From dance parties to hide and seek: 15 parents share exactly how they play with their kids.

As a busy parent, it sometimes feels overwhelming to do all the things we need to do each day, as well as have quality time to play with our kids.

But whether you get dressed up for a teddy bear's tea party, build giant LEGO towers, or dust off that heirloom jigsaw puzzle, playing can actually be lots of fun for us adults too. 

Mamamia heard from 15 parents on the cute and creative ways they connect and play with their big and little kids.

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Here's what they had to say:

1. "My twins are almost two and we play lots of hide and seek, DUPLO, and building blocks. Also, they’ve just started saying their first sentence, 'I see it', so we spend all day playing an 'I see it' game!" - Angela.

2. "I like a dark dance party with my three kids aged five, three, and 16 months old. We switch all the lights off and dance to our current favourite, which is the soundtrack from In the Heights. We also do craft and use play dough, we play the piano together, and we build things. I’m an early childhood teacher so it’s my thing, but I also let my kids go off and play with each other a lot." - Brodie.

3. "My son likes to act out scenes from Disney's Cars over and over and over and over. I do it but I can only handle 10 minute spurts and then I'm out!" - Asten.

4. "My kids are 11 and 12... I still love to play and hang out with them. The games are just different. We usually opt for tennis, basketball, board and card games, and we're big fans of quizzes. They’re just funny, cool people to hang out and have a laugh with!" - Bianca.

5. "I try to make a game out of the things I need to get them to do. Bath time is a real struggle for us so last night I became a bubble monster and covered my arms in bubbles and chased them around the house until they ended up in the bathroom! I also keep any old packaging from big deliveries - a giant box that our barbeque came in became their rocket this week. And bubble wrap - we jump all over it until it's done!" - Michelle.

6. "My four-year-old is obsessed with Barbies at the moment. I can usually commit to 15 minutes max before I'm done! We also do role reversal where she is the mum and I'm the little girl. She puts me to bed where I pretend to sleep. (At least get to lie down!) She loves board games like Mouse Trap and Hungry Hippos, as well as princess dress ups. My husband gets roped into fashion shows and playing hairdressers too. He's got more patience for those things than I do." - Elise.

8. "We have a big trampoline. I put catchy music on, and we bounce, run around, and play Simon Says. I came up with a great game where I lay on the trampoline and pretend I'm a sleeping snake, then the kids take turns jumping over me without waking me. If they wake me, I bite them! It's the best game ever." - Mel. 

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9. "Hide and seek is common in our house, as is fort and cubby house building. I’m not a big fan of play but I'm happy building stuff like LEGO, which our kids love, but I can’t stand playing babies or monster trucks. We also all like dance parties and our kids have a few stand out songs that they will always dance to." - Truan.

10. "I love to play hide and seek in the house with all the lights off. They love it because it gets them to think creatively, and often they work as a team to find us because let's face it, the better the hiding spot, the longer the alone time. The other is ballerina unicorn. It's basically my husband pretending to be a ballerina unicorn on the trampoline bouncing around making the kids fly in the air. It sounds weird, but they are thrilled when he agrees to the game because he gets pretty deep into the character." - Chloe. 

11. "We copy the dance moves from The Wiggles, which is by far our daughter's favourite thing to do. We see how far we can push Hot Wheels cars along while sitting down and letting the toddler collect them! We play DUPLO and also hairdressers where we sit still and let our toddler 'brush' our hair." - Tahnee.

12. "My boys are age one and four. My husband and I don't play with them a lot but when we do, we play hide and seek or we just engage in something they are doing, like playing with balloons or cars or puzzles. Before my second child was here, my husband and I used to jump a lot on the trampoline with our son and just thought of it as extra cardio!" - Laura R.

13. "My kids love to pretend to be a hairdresser or the dentist. I sit there and zone out while they do their thing!" - Lisa. 

14. "I let them take the lead usually, and only involve myself if they ask. I think independent play is important too. With pretend play, I will seed ideas and see how he responds. I let him use his imagination to problem solve. Or just to get more story out of him. Games like hide and go seek and 'play race' are also on regular rotation." - Amy.

15. "I enjoy taking my kiddo out for adventure; playgrounds, zoos, you name it. I like any activity that involves being outdoors or with sports. My partner does all the indoor playing. They build LEGO together or play hide and seek." - Liza. 

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Feature Image: Getty.

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