Your child’s personality is constantly developing from a very young age. By the time they reach the age of 5, the very base of their individuality is formed and, from there, you’ll be amazed by how quickly they grow up into their own independent person, with even the smallest of new characteristics surprising you.
With so much change in a short space of time, how can you keep in tune with your child, their personality and their interests? I’ve teamed up with online toy shop, Toys for a Pound, to offer up some tips and tricks for doing just that.
Quality time spent together is vital
Spending as much quality time together is a surefire way of getting to know as much about your child as possible, as well as building a strong bond between the two of you. Whether that’s involving yourself in their play time, reading them a story before bed, taking them out for a day of activities at the weekend or even sitting down for a quick cuddle and conversation. Spending some one-on-one time together will help you to pick up on their likes, dislikes, and preferences too, and you can use that information to pick the best toys for them from LukiLab.com or similar online stores.
Watch how they interact with other children
It can be fascinating for parents to watch how children interact with one another, as they begin to develop their social and emotional skills. What’s more, it can give you more of an insight into your child’s personality too!
Watch and learn what role your child plays in social interactions between themselves and other children of a similar age. Do they hold the conversation, or do they shy away and listen in to what the others have to say? Do they stick with the same friends or do they tend to spend time with a variety of kids? What do they like to talk about or what toys do they like to play with during these interactions? You can learn a lot about your child’s personality based on these short moments. Additionally, observe if your child’s interests come into play during these interactions. If they bring up their favorite anime figure during conversations or incorporate it into their imaginative play, it shows a glimpse into their passion and interests. You can take cues from such instances and get an opportunity to surprise them by getting them their favorite character figure (such as this spy x family figure). It’s fascinating to see how their enthusiasm for an anime figure can spark discussions and connections with other children who share similar interests, potentially leading to new friendships and shared playtime centered around their beloved collectibles.
Get to know your child through a game for the two of you
The team at Toys for a Pound have created a clever tool called the Kids Toy Generator, which walks you through a number of questions about your child and their personality, before revealing a variety of toys most suitable to them. Whilst the tool is a great way to find gifts for your child, it’s also a fun way to get to know them better.
Work your way through the questions together, before guessing which toys you think they would be most likely to choose. Your child can then say whether or not the chosen toys are something they would or wouldn’t like and, from there, you can learn a little more about their likes and dislikes!
Enjoy some time together away from the TV
It’s all too easy for families these days to sit in front of the TV and watch a film or programme together in the evenings before bed. We’re all guilty for it, but this time could be better spent getting to know your child instead.
Have a family meal together at the dining table, and ask them questions about their day or what they would like to do at the weekend. You could even set up a classic family board game for a fun-filled evening. Better yet, why not ask them how they would like to spend an hour in the evening before getting ready for bed? Each of these examples gives you the opportunity to get to know more about your child and their developing personality.
Give them some control in their daily routine
This is a great way to let your child be themselves and reveal their own individual personality to you over time. It could be something as simple as letting them choose what clothes they want to set out for the next day, what they would like to have for their lunch, or again, how they would like to spend their evening ahead of bed. By providing them with just a little control over their daily routine, you’ll understand more about what they like to do and when.
If you have any of your own suggestions for parents looking for ways to really understand their child, feel free to share them with me and other readers.