Flashlights are the shining stars of child’s play! Our power went out last week and I went to my emergency box to pull out one of six flashlights I have stored there. They’d all disappeared! Despite my nagging “You guys need to remember to put those back in case we lose electricity!” So just like I suffer through loads of towel washing in the name of Simple Play — I settle for candles when the power goes out since I can’t find a single flashlight!
Really, the idea of simple play is to let your kids come up with their own play ideas. But here’s a few to get you started:
- Shadow puppets on the wall — or how about shadow dancing?
- Use it as a spotlight for an impromptu performance.
- Go outside and do a nature walk in the dark.
- Snuggle under a blanket with your child and read a book.
- This may not be the most PC use of your flashlight — but my daughter and her aunt came up with this one. She tucks the flashlight in the back of her pants so it shines on the ceiling. Then she runs around the house screaming “Ghost Light!” (from the animated short with Mater on the Cars DVD). If that’s not hilarious enough, she turns it so the light shines down inside her clothes and changes her chant to: “Firefly!!”
Have fun, play often!