BONDING WITH YOUR KIDS

The family that plays together, stays together. Here are some creative ways to build—and capture—memories with your little ones.

What children desire most is neither money nor gifts, but your attention and company. Thankfully, you don’t have to wait for the school holidays to create meaningful memories with your family. After all, it is spending quality time together that counts.

ENGAGING IN MEANINGFUL PLAY

You can start by taking out the toys and engaging in playtime with your little ones. Contrary to the belief that they are frivolous and wasteful, toys can be a meaningful part of a child’s life. They can encourage soft-skills learning, such as creativity, imagination, problemsolving and lateral thinking.

“Learning soft skills actually comes through boredom and how children fill spare time with play,” says Kristin Papasolomontos, marketing director of Lego Certified Stores (Bricks World).

Many also subscribe to the notion that the more “stuff” the toy has, the better: Flashing lights, distracting sounds, programmed movement—the whole gamut. In reality, there is such a thing as overstimulation. With play, less is more.

“Toys that are overloaded with sensory elements present a very disruptive environment,” explains

Susan Tay, director of The Better Toy Store. “What is worse is that, often, these sounds are not moderated for children’s sensitive ears and emit too-high intensities or frequencies that may damage their hearing.”

Keep things simple with toys like LEGO bricks, and build a structure or two with your kids. It is meaningful times like these that your children will remember long after they have grown up.

CAPTURING MILESTONES

Speaking of growing up, why not commemorate milestone moments in their life by getting a professional studio portrait taken?

“Kids grow and change so quickly; before you know it, you may have missed the opportunity to grasp onto their cheekiness and antics,” says Elaine Lim, creative director of award-winning photography outfit

White Room Studio. “Recognising this, many of our customers choose to have professional portraits taken to forever remember those special interactions.”

Besides marking significant milestones, the photography session itself makes for a memorable outing for the whole family, as you get to interact with one another while the photographer captures your emotions and natural poses.

(Top) When a client approaches White Room Studio for portraiture needs, the team offers clear steps and advice on what to do to prepare for the shoot, as it is an important step towards creating meaningful family portraits.