Parenting with Play: Easy and Creative Ideas for famalies

By Petro Kovalenko

Imagine turning everyday moments with your child into magical, memory-filled adventures! Parenting with Play is not just a book—it's a heartfelt collection of ideas born from our most recent, hands-on experiences as parents.

This book celebrates the joys of family bonding while encouraging creativity, discovery, and child development. Each activity is designed to spark imagination, support learning, and create meaningful moments—all while keeping things simple and stress-free.

Grouped into four inspiring themes—Imagination and Creativity, Exploration and Discovery, Learning and Growing, and Active and Energetic—these ideas are perfect for children aged 2 to 4 years. Whether you're crafting stories, going on treasure hunts, or enjoying playful games, you'll find activities to match every mood and moment.

Unlike traditional parenting guides, this book doesn't aim to teach—it's about sharing. As parents with backgrounds in psychology, we've embraced the journey of raising our young son and now invite you to join us in celebrating the little moments that make childhood magical.

Let these pages inspire you to play, connect, and create memories that last a lifetime. Start your adventure today and discover how easy it can be to turn everyday interactions into joyful experiences!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Petro Kuida
• Release date: Apr 28, 2025
• ISBN: 9798231195879

Book preview

Introduction

​Parenting is a journey full of surprises, joy, and the occasional challenge. Some of our happiest moments as parents have come from the simplest activities—like tracing each other’s hands, hunting for treasures in nature, or making up silly stories before bed. These small moments, filled with laughter and curiosity, are what inspired us to write this book.

We’re Petro and Kateryna, parents to a lively 3-and-a-half-year-old named Marko. Like many parents, we’ve found that raising a child is as much about learning as it is about teaching. Every day with Marko is an adventure, and through these shared experiences, we’ve discovered creative ways to nurture his growth, spark his imagination, and create memories we’ll cherish forever.

With our background in psychology and experience working with children with special needs, we’ve learned a lot about child development. However, this book isn’t a guide full of rules or a scientific manual. Instead, it’s a collection of ideas from our own family life—real, tried-and-tested activities that are simple, fun, and meaningful.

We know that every child is unique, with their own interests, abilities, and quirks. That’s why this book is flexible, offering inspiration rather than prescriptions. Whether your child loves exploring the outdoors, creating art, or engaging in imaginative play, you’ll find something here to spark their curiosity and strengthen your bond.

​Inside, you’ll discover activities designed for children aged 2 to 4 years old. These aren’t complicated projects requiring endless preparation—they’re everyday opportunities to connect, play, and learn together.

​Thank you for allowing us to be part of your parenting journey. We hope this book brings as much joy to your family as these activities have brought to ours. Let’s make some memories together!

​Imagination and Creativity

​Building Together

Petro:

Building toys are incredible for sparking creativity and learning, but the real magic happens when you join in. Over the years, we’ve explored all kinds of options—rubber blocks, wooden sets, and, of course, LEGO Duplo. The best sessions were always the ones where we built together, though Marko’s solo creations have been equally impressive as he’s grown.

When Marko was about 1.5 years old, we started with a set of soft, colorful rubber cubes. His favorite activity back then? Knocking down towers I built! No matter how carefully I stacked the blocks, they’d come crashing down with his gleeful little hands. And honestly, it was as fun for me as it was for him. At that stage, it wasn’t about creating something perfect—it was about exploring textures, improving motor skills, and having fun.

By the time Marko turned 2, his interest in building had expanded. We introduced LEGO Duplo sets, starting with a farm-themed kit filled with animals and simple blocks. In the beginning, Kateryna and I were the engineers, constructing barns and towers while Marko observed or played with the animals. Gradually, he began stacking blocks himself, eventually creating little houses for his animals. Each animal had a name and a story, and his imagination turned our building sessions into elaborate roleplay adventures.

One of our favorite shared activities became a challenge to build the tallest tower we could. Marko’s excitement would grow with every block we added, and his sense of accomplishment when the tower reached his height was priceless. These moments weren’t just about play—they were about discovering what we could achieve together, one block at a time.

Kateryna:

What I’ve loved most about building toys is how they inspire creativity and storytelling. As Marko grew more confident, his roleplay ideas became more detailed. He’d create garages for his Hot Wheels cars, complete with parking spaces and ramps. His big truck even became a vital part of these games, transporting bricks to the construction site.

Sometimes, Marko played solo, constructing homes for his toy animals or garages for his cars. For us, this was a win-win—it gave him a chance to practice independent play while we got a few precious moments to focus on other things.

As Marko’s skills improved, we introduced a new twist to our building games: creating a city together. We’d start by deciding on a theme—like a city for cars or a zoo for animals. Marko would take the lead, deciding where each building or structure should go, while Petro and I helped with construction. We’d build roads using tape on the floor for his toy cars to travel on or paths for his animals to explore. Marko even assigned roles: he was the city mayor, while we were the builders.

This activity encouraged teamwork, planning, and problem-solving. It also sparked Marko’s curiosity about real cities and how things like roads and buildings are designed. Plus, it added a fun, interactive layer to his imaginative play.

Benefits:

●  Encourages creativity and storytelling through imaginative play.

●  Develops fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and spatial awareness.

●  Teaches teamwork, patience, and problem-solving.

●  Fosters independence while also creating opportunities for family bonding.

●  Sparks curiosity about the real world, like how cities and buildings are planned.

​Imagining a Boat Trip

Petro: One of Marko’s favorite games is pretending we’re on a boat trip. His bed becomes our ship, and we build a cozy little cabin using blankets and pillows to hide from imaginary storms. The first step is deciding where we’re heading—sometimes it’s to visit his grandma, other times it’s a trip to the supermarket or even different countries.

Over the last two years, we’ve lived in Albania and Croatia, so Marko remembers bits and pieces from those places. When I suggest, Let’s sail to Albania, he lights up and remembers the pond with ducks there. He’ll say, But first, let’s stop at the supermarket to buy food for the ducks! It’s such a fun way to see how his little mind works.

Of course, no trip is complete without passengers, so he always invites his toy friends. His giraffe and kittens are his loyal crew. These toys have been with him since he was one year old in Ukraine. We couldn’t take many toys when we had to leave,