Watching my children play makes my day!

“Can today be pajama day?” 

My five year old asks me this just about every day. As much as I want to say yes every day (because who doesn’t love a good pajama day?), we’ve limited pajama day to Saturdays (mostly!).

Last Saturday, the boys couldn’t contain pajama day to the house – the warm wind curled a finger ’round the house and beckoned them outside. They squished through mud, created a dinosaur garden, and ensured their pajamas would need a good washing up! Good thing we have a large stock of play clothes for these kiddos!

I love watching my children play… it makes my day!

The expressions – eyes focused, eyebrows drawn in concentration, lips pursed, thinking of solutions. Big cheesy grins when they catch me watching them!

The language – my little one wakes up each nap time with his alligator blanket puppet and starts saying, “Boo-Boo! Boo-Boo!” It’s his own version of “Hi, I’m up!” The boys have a semi-imaginary friend name Sammie. I say “semi” because I’ve tried to get them to explain who Sammie is – they reference him all the time – and usually they just laugh and smile, exchanging conspiratory glances with each other. But a couple times, they have pointed out various toys or LEGO mini figures and told me that is Sammie. So… who knows, but Sammie always shows up around the house when they play!

The motion – both boys will stand in front of the mirror when they think nobody is looking and make just the goofiest faces and body expressions. They always ask if they can take their shirts off and be monkeys. (They are very specific, once the shirts go back on, they are NOT monkeys again!).

The personalities – when he is alone, my oldest will often sing his play talk, or have very quiet self-talk about his play. My youngest is the thespian of the family – he strides about the world like its his stage (and isn’t it?) and makes sweeping gestures, facial expressions, and talks in a variety of “voices” and “characters.”

I love watching my boys play, because it’s like lifting the curtain. A secret peek into their little-boy world. They are unconscious of the rest of us adults, completely immersed in the play at hand. I hear them solve problems, work through conflicts, and make decisions. They talking about their dreams (which usually involve getting more LEGO bricks) and plans they’re making.

Even at bedtime, I hear them upstairs giggling and whispering loudly… and what are they often talking about? What they are going to play tomorrow of course!

May every day be filled with play for them!

I hope you enjoyed the photos of my kids playing – this was a unique photo shoot where my friend Jennifer Mirock (who takes gorgeous natural light photography) was teaching me about camera settings – so you can see her photos mixed in with some of mine – I’m getting better but she truly has the artist’s touch! The boys loved playing with new-to-them toys while we took photos of their cute outfits!

Tell me your child’s favorite way to play!