We all need a break from parenting from time to time. Try and compete with the energy of a toddler or a little kid and you will never match up.
The tricky part is convincing your child you are still playing when you are just catching a breath.
My regular solo parenting stints have made me an expert in horizontal parenting.
Horizontal parenting allows exhausted parents everywhere to continue playtime lying down.
There is only so much I can do in a day and I like to pace myself throughout the day to conserve energy for the bigger tasks in the routine. This is when the ideas listed below come in handy.
Related reading: What I do with my toddler all day.
INDEPENDENT PLAY IDEAS TO ENGAGE YOUR KIDS AS YOU LIE DOWN
Here are some of my favorite ways to engage my children from the couch.
Please remember when I say lie down, I don’t mean doze off. All play must be supervised by an adult.
Lie down here means you get a 5-10 min breather to put your legs up or sit down close by and enjoy a cup of tea and simply be.
Baby
0-6 months
6-12 months
Place on the floor safe, age-appropriate toys example rattles, softballs, or activity cubes.
Previous ideas plus,
Toys to hold and mouth e.g.
Wooden toys and rattles.
Soft cloth books
Even safe to use household items work, for e.g
Plastic cups, boxes, spoons and bottles.
Toddler
Busy box/bag (collect child-safe bits and bobs from the house and put them in a bag, toddler keeps busy discovering, pulling out, and putting back in.)
Water play with scoops and cups
Sensory bins (ideas explored at length in this blog post.)
GAME IDEAS TO PLAY FROM THE COUCH (Appropriate for Ages 2.5 and up)
- Simon says
- I spy
- Tic tac toe
- Simple card games like UNO, Guess in 10, Snap, etc.
- Ask the child to tell you a story.
- Story cubes
- Mommy and child coloring time.
- Pretend games e.g., play restaurant, doctor-patient, beauty salon, soft toy pretend games, etc.
- Make a fort or tent and sit inside it and read books together.
- Living room basketball
- Put on some music and ask your child to dance to their favorite songs.
PHRASES TO SAY WHEN YOU NEED A BREAK (THAT DON’T CRUSH YOUR CHILD’S HEART)
- I don’t want to play right now, but I would love to watch you play.
- Mommy is tired right now; I will play LEGO in 10 minutes. Or,
- Mommy is tired right now; do you want me to read you a storybook instead?
- I will be taking a short nap; you can join me or sit beside me and read your book. (this is where encouraging Quiet time helps a lot)
- Do you want to color some coloring pages with me?
- I am mommy bear and you are baby bear, let’s pretend we are hibernating. (I used this phrase a lot during the toddler phase and we would both end up in a cuddle and nap.)
Hope you found some new ways to entertain your child while lying down here.
What works for your child? Do comment and tell me of any new ideas you have. Sharing can help other parents here too.