The Importance of Playing with Your Children

Last week, we got a little snow. Just a few inches that stayed around for 2 or 3 days. My husband took my youngest daughter out to the deck to inaugurate the season with the first snowman.

I totally admit it, when it comes to playing with my children, I am not a very good mother. I find it difficult to sit down and play Barbies or a board game with them. I have always made myself feel better about this little shortcoming by remembering how I am good at reading to them, helping them with homework and practicing, doing art projects with them—but yeah, there’s always a little niggling guilt at the back of my mind because I am not the kind of mom who goes outside and really plays with them.

Another way I have justified this is that my husband is that kind of parent. He definitely wins the prize for “fun parent” in our household (see above snowman)!

So, this week’s (maybe I should say this month’s, as I haven’t been keeping up on these as well as I would like) Project Walking Into a Hug goal is Play Every Day.

Our time is important to our children—more important than anything else. And while I do give them of my time by reading or helping or creating projects with them, it’s also important to have more play time with them (or any at all, as the case may be). They always love it when I do, and it’s usually relatively painless for me, even though at the beginning I always do it begrudgingly.

According to the weatherman, we’ve got quite the storm blowing in tomorrow. It will nearly kill me (because I do not like playing in the snow one bit), but I am going to go out and play in the snow with my girls. But after we’re finished with that, we’ll do what I’m best at and cuddle up together with a book and maybe even some hot chocolate.

How do you play with your children?