Playing with Your Child: A Creative Path to Development and Family Bonding

As parents, you are your child’s first playmate, or you could even say their very first toy. At PlanToys, we believe that children learn best through play, as it’s the most natural and age-appropriate form of learning. All it takes is your time and attention to foster healthy development. Today, we’d like to share the benefits of playing with your child, potential pitfalls to avoid, and some fun activity ideas to get you started.

To help guide families, the Department of Health, in collaboration with the Department of Local Administration, Thai Health Promotion Foundation, and UNICEF Thailand, has introduced the 3F framework: Family-Free-Fun. Here’s what it means:

• Family: Engage in play together as a family—parents, caregivers, and friends. This shared time encourages children to participate and feel motivated to explore through play.
  
• Free: Allow your child to play freely, following their own interests. Just ensure their safety while providing spaces for play, whether at home, in the backyard, at school, or in the community.
  
• Fun: Ensure that playtime is fun and diverse, with age-appropriate activities that connect them with nature and stimulate their imagination.

The Benefits of Playing with Your Child

• We’re Closer Than Ever: Spending time together fosters closeness and helps create shared memories. As a parent, you can be a positive role model, as children naturally mimic the behavior they see.
  
• Look, Mom, I Can Do It! : Use playtime to instill valuable life skills in your child. Simple activities like tidying up after play, helping with meal prep, or dressing themselves can make learning fun and build responsibility in daily routines.
  
• Little Words, Big Impact: Through play, children learn new words, sentences, and ways to express their emotions and needs. They also learn to listen, follow instructions, and understand the importance of saying “sorry” when necessary. As a result, it's essential to be mindful of your own behavior, as children learn from you.
  
• Growing Strong, Inside and Out: Play stimulates the brain, encouraging cognitive and emotional growth. It also helps develop physical strength and coordination as children use their muscles and senses in various activities.
  
• Screen, You Can Wait: Using screens at an inappropriate stage can slow some aspects of a child's development. The World Health Organization (WHO) provides the following guidelines:
  • Under 1 year old: Avoid screens altogether. Encourage physical activity throughout the day, especially tummy time for at least 30 minutes. Limit prolonged stillness in strollers or high chairs to no more than one hour at a time. Engage in reading or storytelling instead.
    
  • 1-2 years old: For 1-year-olds, avoid screens entirely. For 2-year-olds, limit screen time to no more than one hour per day, with a focus on interactive activities like reading. Ensure at least 180 minutes of varied physical activity daily, including moderate to vigorous intensity. The more movement, the better.
    
  • 3-4 years old: Minimize prolonged stillness and limit screen time to no more than one hour per day. Aim for at least 180 minutes of physical activity each day, with 60 minutes at moderate to vigorous intensity. Encourage participation in reading and other interactive activities.

Fun Activity Ideas for Playing with Your Child

• Role Play: Switch roles with your child—be the doctor, patient, chef, or customer. This type of play fosters creativity, confidence, and problem-solving skills.
  • Recommended Toys: Doctor Set, Makeup Set, Fire Fighter Play Set
    
    
• Storytelling with Puppets or Figures: Even if your child can’t read yet, they can still enjoy listening to stories. Use puppets or figures to bring the story to life, and let your child act out parts as you read.
  • Recommended Toys: Farm Animals Set, Country Blocks
    
    
• Bath Time Fun: Turn bath time into a playful learning experience. Teach your child basic science concepts like floating and sinking by using bath toys.
  • Recommended Toys: Sea Life Bath Set, Sailing Boat
    
    
• Play with Babies: Infants need lots of attention from parents. Engage in tummy time together, play gentle tickling games, or use rattles to capture their interest and stimulate emotional development.
  • Recommended Toys: Baby Key Rattle, Beads Rattle
    
    
• Playing Alone is Fun, but Playing Together is Better: While your child can enjoy some games alone, involving parents can make the experience richer. It teaches valuable lessons like winning and losing gracefully, waiting for their turn, and sharing.
  • Recommended Toys: Meadow Ring Toss, Bowling Set
    
    
• Learning Through Play: Encourage language development by teaching your child new words related to fruits, animals, or colors. Sorting and grouping games are also great for building cognitive skills.
  • Recommended Toys: Sort & Count Cups, Animals Memory Game

Playing with your child is more than just fun—it’s a crucial foundation for their physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development. It also helps strengthen the bonds within your family. If you’re looking for toys to make playtime even more engaging, explore our collection here  https://th.plantoys.com/collections/all

References:

https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/24-04-2019-to-grow-up-healthy-children-need-to-sit-less-and-play-more