Tips for Parents
- Devote equal time for play after computer time - maintain a balance between self-initiated play and more sedentary activites
- Schedule at least 30 minutes of outdoor play twice per day or more to exercise the large muscle groups
- Encourage imaginative, pretend play whether indoors or outdoors - build a fort, play house, put on a puppet show,
- Take a trip to the school playground or community park - organize the visit with another parent
- Take your family on an outdoor adventure - a hike, a trip to the zoo,
- Organize play groups with friends, neighbors, or family members - take turns supervising or supervise and visit with other parents while the children play
- Visit restaurants that have play areas - teach your child how to initiate play with other children
- Be a playful adulth with your children - be playful at work or incorporate playfulness into your chores at home. Find time to stop working and just play with your children - indoors or outdoors
Tips for Teachers
- Add physical education time to the day. Don't delay phy. ed. in the daily schedule - no later than mid-morning.
- Divide the day so that children spend one third of their day in physical activity, one third in art activities, and one third of the day in music related activity - it will improve their attitudes toward learning and test scores
- Structure in the school day the type of play that includes make believe because it will stimulate social and intellectual growth (Sara Smilansky)
- Make sure students have regularly scheduled recesses - delayed recess increases inattentiveness (Anthony Pellegrini)
- Ensure that during playtime, children engage in unstructured, independent, self-motivated, imaginative activities - this promotes their social and intellectual growth
- Assist children in making up their own games and developing their own rules
- Repetition in play is how very young children learn - they practice over and over new tasks and abilities
Add Some Play to the Day!
