Of course, Cathy has a four year old and a two year old, so sitting around and relaxing are not a usual part of her evening until well after the children are in bed and the supper dishes are cleared away. They relentlessly beg her to play with them and when they momentarily give up it is only to chase each other madly about the house, laughing (which turns to crying) and coming back to look for attention from mom.



The thing is, Cathy WANTS to play with her children. With two young children she recognizes that their infancy is quickly disappearing and soon enough she will be arguing with moody pre-teens instead of putting off happy, eager preschoolers. What is stressful is that Cathy doesn't know HOW to play with her children.

Her daughters would love her to play dolls or chase them around but Cathy has neither the energy or imagination so late in the evening. However, there are some easy options that Cathy and other parents may be forgetting. The following suggestions are not only easy to do, but can actually be relaxing for you.

Coloring:

If your child can hold a crayon then they will usually love mom or dad to get down on the floor with a coloring book and join them. Not only do they not care about your skill, but they will love to turn pages on you just when you get going! Coloring can actually be quite relaxing even for adults, along with another easy to participate game...

Puzzles:

Large, 25 piece puzzles will thrill anyone over one. Perhaps they are not at all able to work the pieces themselves but they will happily slap a piece into position when you set it in place. Puzzles can also be somewhat relaxing as they engage your mind in a simple activity, thus switching off' your ability to concentrate on work or family stress.

Clay:

Whether you buy it or make it, playing with molding clay is another easy to participate game that can be very educational to your children as well as fun. Having a few tools to work with makes your skills at inventing less taxing. You do not need store bought toys made especially for clay, in fact your children will likely find more enjoyment with cookie cutters and other kitchen tools or items from the house. Your children will learn colors, shapes, textures and even counting and sorting similar shapes.

The best part of all of these games is that they require the child's full attention which keeps them occupied, does not place undo strain on your own imagination, and best of all they all require SITTING DOWN!