PlayEducate.net - Play Ideas For Home

PLAYIDEASFOR HOME

E L I S H A W H Y L E Y

https://PlayEducate.net - Play Ideas for Home

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https://PlayEducate.net

https://playeducate.net/free-resources/for-parents/play-ideas-for-home

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About the Author

@T H E P LAYAN D E D U CAT I O N C O N S U L TAN C Y N E T W O R K

Elisha has worked in the health sectorfor 19 years, the last twelve of those inCounselling.

Elisha's education and studiescomprise of creative approaches tosupporting clients; A passion that was inspired byworking with children in Peru withlimited to no verbal or signinglanguage capacity. This was amonumental insight into the capacityto learn and communicate throughplay and art.

Through many modalities IncludingArt Therapy, Play Therapy, Lego Based Therapy, Lego Serious Play,Animal Assisted Therapy, Counsellingand Sandtray, Elisha offers clients acreative way to build skills andproblem solve. These creativeapproaches also assist in developingand mastering social and emotionalwellbeing tools in the process.

Elisha is also a Clinical Supervisorunder ACA.

Having a great understanding in howart, play and animals can help regulateour nervous system Elisha promotesplay in every day life.

She is grateful to be a Board memberof Court Dogs Victoria, a charityworking towards Facility Dogs beingused to support victims of crime andJudicial staff.

Neurodiversity and adapted learningprocesses are another keen area ofinterest to Elisha.This interest has lead her to furtherstudies in education and giftedness,and is a supporter of the non for profitservice 'Gifted 2e Support Australia',supporting children withasynchronous development.

Driven by the knowledge thatcommunity and creativity are essentialfor our wellbeing, Elisha hasdeveloped this free resource to assistfamilies during the current COVID 19restrictions.

P L A Y E D U C A T E . N E T


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"I'm Bored!"H O M E E N G A G E M E N T A N D B O R E D O M

s a parent this common childhood catchphrase can be a frustrating one.

It can be difficult to resist providing endless engagement and entertainmentto avoid having a child who chants they are bored.

For parents the moments in which their children show they are masteringskills in being self reliant are very proud moments. In these moments andachievements we get a sneak peak into their growth and their strengths.it is the moments they have often surprised you by making their ownbreakfast, remembering to brush their teeth, making a card for an unwellfriend without prompting.

A child's ability to connect to themselves, to explore who they are, partlycome from moments of boredom when they need to take initiative and thinkfor themselves. For children this process develops and is achieved throughplay.

Providing a secure base and trusting your children’s natural inclination to explore and create, without too many boundaries ora specific end result will engage their minds. It will allow creativity and great problem solving skills and is far more likely to encourage the development of independence, confidence and resilient children.

When you hear "I'm bored!" and the frustration or the guilt sets in that you are 'not doing enough', remind yourself it is an opportunity for growth and learning.

This booklet will assist inspire play, it is by no means a "to do list" for parents or children.

Play is a range of intrinsically motivated activities for recreational pleasureand enjoyment. For ALL ages.

A



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https://playeducate.net/free-resources/for-parents/home-engagement-boredom

ecently there have been manydisruptions and uncertainties to 'normal'day to day living. Covid 19 has broughtwith it many unexpected changes to allhomes in Australia and around theworld. For parents the stress levels haveunderstandably risen at some point withall of these changes. It is hard to balance many of thechallenges that have arisen andmaintain many of the sameresponsibilities all at the same time. It is completely understandable andexpected to feel that balancingeverything is a difficult and thateverything feels too much to hold.

For children, they can be aware of thestress levels changing for parents withno or very little understanding why. When things are unknown to childrenthey seek out their 'safety'. As a parent,you are the 'safety' they seek.

Children aware of the changes in parentstress levels will often display 'clingy'behaviour, regression in self reliantbehaviours- such as toileting, gettingdressed, you may notice resilience andemotional regulation has also regressed. This is all 'normal' to a point.

Some of the activities here can helpregulate your child's nervous system andstates of dysregulation they experience,and your own too.

Your child learns from you, if you canmodel some of these activities or beginthem sometimes, they are likely toengage more fully.

"WE DON'TSTOP PLAYINGBECAUSE WEGROW OLD;

WE GROW OLDBECAUSE WE

STOPPLAYING."

“BIRDS FLY, FISH SWIM,

ANDCHILDREN

PLAY.”

R "I feel out of my depth, I can't engage my child ALL of the time,then we both end up angry or

upset. How am I going to surviveanother term of remote learningAND manage any work myself ?"

Garry L . Landreth

George Bernard Shaw



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https://playeducate.net/free-resources/for-parents/home-engagement-boredom

You and your child can practice yourdeep breathing through play usingbasic home supplies.

Both of these activities you candiscuss how our breathing makesour bodies feel. "If we do really quick, little breaths,

how does it make yourbellies/shoulders/chest feel?"

"What about if we did long slowbreaths, does yourbelly/shoulder/chest feel the same?"

"I noticed the long, big breaths mademy body feel calmer..."Reflecting your experiences helpschildren to learn.

This short video is for creating theracing caterpillars breathing activity

You will need :

-thick paper/colour card-a straw-pencils or markers to decorate.

https://youtu.be/uuCEnYrZtR8

Breathing Purposefully and

Regulation for children Breathing is understood and easier tofocus on for children when they can"see" it through objects moving.

Another breathing activity is 'DrivingPom Poms'. You will need :-pom poms, can be made from wool, orthe craft ones pictured below.-a straw-paper and pencils/markers to draw astart line, finish line, maze or a racetrack. or low tact tape to put on thefloor.

Using the straw they can "drive" thepom pom through the track or aroundobstacles. Your children may choose to addblocks, lego or duplo buildings to createbridges, tunnels or mazes. this is anactivity that they can keep expandingwith their imagination.



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https://youtu.be/uuCEnYrZtR8

https://playeducate.net/free-resources/for-parents/emotional-regulation-for-children


Play tug of war. You may be able to safely

set up a single person tug of war on a tree

or outdoor play equipment at home.

Using pillows, couch cushions and a

blanket, assist your child to safely turn

them into a burger or a burrito- you can

Do a couple of hallway

Do wall pushups (isometrics), you can

trace your hands or children's hands,

decorate, cut out and stick on the walls

for a reminder and a focus point

Sit together for a hug

Wrestle - gently and safely

Use the trampoline as a place to lay. read

a book, tell stories. Your child can move

freely and bounce

Dance, sing, wiggle.

Try animal yoga, where poses imitate

animals

Play dressups, it helps move the joints

providing proprioception feedback and

encourages self care skills.

apply a little pressure, or roll them back

and forward.

laps using wheelburrow

walking

ften in seeking regulation,children rock, bounce and fidget. When our bodies becomedysregulated seeking proprioceptionfeedback is one way our brain andcentral nervous system can begin toregulate; that is feel less tense, morefocused or more relaxed.Proprioception is the sense that tellsthe body where it is in space.

O

"There is nothing to do, we are

stuck at home."

Try change your narrative:

For a child there are manymore

places they can access.

There is outdoor, indoor,

the jungle, the fire station,

all the way to the moon.....

Hug, Squish,Squeeze, Pull and

Push forRegulation

lay based activities to integrate moreways to regulate the nervous system foryou and your child are:

P



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Hands up if you're feeling concerned about yourchild's literacy skills, or maths skills? Maybe you'refeeling exhausted battling the spelling words listand it seems too much getting through two wordson the list of twenty.

Hide and seek can be a fun way to create learningopportunities too. -Cut out large cardboard letters from foodpackaging, or online shopping boxes. You could make the letters of the child's name andthey find the letters then arrange them to spell theirname. - or do this with high frequency words or spellinglist words. -hide cut out numbers or use chalk to write the numbers on things in the back yard.

Create treasure hunts-Map making-Clues to the next clue-Have a treat at the end, could include a sweet,could be a board game set up to play, or an activityof their choice. -hide messages on paper or written on rocks thatsay things you are proud of, what you love mostabout them, a moment or memory of when yousaw them exhibit kindness or be a great sibling-Use a treasure hunt as an activity for end of remotelearning sessions

Play spot the difference by moving something in aroom or the yard.

There are many adaptationsto hide and seek.

BUILD EXCITEMENTReady or Not...here I come.



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https://playeducate.net/free-resources/for-parents/build-excitement-through-play

Let them face paint your face

create a mud pie pit

make magic potion jars, adding

found objects, water, paint, oil, etc

place down large pieces of paper and

finger paint

make liquid chalk paint with food

dye, cornflour and water and paint

the back fence, or the pavers.

Trace their bodies on newspaper or

butcher paper and colour, paint or

collage them.

get a small tub of soapy water and

create a car wash for matchbox cars

paper mache a balloon

give them a mixing bowl, cornflour

and water to experiment

mix coloured water to learn colour

combinations

use sticks and yarn to make a

weaving

build a creation from recyclable

pieces - milk bottles, food packaging,

cardboard boxes.

and their own faces.

Why is this important?Free Range sensory experienceshelp children develop problem

solving skills, confidence in play andsensory awareness.

Mess making can be anxiety

provoking for some parents.

Find a term that sits

well with you,

set up a "free range" area toallow

for the mess making.

Set limits around when it can be

used and what needssupervision.

Call it

sensory exploration,

deconstructed painting,

crossing the midlinedevelopment,

memory making"Once a week only"

LET THERE BE

MESS!

Ideas



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https://playeducate.net/free-resources/for-parents/mess-making-anxiety

There are many things happening at the moment that areout of our control. Sometimes this feels hard to hold, there are likely to beseveral things you wish you could change right now. Little people feel this too.

This activity opens dialogue for the Circle of control.Whats in our control, and what is not. It gives a visual tohelp kids see "somethings happen and we can't stop orchange it."

You will need:

- a paper towel. -a water spray bottle-a couple of tubes of cheap watercolour paint. (if you don't have these things you can order online)

-a tray or baking paper under neath the paper towel to avoida big clean up job.

Place a dot of the watercolour paint on the paper towel, In another place on the paper towel place another dot ofcolour, you can use one or many colours. one dot, two ormore.

Using the spray bottle mist the water over the paper towel,discuss how the colour spreading is out of yours and theircontrol. similar to other things that may be happening rightnow, you can predict where the colour may go or see if youcan create patterns.

This can be a metaphor you can use in conversations thatcome up for your child around things you cant control.

A LESSON IN WHAT ISOUT OF OURCONTROL



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https://playeducate.net/free-resources/for-parents/a-lesson-in-what-is-out-of-our-control

Imagination can take us anywhere. While

stuck at home a cardboard box decorated as

a cruise ship, or an aeroplane may help your

children "escape" the mundane of home for

6 weeks.

- Use every day household objects to create a

picture of a playground, the beach, a nature

walk, a relatives house, friends houses, kinder

or school.

-Use LEGO to create a story about where they

would like to, or again, build the place they

wish they could visit at the moment.

-Draw pictures in sand or dirt outside, or on a

baking tray encourage them to create

pictures in flour or rice with their fingers.

-Use recyclable material to create small

towns and encourage imaginary play.


BUILD AND CREATE

THE PLACES YOU

WANT TO GO


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https://playeducate.net/free-resources/for-parents/build-create-where-you-want-to-go

-Photograph some letter boxes in your street, print

them put and have your child put them in number

order.

-place shaving cream in a ziplock back and sticky tape

it to the window to create a squishy drawing board.

-have a crazy hair day at home

-make salt dough decorations

-cook lunch together

-look at photos and tell them stories about when they

were little, or when you were little.

CREATE AN

IDEAS JAR

other ideas...



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Relatives and friends willlove receiving a hug in themail. This gives your child anactivity mastering a fewskills that they wouldotherwise be practising atpreschool, daycare, kinder orschool.

Fine motor in cutting,

colouring or painting.

Spatial awareness

community connection

community roles - using thepostal service is fun forchildren.

SEND A HUG TO THOSE

FAR AWAYor those that are close

You can also use this as anexercise to model positivebody awareness. Let thekids trace you, and makecomments how strong yourbody is, how great it wasthat they tried really hardtracing your body.

EG:

"I can see that some parts ofthat were tricky for you, Iam really proud you gavethat a go, do you want tofinish it together?"



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Our Family Support team aretrained in Tuning into Kids,

allowing parents to furtherdevelop the skills to decrease

tension and improvecommunication in the family

unit.

This is a 6-8 weekly programcomprising of 1- 1.5 hour

sessions.

It is a great chance to meetother parents, though we canfacilitate one on one programs

too.

This program has been runningunder research through

Melbourne University for over 24years and provides significant

decreases in challengingbehaviours seen in children.

TUNING INTO KIDS

“It has made me a calmer

parent and my child is calmer

and we feel closer to each

other. She is also better able

to manage her behaviour.”

“This is a great course that all

parents should do.”

“Tuning in to my Kids worked

EVERY time…honestly, every

time. Tuning in to low level

emotions stopped them

escalating, and improved

understanding and co-

operation between all of us.

It’s a great feeling .”

“It is great to connect with my

kids in a different way and

understand them more.”

Feedback from the Melb Uni and TIK research)

Thefeedback



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https://playeducate.net/services-therapies/group-sessions/parent-group-sessions-tuning-into-kids

It is ok, so completely ok, to not feel like you've got this.

This is a very new way of living, with many of the sameexpectations. It's tiring. It's unknown. If your house is anything

like mine, it's LOUD!

The last time we had school closures due to a virus was whenSwine Flu entered Victoria in 2009, though they were targetedto effected populations, not Metro wide, so this is not something

we have experience living through.

If you are having a challenging day, please ask a friend for aphone call, if you find those challenging days roll into a blur of

overwhleming stress- please call a professional.

We have

-Family Support Counsellors

-Child Counsellors

-Therapy Assistants to work

with children and challenges at home

-Online Group programs

(some individual sessions still able to be face to face)

We will be continuing to give suggestions and ideas on our

Instagram and Facebook page

discussing challenging behaviours,

mindfulness, art, craft and play ideas.

Or you may want to sign up for our

online Tuning into Kids Parenting support program.

YOU'VE GOT THIS

and when you dont, thats ok too.



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PlayEducate.net - Play Ideas For Home