Playing Together (Toys For Parents to Play With Children, Puppets, Etc)

These days, parents are finding it more and more difficult to find time to spend with their children. More and more families are finding that they need both parents working to make ends meet, and family time has to take second priority.

This puts a lot of imperative on making sure that, what free time you do have to spend with your children, you'd better not waste it.

It's a good idea to stock up on some toys, games and other items that allow you to play with your children. If you can find common interests between yourself and your kids, that can be a big boost to spending more family time together.

To list a few examples...

Puppets

When you picture yourself playing with puppets, you might think "Well that's fine if I've got a two year old..." but really, puppets can be a lot of fun for kids of all ages. Just put one on, hand one to each of your kids, try out a goofy voice and have fun developing goofy stories and characters together.

Games

Monopoly is great, but it bores the heck out of some kids. Be on the lookout for games that are more to your kid's tastes. If your kids love riddles and puzzles, Mindtrap is a classic for brain teasers. RISK might be a little complex for younger kids, but around the age where a child begins reading 'chapter' books, RISK is a great, in-depth game. Then there are more action-intensive games, like mini-table hockey.

Shared Hobbies

No matter what they might tell themselves, dads never stop liking remote control cars. Getting a couple RC cars and racing them across the living room can be a great bonding experience. Getting some child sized instruments like an electric organ for kids, a harmonica, or a drum kit, and then getting together to bang out some music (even if you're just goofing off and making a ruckus), is just as much fun as it sounds, and might develop into a real appreciation for music, as well.

Shared Interests

And then there are things like Star Wars and Batman, which you can't not love, no matter how old you are. You're not, really, getting old, unless you think you're too grown up to hold swordfights in the backyard with toy light sabres.

Finding Time...

The main thing is really just finding time, knowing what your kids are into, and getting involved. It's a sad fact that these days parents are finding themselves with less and less free time to spend with their kids at the end of each day. If you don't have time, make time. Sure, easier said than done, but it's worth doing, no matter how tricky it may seem to arrange your schedule to find a little playtime.

Kids who spend time with their parents, obviously, grow up feeling closer to their parents than kids who spend most of their time alone. Even after kids move out on their own, the lessons they've learned spending time with their parents stay with them for the rest of their lives. Be there for your kids, whatever it takes.