Children love role play – but using role play with your kids can work to your advantage - with a little strategy and planning…
We all know that some days of parenthood are more difficult than others (slight understatement there!) It can be hard to stop and take a breath, but by stepping back for a moment and trying to consciously turn a stressful situation into a fun one, it can really help everyone involved! And – (the most important bit) it will get what you’re aiming to do done - quicker! Here’s a few examples of a parenting hack we’ve found to be really useful over the years…
Struggling to get out the house? Play “Taxi driver”...
Rushing to try to get out the house is a given with young kids, so role play can be a great help here. This one works well for us in the morning, getting out for the school run. You pretend to be a taxi driver – they are the customer. They can be going wherever they want (our youngest likes to be taken to ‘High School’ – YouTube Kids influence there!) Tell them they need to get their shoes & coats on, bags ready as the taxi will be here in a minute! Go out the front door – pretend close it, give it a minute, then knock in taxi driver mode. You then role play the driver – asking them where they want to go, etc. They get to be whoever they want, going wherever they want. Give them some pretend (or old) keys to ‘lock their house’ for added authenticity!
Struggling to get into the bed-time routine? Play “Spa”
Although you may at first think this one is more for girls, boys love it just as much! Accessories that help – candles, ‘face masks’ (-we made one from an old flannel, cutting out eye, nose and mouth holes), relaxing music, towel, dressing gowns and cucumber. When it’s time to start the routine – put the music on, dim the lights and create your spa atmosphere! Talk to them in a soft voice to match the setting and guide them through the bath and getting into PJ’s & dressing gown. Once they’re ready and into bed, our little one loves a ‘face mask’ – the cut out flannel in warm water with a cucumber over each eye (-option to eat them afterwards!). Lying with the warm ‘face mask’ on and the cucumber (ensuring they rest their eyes), listening to the relaxing music really helps them wind down – ours have often fallen asleep at this point!
Struggling at mealtimes? Play ‘Restaurants”
As a parent you feel like you work in a restaurant most of the time anyway right? (-let’s not discuss the attitude of the customers) so let’s role play it! Dimming the lights – or even using candle lights can really help them relax and enjoy the experience. Set the table with their cutlery and a “grown up” napkin for their laps. Show them to their table (a card with a table number on is fun to help with their order). Talk to them as if they are the customer – ask them how their day is, if they are ready for their food (as opposed to asking what they’d like which can create another set of issues to deal with!) then give them a selection of drinks to choose from. When they finish you can bring them the bill which they can ‘pay’ with a card or money (-bit of Maths in there) then thank them for coming.
We all know how important play is for children, so bringing more into everyday life is always a good thing. We hope we’ve given you some inspiration – let us know which role play scene you’re your little ones enjoy! Bonus tip - dressing up is optional, but lots of fun for everyone!
