Carnival of Play!

Play... it's what children do best, right? I'm writing this post as part of the PhD in Parenting Carnival of Play.

My children are 3 and a half years old and 1 years old. And my gosh, do they ever love to play! I am a very hands on mom; I love to interact with my children, and get down and dirty with them. I love to teach them new things, read to them, make things out of play-doh, colour with them, run with them, laugh with them. I have vivid memories of my parents playing with me, reading to me, encouraging me when I played soccer and coming to all my dance recitals. A parent should be active in play with their child; at the same time, they should allow their child time to play alone to help foster their independence.

I decided to show you all the different ways a child has fun in 'play' through pictures.

Enjoy!

Picking strawberries...



Playing with puzzles...




Creating with play-doh...




Reading with a friend...




Museum play...



Train play...




Running through the sand...




Making sundaes...




Truck play...




Swing play...




Beach play...




Snow play...




Sand play...



Park play...




And of course, after all that playing... it is very important to take a nap!