How to Play With Your Kids

Be a kid again by putting yourself in your child's shoes.

It's easy to get caught up in day-to-day activities like work, housecleaning and laundry and forget to make time for the things that are much more important. Many parents don't take the time to just play with their children. But sometimes it's fun to forget your to-do list and just be a kid again.

Things You'll Need

• Toys
• Dolls
• Sports equipment
• Costumes
• Video games
• Board games
• Puzzles
• Crayons
• Coloring books

Instructions

1. Play a sport. Kids love to run around with their parents. Even if it's been decades since you played an actual sport, try playing one with your kids. Games like soccer or baseball are fun family games, or you can throw a football around the backyard. For a quick game that requires no special equipment, you can play a game of tag or hide and seek.

2. Build things. Pull out the classic toys like Legos, Lincoln Logs and Tinkertoys and do some building with your kids. These creative toys can entertain you and your child for hours and then you can marvel at the masterpieces you have built.

3. Play with dolls. Take care of your child's dolls with her and show her how to diaper, feed and burp her baby. Rock the baby to sleep and put her in a toy crib. For older girls, try playing with American Girl dolls, which come with books that tell the story of each particular doll. Paper dolls are inexpensive and you can collect several different kinds to play with.

4. Play dress-up. Both boys and girls love dressing up. For little girls, dress up in princess or fairy costumes. Little boys like superheroes or uniforms, like policemen or firemen. Stock up on extra dress-up clothes at post-Halloween clearance sales -- for both yourself and the kids.

5. Set up some train tracks or get out the Matchbox cars to play with, or if your child has a collection of Tonka trucks, take them in the yard and drive them through the dirt.

6. Play video games. Join your kids for some video game challenges. Look for family-friendly games with an E rating (E stands for Everyone, which means the game is suitable for all ages). Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3 are two of the hottest video game systems.

7. Play a board game. Kids love games like Monopoly, Scrabble and Pictionary. Look for Junior versions of these games for younger kids. For preschoolers, try playing Candyland or Balloon Lagoon. And don't forget, kids of all ages love doing puzzles. Look for age-appropriate puzzles that you can do with your kids.

8. Color. Sometimes the simplest activities are the best ones to do with your child. Get out a huge box of crayons (like the 64-count pack) and some paper or a coloring book and just color together.

References

• The Kid Counselor: Ten Ways to Play With Your Kids