Getting back to conventional games

In recent years it has been observed an increase in the use of screens at younger ages. The ease of access to these resources as a form of entertainment and the immediacy of the stimuli that it causes, makes the little ones enjoy them, leaving aside other conventional games.

However, this use can cause an increase in ophthalmological pathologies, as well as difficulties in social interaction and delayed communication and language, with screen play being a unidirectional interaction (from the screen to the child) for which there is no motivation to seek a relationship with others.

That is why we want to remind parents of some games from our childhood that they surely enjoyed and that their little ones will love to know. The fact that the people they love teach them these games promotes greater learning and motivation, due to shared enjoyment and in turn encourages eye contact, social interaction, body coordination, motor skills, language development and the feeling of belonging to the group.

The games presented below are simple and do not require specific toys or material to play.

–From 0 to 3 years:

/Hand games with songs like “Cinco lobitos” or “Peekaboo”.

/Body games: “Al paso, al trote y al galope”. Tickle games, massages… such as, for example, pretending to climb animals up the arm (elephant, ant…) doing different pressures and rhythms with the fingers.

–From 3-4 years:

/Clap games with different songs and speeds.

/”Veo, veo” game.

/Jump rope. Or make the clock or the snake, as simpler alternatives.

It is important that in all these games we can get face to face with our children and at their same height, to encourage eye contact, social smile and enjoy together. We have remembered some games for children up to 4 years old, since it is the age of the youngest of our volunteer families of the BiSC Project.

These are some of the game alternatives that we offer, but surely you can think of many more. Therefore, we recommend the minimum possible use of screens and enjoying quality family time. And we encourage you to put all your creativity into practice!

You can find other recommendations about physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under 5 years of age in this link (developed by the World Health Organisation).