30 Simple Ways for Parents and Teachers to Bring More Play Into Children’s Lives

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Show affection in creative ways.

How would a dog show affection? How would a cat show affection? Act this out together. Make up secret code words for love, invent secret handshakes, leave positive notes for them to put together around the house, etc. This builds creativity and confidence!

Would you rather?

Encourage creative, independent, deep thinking with “would you rather” questions (and ask them to ask you some in return). It’s a fun way to get to know your child and build your bond.

Think aloud to solve problems.

Try thinking aloud as you work through problems. This will pique children’s curiosity and foster critical thinking skills by example.

Encourage playful behavior.

Children thrive when given positive attention. When children play, compliment them in specific and proactive ways, like, “Wow, you worked really hard on building that castle! Can you show me how you did it?”

Offer open-ended toys.

While challenging, structured play can be fun and enriching (like board games and coloring books), open-ended toys such as blocks, dolls, LEGOs, and other building/crafting materials can encourage children to get creative and express themselves freely.

Ask your child to find something specific.

Hide a favorite toy or stuffed animal around the house and challenge your child to find it! Alternatively, you can ask for something that fits a description, like: “Find me something round and red.”

Play “I Spy” on road trips or just out and about.

Challenging your children to find something by color, letter, or another fun characteristic is a great way to play while building:

• Vocabulary
• Social skills (taking turns)
• Observational skills
• Creativity
• And more!

Make nature a daily priority.

Going outside together, rain or shine, offers a wonderful array of scientifically proven benefits for you and your child. Try finding a new place to explore weekly or monthly to make a bond-building adventure out of it.

Let them be bored.

“In order for kids to play freely, they need time to get bored and then time to overcome that boredom.” - Dr. Peter Gray.

Try to resist the temptation to relieve your child’s boredom by offering screen time or making suggestions. Children can build creativity, confidence, and executive functioning skills by finding their own play methods.

Of course, keep your expectations realistic as well. Pediatrician and play advocate Dr. Ginsburg states that successful free play could be measured in just 15-minute increments depending on age and temperament.

Let them play independently.

Sometimes, less is more. While playing with your child is important, time and freedom to play independently will help them develop curiosity, creativity, independence, discipline, and so much more. Choosing for themselves helps them believe in themselves.

Turn chores into challenges.

Even chores can be playful! Challenge children to sort through laundry with tongs, see who can put away the most dishes, or tidy up a space before a song ends.

Teach by example.

Children often learn by example. Do you take time to enjoy your own playful activities? Play looks different for everyone as an adult, but your child needs to witness you taking the time to experience joy, freedom, and creativity in your own way.

Celebrate special holidays in small ways.

There are all kinds of silly, specific, and creative holidays every day, like “Talk Like a Pirate Day” and “Clashing Clothes Day.” Make it a family tradition to choose one together to celebrate each week.

Make reading an interactive experience.

During storytime, try asking questions (like how they think the character feels, how they would feel in the situation, what the character should do, which picture is their favorite and why, etc.) to encourage interaction. You can also try reading aloud together.

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Provide sensory play stations.

Sensory play stations, such as water tables, are a fantastic way to encourage free and natural play in children. You can change up the materials for countless fun and engaging learning opportunities. 

Use manipulatives.

Instead of traditional pencil and paper to teach new concepts, try using manipulatives for hands-on learning that taps into a child’s inner play instinct. Examples:

• Letter tiles for spelling
• LEGOs for letter and number formation
• Dominos for simple math
• Marbles to count
• Pattern blocks to create shapes
• Play money

Take brain breaks.

Scientific studies have found that breaks are as important as active learning because the brain “compresses” and “imprints” what was learned during rest. Experiment with different restful and playful activities to keep the classroom fresh and engaged.

Freeze Dance

Playing Freeze Dance is a wonderful way to loosen up, release energy in creative and expressive ways, practice listening skills, and build gross motor function!

Kids can take turns picking songs and even being the ones to pause and play the music.

Simon Says

Simon Says is a fun way to foster the development of memorization, listening, and gross motor skills.

Using the hands and feet in coordination with the eyes has been proven to be profoundly beneficial for sensory processing and the ability to focus.

Ball Toss

In a circle or at their desks, challenge kids to keep a soft beach ball in the air for as long as possible using teamwork. This activity also helps build counting skills!

Paper airplane battle

Break children into groups and challenge them to make the best possible paper airplane they can with one piece of paper. Next, the groups compete to see which planes fly the furthest!

This can also be turned into a science lesson—you can discuss why the winning plane won.

Rock, Paper, Scissors showdown

Pair students up and have them play rock, paper, scissors. The winner moves on to another winner and keeps competing until the final student is standing. This can really drum up excitement and friendly competition in the classroom.

Line up in unique ways.

This can be incorporated into everyday line-ups. Challenge students to line up alphabetically by height, age, shirt color in rainbow order, or by who got up the earliest, etc.

Collaborative class story

On the board (or on a shared Google Doc), have each student add a word one at a time to create a story together. These will often end up wild and hilarious. For extra fun, try having students act out the story.

What is this?

Show students a picture of an animal, an object, or a phenomenon they have not learned about yet, and ask them to guess what it is (or come up with a creative/silly name for it). This versatile activity for all age levels can spark abstract thinking and classroom engagement.

Interact with puppets or stuffed animals.

Dramatic play is natural for children; students often listen and respond to objects in a way they may not with a human teacher! Try:

• Giving students a fun and simple quest via the puppet
• Asking students to teach them something they just learned
• Introducing a new game, song, or activity
• Reinforcing manners and rules

Act it out.

When learning new concepts, challenge students to act it out. Ideas:

• Forming the shape of a letter or word with a group 
• Acting out important moments in history
• Exploring social issues
• Practicing emotions
• Demonstrating science concepts (for example, students can be assigned a planet and arrange themselves in order, rotating around the “sun”)

Make learning an adventure.

Rather than just delivering the lesson, try making it into an interactive story. For example, when learning about sea creatures, announce that you are all boarding a submarine and stopping by “stations” in the classroom to learn about them.

Would you rather?
(classroom edition)

This could make a great first-day icebreaker. Pair students up and have them discuss fun “would you rather” questions.

Then, ask them to come up with a question for the whole classroom. Kids can move to one side or the other to answer, which adds movement, too.

Snowball toss

Have students write something they are stressed about (or grateful for) on paper, then initiate a snowball fight with them! Students can then pick up a snowball and read it aloud for a kind, empathetic discussion.

This may be a sensitive issue, so students should be allowed not to participate if they choose to.