Play is one of the best way's that we can connect with our children and there are certain activities that are rich in attachment value. When we connect well with our children and have these fun moments together, we can see a decrease in our child's symptoms!
Painting each other's nails
Applying lotion to your child.
Create body art or do your child's make-up/face paint with lotion.
Drawing around hands, feet or bodies: Make a picture of your child’s hand, foot or full body. Then color or paint it in together!
Copy funny faces: Sit facing your child, pull a funny face, can your child copy it?
Fortune telling: Take your child’s hand in yours and pretend in a playful way to tell their fortune. Say lots of positive and playful things.
Play hand clapping games such as Patty Cake and A Sailor Went to Sea. Google different hand clapping patterns for older children.
Sticker match: use two sets of stickers, stick one on your child’s nose (if they are comfortable with that). Ask them to make you match. Repeat until you both have lots of stickers matching. Check out how silly you look in a mirror together
Blanket swing: this requires two adults. Ask your child to lie on their backs in the middle of the blanket. Slowly pick them up by each adult lifting two corners of the blanket. Gently swing them singing a song such as ‘Twinkle Twinkle’. Try to keep some eye contact.
Spend 10 minutes of one-on-one play time of the child's choice (coloring, playdough, Lego, actual toys) where you don't ask questions or give commands, just follow their lead and reflect on what they're doing and provide praise while doing the same activity as them.
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Written by Charlotte Cox, MSW, LCSW. Charlotte is a Child Therapist who works with young children and their families, in particular children with ADHD and Autism Diagnosis. Charlotte is trained in Theraplay and PCIT Interventions.