When your kids are playing nicely together

Just curious. We have these rare moments when the kids are playing so nicely together. I love it. They are usually playing doctor (one is sick, one is the doctor) or playing bedtime (one is the kid going to sleep, one is the parent tucking in the child and reading a bedtime story). But they take turns, play nicely, and act so gentle and loving with one another.

But heck, heaven forbid they play legos together. WWIII breaks out!

So, what activities/games can your kids play together, where they actually seem to like one another?

 

They play 'princesses' or dolls together a lot - making them dance, sing, or tucking them into bed. They also like to play in the sand together a lot, trains set, playdough,or read books with each other (one narrates and the other makes comments like 'nice reading', ohh look at the picture!, etc).

We have trouble with 'games', electronic toys, and/or coloring/art-they always fight over what color, whose turn, etc....

 

Mine are younger, but I've definitely noticed they play better when there aren't toys involved. Tickling, hide & seek, etc, they play together & it's adorable!!!

 

QUOTE(naomi02 @ Jul 27 2008, 06:24 PM) [snapback]898827[/snapback]
Mine are younger, but I've definitely noticed they play better when there aren't toys involved.

Exactly what I was going to say! If they are playing well together, it usually invovles some sort of imaginative play. It might involve a few things but it's usually boxes, paper towel rolls, etc rather than toys.

 

Mine play well together when they're coloring or looking through the shoe box full of 3 sets of flashcards or having some imaginative time with the stuffed animals. They've gotten really good at bartering for trade. So, if G sees that M has something she wants, she now goes and finds a baby that she knows M loves and they "negotiate" a trade. It's unbelievably cute to watch. But all hell breaks lose if the trade isn't deemed equitable. Books cause biggest fights since they both always want the same book. Electronic toys are also a big buzz kill around here. I try to keep the toys put up, but the books are always out and that is ALWAYS an issue.

 

When my girls were that age they played nicely when coloring, playing dress up, playing with their kitchen set, dolls, and polly pockets (got them when they were 4).

 

QUOTE(KCMichigan @ Jul 27 2008, 12:28 PM) [snapback]898722[/snapback]
They play 'princesses' or dolls together a lot - making them dance, sing, or tucking them into bed. They also like to play in the sand together a lot, trains set, playdough,or read books with each other (one narrates and the other makes comments like 'nice reading', ohh look at the picture!, etc).

We have trouble with 'games', electronic toys, and/or coloring/art-they always fight over what color, whose turn, etc....

Same here. They play nicely with their stuffed animals (their "friends") or Little People, or the Snap N Style dolls. They have them play school, gymnastics class, eat meals, go to bed, pretend they are babies, etc. They fight most over their Doodle Pro's. It's peaceful for about five minutes, and even though they both have the same exact ones, they fight over the stamps, who's is who's, one erases the other's picture, ugh!

 

Mine play nicely together when . . . NEVER! Sorry I'm of no help.

 

Destruction.

I had them in their cribs at their cottage and it was an hour of hysterical laughter from their room. I didn't check on them because I was cleaning and packing up to go home. When I came in....oh, you just don't want to know, but they could reach much more from their cribs than I had thought they were able to. They were playing so nicely together....and mommy must make sure it never happens again.

 

Mine are usually pretty good at playing together. The fighting is just hit or miss and not always the same thing twice. What they both want and fight over today, may not be an issue tomorrow. There's hardly ever any fighting when they're outside or in public!

 

Mine play well together when they are in different rooms!! LOL!! Just kidding

I think it is usually something that we have 2 of. They love to play outside with their lawnmowers and balls. I guess I would have to say that they dont play well with toys we just have one of, I find too much fighting!

 

We are just starting to have those moments! Sometimes they're playing with the train table, though that can get ugly fast if they both decide they want the same train or the same stretch of track. Right now they're big into their baby dolls, especially putting them to bed. They'll have extended conversations about whose baby is going to sleep where. They'll also read bedtime stories to their babies.

And they can also cooperate for quite a while by moving lots of things from one room to another -- all the trains, all the books, etc. It's sort of a very benign destruction -- makes a mess, but not that hard to put everything back where it goes.

Tickling, hide & seek, and ring around the rosie are big too, but those (at least at this age for my kids) tend to get rowdy pretty fast, and then someone gets hurt and winds up crying.