How to Promote Creative Play

You can do a lot to help your child develop play that supports her social, emotional, and intellectual development. Here are some suggestions:

• Encourage and value play that is appropriate to the age and individual interests and needs of your child.
  
  
• Help your child bring his own experiences into his play. Children's play is usually more creative and less imitative when it grows out of their daily lives. For instance, providing empty food cartons and a simple toy cash register after a trip to the supermarket can help your child start recreating his experience through play.
  
  
• Watch your child as she plays to see what she is working on and what interests her. This can help provide ideas about what play materials and other input might further develop her play.
  
  
• Choose new toys carefully. Toys that can be used in many ways usually promote the most valuable play. They give children many opportunities to invent new uses for them over time. Too many toys, or a constant barrage of new ones, can prevent children from doing this.
  
  
• Find ways to interact regularly (but not always) with your child as she plays. Getting involved with kids as they play -- as long as you're not interrupting or taking over -- shows them that adults value play.
  
  
• Try to have regular, uninterrupted playtime in your child's life. This tells him that play is important. It also helps him develop the skills he needs over time to become involved in meaningful and satisfying play. For children who are heavily dependent on television, develop this routine gradually and help children figure out how to begin their play.
  
  
• Work to counteract the gender, racial, and cultural stereotypes and violence that characterize many toys. Stereotypes limit children from developing their full potential. Children sort out who they and other people are through their play. Keep this in mind when choosing new toys and try openly talking with your child about these issues when they come up.
  
  
• When your child does engage in violent, imitative play based on TV shows, movies or toys, help her bring in her own creativity and imagination. However you view this kind of play, the more you can help your child's play become creative, the less violent it will be.
  
  
• Make thoughtful choices about the role of media in your child's life. What and how much children see in the media can have an enormous impact on their play. TV takes time away from play activities and media content greatly influences play. So, try to develop rules - for example, about screen time and screen content.