It’s Time for Play! Games
[Music]
Children: It's time for play!
Sarah Lytle: Hi, my name is Sarah, and today we're going to talk about games.
William Scott: Hi, my name is William Scott, and my family is here to demonstrate some of these games. The children are three and one. Let's see how this goes.
Man: Have you found sriracha?
Sarah: Games are such an important part of play because they're so versatile. You can play them inside or outside, by yourself, or with a group, and you can find or create a game for almost any occasion. Now, oftentimes, when we think about games, we're thinking about board games. Think about planning a family game night. You can rotate who gets to choose the game. You can bring snacks. I know popcorn is a favorite example in my family. And you can even think about making family game night a technology-free zone. So, everybody disconnects from their technology. It allows you to be fully present and build those relationships while you play the game. Now, we know from research that children build a number of skills while they're playing games, especially board games. And think about what kinds of things you do when you play a game. Well, first of all, you have to remember the rules. That works on working memory. Oftentimes, when you play games, you also have to wait your turn, and that can be really hard for little kids, but it's an important way to focus on impulse control. Now, of course, not all games have boards and pieces. A lot of children's games, classic children's games, use very little equipment or just things you have around the house. Particularly for little children, I love playing peekaboo. Take a blanket, take a scarf, cover your face, and all of a sudden, peekaboo. As they get used to it over time, you'll see kids putting blankets and scarves in front of their faces and then waiting for the big reveal and waiting for you to say, "There you are" or "I see you." As kids get older, this transitions, oftentimes, to hide-and-seek, another great game that you can play inside or outside. I love playing "I Spy" with kids too, particularly if you're trying to video chat with friends and relatives that aren't in the same location as you. "I Spy" is a good game that crosses that video chat boundary. Ask your relatives to find something in your child's environment, maybe something that looks white, like the door, and see if your child can find it.
Woman: I spy something with green tires. Boy: I got two reds.
Woman: You do have to reds, but we're going to pick another one now.
Sarah: You can also think about playing charades. Make some animal noises, and have your child guess what animal you’re pretending to be. Or ask your child to make some animal noises, and you can guess what animal they're trying to be. Now, I also love playing the hot and cold game. You can find a common household object, maybe this tennis ball, hide it somewhere in your house, and then give your child clues as they're going to look for it. Say, "You're getting warmer" or "You're getting colder." And see if your clues can help them discover that hidden object.
Woman: All right.
Man: All right, you're getting a little bit warmer. Oh, you're getting hot! Oh, you're getting hot! You're hot, hot, hot, hot.
Woman: Oh, I see where it is. Man: OK.
Woman: OK, so that means you're really close to sriracha. Look somewhere around you. Where could she be hiding? Sriracha, where are you?
Sarah: Now, of course, you could also think about all of the many ways to create your own games with children. So, for example, I love being outside at this time of year, and we can create a sidewalk chalk obstacle course. So, you might take some sidewalk chalk, and our little sidewalk over here. Create a starting line, and children are going to have to sprint to this point in the sidewalk. And then maybe after they've sprinted, they have to hop five times. And then after they're done hopping, maybe they're going to do four spins to get back to that starting point. And all of a sudden, you have a really nice sidewalk chalk obstacle course. Now, the other way you can think about creating games for your kids is to think about the kind of chores that you're going to have to do anyway that you can game-ify for them. I know sorting socks is never top on my list, but maybe if I have a pile of socks and you have a pile of socks, we can race each other and see who can do our sock sorting faster than the other person. Whoever wins might get a sticker. I don't know. You can also play restaurant dinnertime if you want. Think about what you're going to have for dinner, and have your child create a menu. They can use written words. They can draw pictures – whatever makes sense. They can even take your orders as you sit down at the table. But again, a way to think about making any kind of everyday interaction or task or tour into a game. Now, remember that games are not just for children, and in fact, adults can benefit from games too. [Both cheering] Give yourself permission to join your children in a game or decide to take some game time for yourself. Games like solitaire or memory are really good breaks and mental breaks for adults. We know that when you go back to work and go back to your "to do" list after you've taken a game break, you're likely going to be much more productive because you've just taken that time to really think about relaxation and taking that time for yourself. So, I hope that you, too, will be able to enjoy games as you make time for play.
Children learn through play every single day. In this video, Dr. Sarah Lytle shares three different games and lists the skills children learn when playing them. The video also offers a peek inside one family’s home as they play the games together.
