, in your childhood? With this post, I am kick starting the new series, All about Playtime, on my blog. For…

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All about Playtime – A New Series on the Blog

Posted on by Nandhini Chandrasekaran
Header image

All about Playtime is a new series on the blog on kids’ playtime. Please join me in. Let’s understand the power of play; facilitate our children’s playtime and allow them to savor what their childhood deserves.

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Pretend Play Courier Service – Indoor Play Ideas for Summer

Posted on by Nandhini Chandrasekaran
Courier pretend play

If you think the pretend play courier game can be fun for your little ones, get to the floor with them, build it all and pretend. That’s the best we can give them now – our time!

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My Little Architect

Posted on by Nandhini Chandrasekaran
building blocks toy sets

Children are amazing! So are their little brains. There’s nothing to limit their creativity – a camera can become a building, a Spiderman web can become a staircase and organisms can change their species. As parents, it isn’t enough to smile at their creations and say ‘Good job’. We need to get into their world; ask and explore the stories behind their creations – to make ourselves believe in the possibilities of the illogical, out-of-rules and beyond-human-thinking existences.

That’s what My Little Architect teaches me day after day!

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DIY Play Parking Lot for Kids

Posted on by Nandhini Chandrasekaran
Toy parking lot

My three-year old son finds the basement parking lots in the malls interesting to watch. He can find huge number of real cars of different models and colours, all parked at one place; lined-up cars, winding roads and neatly drawn parking lines and indications. It is indeed an amusing sight for kids who play with toy cars.

We tried to make a cardboard parking lot to include in his play road mat. It is, perhaps, the most simple-to-make DIY toys I’ve ever done for him. In the pictures below, I’ve detailed easy steps to make a toy parking lot using cardboard and a few add-on road signs. If you are planning to make one for your toddler, this might be of some help.

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Toy Dump Truck: Learn & Play Ideas

Posted on by Nandhini Chandrasekaran
Dump truck

If you have a toy dump truck or planning to buy one, here is some helpful information to teach and guide your kids to play. I mostly see children play with these kind of vehicles inside their homes in the same way they would play with any other car and bike toys. This is a reminder post to parents about the sensory stimulation, learning and fun they can bring in their children’s’ playtime using construction vehicle toys.

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