My Problem with the “Play With Your Kid” Mentality

Have you ever heard the sayings:

“Kids spell love T-I-M-E.”

“Kids don’t say, "‘I’m having a hard time.’ They say, ‘Will you play with me?’”

“The most important thing you can do is play with your kids.”

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with playing with your kids and play can be so powerful. But to me, this messaging is often play more, do more, teach more, say more, etc.

Here’s a problem I see. So often when adults play with kids, it’s really hard for them not to take over the play and to truly follow the kid’s lead.

Play is the magic sauce of development…but not when it’s adult led.

Play with kids can be great for connection time, but they also need space and time to just play in our presence. I remind myself of this when I feel the need to step in when my daughter is engrossed in play and challenge myself to just observe and watch all the little things she is learning with me reminding her that there are “1-2-3 grapes on the red plate” she is holding.