Help Me Follow My Child’s Lead in Play
A: Allow your child to take the lead and make their own choices during play. Try to avoid constantly directing or disrupting their activities unless necessary.
A：Observe intently and patiently. Observe your child’s play to have a deeper understanding of their interests, strengths and developmental progress. Pay attention to their cues, body language and verbal expressions to understand their needs and preferences.
A：Child-led play may not always follow a predictable or structured path. Children are spontaneous and their play scenarios could be a little tricky for us to follow. Still, we should avoid imposing our own agenda and preferences on their play because too much adult direction can hinder their creativity and problem-solving skills. As long as the child is being safe, there’s almost not a wrong way to play.
A：Allow for open-ended play opportunities that stimulate your child’s imagination, curiosity and exploration.
A：Engage in playful interactions with your child. Let them show you how to play! Imitate their actions and participate in their imaginative play scenarios. Focus on the play process rather than the end result. Embrace the silliness with your child!
A：
- ‘That’s not how you’re supposed to use that toy.’
- ‘Let’s make the car go faster!’
- ‘Why don’t you play with this toy instead of that one?’
- ‘You should use the blue ball here, not the red one.’
They are reflecting a more parent-led play approach.
A：
- ‘You have so many options to play. What would you like to do?’
- ‘I love watching your imagination at work.’
- ‘You’re doing an excellent job exploring and experimenting.’
- ‘What do you think will happen if you use the blue ball?’
A：Your questions and statements should extend their play rather than disrupt it. So when you sense that you are disrupting your child’s flow of play, you might want to hold off on your questions for a little bit.
A：One strategy is to paraphrase and clarify what your child has said. For example, if your child says, ‘I want to put a playground next to the tower’, you can respond with, ‘Oh! You want to build a playground as a neighbor to the tower. That’s a great idea!’
But you shouldn’t feel like you need to be talking throughout the play. Sometimes your child might enjoy playing quietly with you.
A：If they express frustration or encounter difficulties, acknowledge their feelings and provide support. For example, you might say, ‘That is a bit tricky to do and you seem frustrated. It’s okay to take your time and try different ways.’