Entertaining children is by far the single hardest job a parent ever has to do. Nothing seems to be good enough. You will try a lot of things. Maybe stumble a time or two getting it right. It is doubly hard when your child have different views and opinions as to what is fun. And when you acknowledge that they are not an extension of you. He has his own likes and dislikes. There will be also his own method of doing things. Which sometimes would not coincide with your own way of doing things. This is where an experimentation of what works and where the child’s interests may lie.
Not all play is created equal. There are unsupervised play and play providers that offer varied activities for children. Make believe princess for a day or a fireman. Dressing for the part, making all the necessary trappings. This play acting builds their confidence as well as physical and social skills. Pretend play gives a chance at imitating a grown up. Performing small roles and using big words. It is a skill building exercise on sharing, taking turns at roles, even negotiation.
Musicals and theater production is a chance to combine acting with music and dancing. Did you know music can improve mood and memory? It also eases pain and reduces stress for all ages. It provides a total brain workout. Not to mention alleviates both emotional and physical pain. That is no easy feat. And for children, it is an important phase of expressing themselves. Sometimes they do not know what they are feeling until they hear it in a song or a melody.
Most children, though, are very physical beings. They want to run, jump and shake and flap around. They will make the strangest and loudest sounds as if to make up for their small stature. So most vacation care incursions and excursions include very animated, movement based play so they can use up all their energies. There is bound to be more where that came from.
Not all play are created equal. It will take a bit of time to find out what your child is fond of. Don’t worry you will know soon enough. And the process will be a memorable one.