Happiness is child’s play!

A guest post from the lovely Great north Mum!

For a good while after I went back to work full time following my maternity leave I wrestled with the guilt of leaving my little man in the company of strangers every morning, hoping that I had made the right decision in not staying at home to look after him myself.

I know it is a dilemma that a lot of families are faced with; for others it is a simple decision not to go to work, but that decision is a personal one, and for me, going back to work was what I wanted. I just hoped that Little Man wouldn’t suffer for me wanting to do my own thing as well as being ‘Mummy’.

Now, nearly three years later, I am glad to say my fears were unfounded, and my son has flourished at nursery. Those strangers have become trusted carers, who dote on him as you might a favourite nephew.

He has a little circle of friends with whom he shares toys and cuddles and boisterous play-fights, and gets excited to see when Monday morning comes around. He has already had a string of female admirers but he takes it all in his stride.

He is happy.

Perhaps one of the best aspects of his nursery care though is the play. Every day the children enjoy a variety of fun activities designed to foster their natural creativity, imagination and sense of adventure.

Of course when Little Man is at home he plays – building rockets and fire stations and street sweepers out of Lego; using all the bits of his train track to travel to every inch of the living room rug; role playing with his digger and builder’s hat which is actually a fireman’s helmet worn backwards (and he knows exactly what he’s doing) – but play at nursery adds another dimension to this.

With limited space at home, and two cats who get into everything they shouldn’t, we often have to tell him to tidy up what he has been playing with before he gets something else out. At nursery, free play time enables the little ones to move between activities as and when they choose, combining toys together in new and imaginative ways without limitation.

With easy access to dressing up clothes, educational activities, and space to move freely and play together, it is both learning and unhindered fun rolled into one.
Then there is messy play.

A phrase to strike fear into the hearts of anyone who is terrified of paint splatters on the wall, an errant felt tip stroke across the dining table, and a glitter glue spillage on the carpet. I am in awe of some of the amazing mummy bloggers I know of who organise fantastic messy play activities at home for their little ones to indulge in without a second thought to cleaning up afterwards.

At least I know that Little Man is not missing out on this important developmental fun just because I don’t like getting mud on shoes (I know, I’m ridiculous).

Barely a day goes by when he doesn’t return home with a bag of wet clothes from water play, a tell-tale paint smudge behind his ear, or toes covered in sand when I pull his socks off.

The children are encouraged to explore, experiment and use their senses from a very young age – the littlest ones are given free rein with a white sheet and blobs of paint to crawl through, making unique works of art with their hands, feet and bodies.

I think our little ones need this broad variety of play to develop fully into happy, healthy, active children – I have certainly seen this in my own little boy. He has a real desire to learn and discover new things, just as he has been doing all along every time he plays with his friends. Whether this is at home with mummy and daddy or at nursery with their carers is irrelevant – as long as they are given the opportunity.

And next time Little Man gets a bit over-enthusiastic jumping in muddy puddles at the park, I’ll try and join in. It can all go in the wash anyway!