30 Days to Hands on Play Challenge

Two of my co-hosts from It's Playtime, hands on: as we grow and The Imagination Tree started a challenge I think is fantastic.  It's called 30 Days to Hands on Play and challenges parents to spend at least 15 minutes a day playing with their child(ren).  I have decided to become actively involved in this activity.    I know I have a tendency to let everything around me get in the way of the time I spend with my children:   My house is never clean enough, errands are never ending, and blogging takes extra time I don't really have.  But what kind of message am I sending to my children?  Sure, I do things with them like hike, watch T.V. and drive them to play dates, but what am I actually doing WITH them?  Am I spending good quality time sharing their interests and growing their personalities, or am I simply fitting time in when it's convenient for me?  I must shift my priorities!

Day 1:

The first challenge is simple:


Write a "mission statment" or what you hope to gain from the challenge and record some of your child(rens) interests.


I want my children to look back one day and remember that their mommy played with them, sang with them, danced with them, and created art with them.  I don't want them to remember the times mommy lost her cool, only the fond memories of a mom who cared and loved so much, that she took the time to help them feel special and grow in imagination. 

Ariel's Interests: art, American Girl dolls, legos

Michael's Interests: cooking in the kitchen with mom, water play, active outdoor play, sticks and rocks, superheros 




How about you?  Are you ready to join the challenge?  What do you hope to gain from it all?  Join the discussion on The Play Network.  

hands on : as we grow is hosting Day 2: Build a Fort!