How We Play

One of the things that most intimidated me prior to being with Mats full time was wondering what on earth we'd do together all day. How would I entertain him? One of my favorite things about Mats being 13 months old and walking all over the place (and really, this applied even when he was 9 months old and crawling all over the place), is that he is so good at entertaining himself. His capacity for playing by himself is really pretty remarkable.

His current favorite independent play activities:

• Being outside!
• Splashing in the watering can (a water table is on my garage sale list ... I really like the fact that with a watering can, he can get wet and enjoy the water, but I don't have to worry about him drowning or give him close supervision - there's absolutely no way he could get his face near the water)
• Finding sticks
• Sitting behind the air conditioner playing with mulch
• Drumming on the canoe
• Riding his toy truck in the yard - it doesn't go anywhere on our bumpy grass, but that doesn't seem to bother him!
• Sifting through dirt
• Wandering around the yard
• "Shoveling" the front driveway (obviously only when I'm outside with him)
• When I leave the back door open for him so he can go back and forth between playing inside and outside.
• Looking out the front window - he spent 10 minutes yesterday on his tippy toes, parting the blinds with his fingers so that he could watch some landscape guys spreading fertilizer on our neighbor's lawn
• Climbing on his toy box (also conveniently located under the front window)
• Dragging my broom around the living room
• Sending toys and shoes down stairs
• Dancing to the radio
• Hammering on his ball run
• Putting stacking blocks together (this is new!)
• Taking the mini broom and dustpan on walks around the house
• Sitting and bouncing on the bottom stair
• Riding wheely-cow around the living room
• Wadding up a knotted bundle of yarn
• Draping belts and strings around his shoulders like a scarf
• Making music with his xylophone
• Wrapping himself up in the curtains
• Exploring the pantry
• Paint stirrer sticks ... not really sure what's so amazing about these, but he loves taking them for walks

He also loves bringing me books to read to him, playing peekaboo, having dance parties with mom, inspecting my cooking, tussling with dad (which is what Scott calls their nightly wrestling/tickling matches on the bed during which Mats is usually almost hysterical with glee), tackling anyone who happens to be sitting/crouching/laying on the floor, singing songs together, and mommy's hair.

One year olds seem to have an endless capacity for being fascinated by the most minute things!