Children’s Summer Play:  A Little Parental Effort Goes a Long Way

By University of Arkansas

06-27-2008

SEARCY, Ark. - Parents can keep their young children busy, satisfied and safe during the summer months by planning ahead, using materials at hand, and knowing their children’s interests.

For outdoor play, parents should establish a safe place for small children by selecting a favorite corner or a spot under a tree, said Katie Cobb, White County extension agent with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

Every play area needs a place where children may climb, push or shove objects, jump, run and dig in the dirt.

Children may use their imaginations to turn a large cardboard box into an airplane, train, ship or barn, said Cobb.

As the weather gets hotter, a sandbox and a place to play in water are musts.

Parents may assemble a simple, square wooden frame, fill it with sand and provide pans, old gelatin molds, strainers and spoons for hours of creative play.

Children love playing in water - from puddles and dish tubs to small pools filled with hand whisks, basting bulbs and eggbeaters. Sand and water play provide learning opportunities for young children:

* Concepts of empty/full, sink/float, shallow/deep, heavy/light and more/less
* Counting, measuring and cause/effect
* Eye-hand coordination
* Sorting, sizes and shapes

Of course, constant adult supervision is imperative when children are near water.

Parents need to prepare also for appropriate indoor activities for young children, said Cobb.

One idea is to have an art box or area ready for play and plenty of creativity.

“Children delight in exploring and creating with a variety of art materials,” said Cobb. “For young children, the experience of creating is most important, not the final product.”

Cobb provided a helpful list of ways to talk to children about their artwork:

* Ask children about the process.
* Ask open-ended questions, such as “Tell me something about it” instead of asking “What is it?”
* Describe what the art looks like.
* Give children art vocabulary.
* Talk about the textures the children feel.

Cobb offered one final bit of advice: Children should help choose their activities, and parents should encourage them to focus on those activities that fit their talents and interests.

For more information about young children’s play, visit the Extension Web site, http://www.uaex.edu, or contact your county extension agent. The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A Division of Agriculture.