Role Playing With Your Children

I have two small boys one who turns 5 years old on Saturday and another who turns 2 years old in November.  I have to say that one thing every parent should find time to do is Role Play with your children.  This can be traditional like Kid Versions of Dungeons and Dragons, or it can be live action where you pretend to be characters much like acting in a movie.

This allows a child to explore scenarios in a safe and fun environment, predict outcomes and events and if you do play table top RPG, I actually have my five year old roll 20 sided dice, 12 sided dice…etc and count and add so it helps him build math skills as well as being able to recognize numbers much faster.

Fantasy Role Playing where your child can act out his imagination is particularly useful, nothing builds a better bond in play.  Since it is Halloween, I get all sorts of fake props and we use them in role playing, running around the yard or the nearest playground pretending to duel beasts, monsters and find treasure.  The activity alone beats sitting in front of a computer or game console, and it builds play, creativity and exercise all mixed in.

Nothing is more fun about being a father to me than being able to be a kid again and play with my children and get down on their level and see through their eyes.

If you haven’t tried it, give it a whirl.  I am sure your kid wants to pretend to be Harry Potter and cast spells, or Legolas, or any number of movie characters.  Buy a Harry Potter Wand and cloak from Walmart or Target, and encourage your child to act out and play instead of just wearing a costume on Halloween.

They only get to be kids for so long, make it as enjoyable as possible.

-Justin Germino