When my son, Little B was a baby playing was easy. I would just have to wave something shiny above him and he would be fascinated for ages. I’d sing “Twinkle Twinkle” a few hundred times and he would coo and giggle at every word. Even just learning to roll over was an wonderful game to him. There were even times my presence was not required for baby play time. I would lie next to him under his mobile and he would be happily entranced by the animals slowly bobbing and dancing in the sun light. As he got older and I heard the wonderful word “Mum” spoken for the first time I didn’t anticipate the amount I would be called on to play as he grew.
Now at two and half things are a bit more energetic. “Twinkle Twinkle” has been replaced by “Five Little Monkeys” and must now be performed with a variety of different actions and dance moves. Something can no longer be shiny without an explanation as to why. During the last year I have found myself quietly categorising our play sessions into different types and now, if you have a few spare minutes I’d like to share them with you. Maybe you can enjoy them as a fellow toddler play partner or maybe you can just enjoy.
The first play time of the day is the 5am session. This one I lovingly refer to as sleepy play, because most of my participation is through closed eyes. We play together in my bed, on the landing or in the bathroom (usually during his morning wee). This early morning session is very much led by Little B. I am his willing participant and I take his direction. “Mummy be the T.Rex” I oblige taking the cold dinosaur in my hand “Mummy be sad TRex” I put on my best sad face which is not a hard task having just been woken up at 5am. Honestly these exhausted moments are all a bit foggy and not the best example of how we play. These early morning playtimes are generally short and often interrupted by Little B’s need for toast and my need for coffee.
The next play session, with coffee in belly, is much more interactive. I again let him lead but with much more enthusiasm. There are no rules during this time, every toy can be involved and any area of the house is fair game. We get low to the ground while we watch the wheels of the trains as they roll past; talking about the colours and journeys they are taking. My little man’s imagination is immense and that is something I try to foster as best I can. When else can I go on a train journey through a tunnel to emerge into a prehistoric world populated by dinosaurs and robots? With caffeine kicking in I can play with the excitement of any toddler. When playing these wonderful imagination games I ask him as many questions as I can. Anything open ended to get him to let me into any of the world he is seeing. This morning I asked “What can the dinosaur see?” the response was “A pink doughnut”. Of course, it’s only logical.
This next type of play is usually something we do in the afternoons when he is winding down a bit. Little B gave up naps very early and thus we have had these low, calm moments after lunch in place of them. Imagination all though still playing a part in what I like to call our chill play is not the main focus like in our morning sessions. Chill play is much more physical, we spend lots of time under beds or duvets exploring sensory ideas. He will lay in the dark and feel how his fingers slide over the cover above him. I will lay alongside him in the shelter we have crafted and encourage him gently to tell me what he’s feeling, seeing or hearing. Sometimes in chill play we turn all the lights off and shine a torch at the wall making shadow shapes and telling stories about what we see.
There is also another kind of play that I am not involved in. It doesn’t happen every day but on the days that Daddy arrives home from work early Little B and his best friend partake in what I call physical play. To an outsider this looks like some kind of gravity defying acrobatic display. Little B is thrown into the air, twisted around, flung from side to side. All to the wonderful soundtrack of high pitched giggles and squeals of “More again Daddy” I must admit I have infrequently tried to match the demand for the physical play Little B asks of Daddy but I have neither the strength nor stamina to compete with the “Daddy slide” or the “Father’s high wire”. My version of physical play is letting Little B climb onto my back and pretending to be a horse around the kitchen.
There also some lovely pockets of play throughout a normal day. I do like to occasionally orchestrate areas we can play in. I will build him extravagant obstacles from couch cushions and we will play for a good hour adding in times of suspense and baddies that we must overcome impossible odds to beat. However my favourite sorts of play with my toddler are the little moments that come from the ordinary. A walk to school can be a way to explore different animals by pretending to stomp, tip toe or stride like them. Dinner can be so much more fun if we are playing a counting game with the peas or discussing the colour ketchup makes when you mix it with mash potato. These mini play times are predominantly led by me, but as he grows I am watching Little B start to create games by himself and eventually I hope we will become equals in this playing business.
