28/01/2022
Q&A
Why don't I have my house stacked with toys?
I always get asked at meetings with new clients what is it that I do with the children all day long. Do we play together?
After 12 years of working with children age 0 to 4, I have learned that less is more. Less toys is more imaginitive play. Little kids can sometimes play with household items for hours on end. Give them spoons and cups in different sizes. Right now the vacuum cleaner is a hot item at my place. 😏
And also do not downplay yourself. Kids learn by example. Kids are watching carefully what older people around them are doing. How I make toys for sales. How I fix a broken item, how I do the dishes and vacuum clean the house. 😆 How my daughter does a handstand. Etc.
This means everyone is doing there own age appropriate things in our house. Connection through the day is laid in jokes, silly dances, singing, chatting, stories and helping each other solve things and ofcourse eating and changing diapers.
There is a natural recognizable rhythm instead of a forced on structure.
In natural parenting this is the way. You are not your childs entertainer. But their example, their "how to live" , so the most important thing is to show them how to be frugal, empathic, crafty etc.
And the fun thing is: they play more with less stuff, their intrinsic motivation is kept alive when they are not entertained on a schedule and the atmosphere is harmonious (most of the time 😆).
