simple attached family play — Happy Green Babies

Attachment parenting month this year focuses on “Families at Play”. As part of week 2 in our Green Moms Weekly blog carnival we are answering the question about attached family play: “What are some fun, simple and interactive activities that you engage your children with?”

Getting outside to enjoy nature on a regular basis is a great way for not only myself and my husband to unwind, but also for our boys to have some fun! We try to make an effort to go out on family walks. October is one of the best times of the year to get out and walk. The leaves are changing, the air is crisp and there are always many other children out enjoying the weather.

One of my 2.5 year old’s favorite activities to do outside on our walks is to play “red light green light.” It’s his game, in other words he calls the color of the light. He gets such a kick out of this simple game and of course seeing mommy and daddy running and “stopping” all over the neighborhood. We all laugh and truly enjoy spending this time together as a family. Of course this game gets played indoors as well, but is not nearly as effective without lots of space to run.

On other days when we are not full of energy to be running around the neighborhood, or if the weather is keeping us stuck indoors, I love to engage my 2.5 year old into participating in making his little 7 month old brother laugh. My 7 month old is an easy audience, especially when it comes to his big brother. We play simple games such as “patty cake” or “miss mary mack”, something that can be interactive with our hands and lets us sing and the baby giggle away watching us be silly.

Another fun, indoor activity that my older son loves is cooking. I picky easy things that he can help me with. For example, just the other night I was rolling out the dough for a yummy pizza and I gave him the brush to paint the olive oil on and handed him the toppings to sprinkle and spread around for me. I find that if I engage him in cooking, not only does he love to help, but he’s also more likely to eat what we make together.

What I have found, when it comes to play, is that playful parenting goes a long way. I feel as if my older son has gained a sense of confidence in himself and at times enjoys his own imaginary play alone as much as he enjoys playing with us as a family. He finds an object and it becomes almost anything that he can imagine. We aren’t big on toys in our house and when he wants something to play with it is often a toilet paper roll or a wooden spoon and colander from the kitchen.

Overall, attached family play makes learning a fun activity and makes a happier and healthier home for us all to be a part of. What fun activities do you take part in as a family?