Child Psychology Activities

Creative Play

• Allow your child to play naturally and creatively. This will develop him psychologically, giving him time to pursue his interests and to express his personality. Leave your child to play on his own. This will teach him to structure his own time and to keep himself busy. Buy toys that can be used in different ways, stimulating creative play rather than structured play. Introduce your child to music, art, crafts and other hobbies and then leave him to explore these fields on his own. Activities such as these will create self-awareness in your child. He will discover who he is and what his interests are. Do not push him to take piano or art lessons if he is not interested.

Family Activities

• Create time together as a family. Have dinner together (at a table) and talk. Relax, play board games or just hang out with your children. Embark on a family picnic and play outdoor games with the kids. Be a role-model for your child, teaching him good sportsmanship. This will aid his social psychological development. Read a book with your child, do craft projects together, listen to music together or watch a movie and discuss it afterward. Make time to visit extended family and encourage your children to play with cousins. Family relationships influence a child's perception of who he is and create a network of social support.

Social Activities

• Encourage your child to play with other children. Have him invite friends over or encourage him to play with kids in the neighborhood. Child-directed play is very important for a child's social skills development. Playing with other children may develop leadership skills in your child. Teach a shy child to ask others, "can I play too?" but never force him to play with other children. Rather, let him warm up toward a social situation and wait until he feels secure to join it. Provide interesting toys or materials to lure him into social play. Encourage your child to take part in team sports, but avoid overscheduling your child with structured extracurricular activities. This may only have negative psychological effects such as stress and depression.

Screen Time

• Try to limit your child's screen time, or time he spends watching TV or playing computer games. Studies indicate that more than two hours of screen time a day may have a negative psychological effect on children. According to Lynne Peeples, writing for Reuters, research has shown that the odds of significant psychological difficulties in children are about 60 percent higher if they spend more than two hours a day in front of a television or computer screen in comparison to children who have less screen time. Instead, encourage physical activities by making your children play outside. Help your children accept this by instating an hour of allowed screen time per day, whether it is television time or computer game time.