Make Playdates For Your Youngster—With You! (NAPSA)—No child is too young to have a playdate—not when the playmate is the youngster’s mommy, daddy or other caregiver. Here are some playdate tips for having loads of fun with your little one from child education expert Jean Kunhardt, granddaughter of “pat the bunny” author Dorothy Kunhardt and founder and director of Scho Parenting, a premiere family counseling center: Walking fun—Gofor a collection walk with your child. Take a bag and, as you slowly take your stroll, encourage your child to notice and collect things (e.g., a leaf, a stone, a feather, a shiny piece of paper, a pinecone). Climbing fun—Use couch pillows, towels, rolled-up blankets and large stuffed animals to lay out an obstacle course in yourliving room. Then spread a large sheet over the whole course and encourage your baby to crawl and explore this new terrain. Now try it yourself! Bubble fun—Take some extra time at bath time. Using the suds from your child’s shampoo, sculpt funny hairdos, hats or horns with his soapy hair. Give a plastic mirror to your child so she can enjoy the transformations. Water fun—Put a plastic sheet down on your kitchen floor. Prepare two plastic dishpans with water—one cool and the other warm. Let your baby or toddler experiment with the water, noticing the difference in temperatures. Talk about it. Let her splash and make a mess. Then give her cups and spoons and funnels andlittle sponges and just let her experiment. Sharing a playdate with your young child can be an important part of the bonding process—and a lot of fun. Interactive fun—Remember, just like Paul and Judy, the children of “pat the bunny” book, there are many things you and your children can do together. From the creators of this beloved educational property comes a new “pat the bunny” DVD, produced by Classic Media and distributed by Genius Products, that can make a terrific gift for new caregivers. This program offers fun and interactive play ideas to engage and delight children ages 6 months to 36 months, promotes children’s social and mental development and includes original songs. Each of the four 15-minute playdates on the DVD invites children to “touch” the world by exploring sounds, tastes, sights and smells. The DVD also includes special touch-and-feel packaging and contains an interview with Kunhardt, who provides helpful information for each featured activity within the playdate episodes. Since its debut in 1940, “pat the bunny” has sold more than 7 million copies in the United States and continues to be a perennial best seller.
