twolittleajs: Sometimes you just have to let them play....

I need to start this post off with an apology!!

I'm sorry for not blogging so much recently, I'm sorry for not scheduling organised activities for my little ones, or for doing things but not writing about them. There are many reasons for this, an illness for me recently that has left me very tired in the evenings, a week stay in hospital, and various hospital appointments and tests that have eaten into our play time. Plus the usual Christmas chaos of running around visiting various family members and spending the big day away with family. Then the onset of the New Year brought on chicken pox for the two AJ's. Then finally of course is the excitement of new toys for Christmas making it impossible for the children to want to put them down to do anything else, but sometimes you just have to let them play!!

Arthur recieved lots of Lego, and Alyssa lots of Mega blocks/Duplo sets, so often now when I ask what the children would like to do, I am either met with cries of "can you play Lego with me?" or walk in the room to find them quietly amusing themselves building or just playing with the ready made up vehicles etc. This brought me to a New Years Resolution of making sure I listen to Arthur when he tells me about what he's into or building and learning more about how to build Lego or role play Spiderman etc, rather than just saying "daddy will play Lego with you!" Because right now, things like Lego and Spiderman are huge things to him, and one day it with be relationships or problems at school, and I don't want him to feel that I'm not interested in what is important to him.

Because of all this I haven't planned much in the way of activities, or if I have, if they are not interested and want to play something else we wont do them, as I want them to be able to make decisions about what they want to do so that as they get older they don't constantly say they are bored, as they are use to making up their own entertainment. I'm hoping the magical days of listening/watching them say "what would you like?" whilst playing shop keepers together, or "i've made you a hot coffee!" during a tea party, will lead to even more self sufficient play as they grow! I don't want to say, "No you can't play Lego as mummy wants you to play with this or make that!" I don't want to squash their imagination. I recently found a Poster online that I found very inspirational, and if they ever struggle with boredom may be tempted to re-create, but i'm hoping I wont have to.

That's not to say that we haven't done anything at all, as you can see we had a wonderful dress up day on Three Kings day, where they pretended to deliver presents to baby Jesus, as well as making our own crowns with card and sweet wrappers. We have had plenty of Play dough marathons, one in particular lasting 2 hours, play dates, woodland walks, and a train themed day of role play and train making, as well as painting sessions last week in particular Alyssa experimented with sponge painting and stencils, and this week she tried string painting. I thought i'd share them all in one big post seeing as I have missed so many, and hopefully my future blogs will be more consistant, dependant on what the children want to do, even it they end up being all about Alyssa whilst I let Arthur play Lego.