There comes a time and day when I just want to sit back and reflect on life, thinking of the immense value of simple things. As modern day people, we don’t know how to slow down because we immerse in the daily errands, forgetting how to enjoy a slower pace in the day to day life.

Since the last thing I want is to turn into a robot who doesn’t pay much attention to herself or her family, much like Eddie Murphy’s character in Imagine That, I do my best to enjoy the small things and be happy with what I’ve got. Recently, what brought me the pure simple feeling of joy was playing games with a couple of flashlight torch with Matthew.

As we have a variety of them at home, both handheld and head torches, we got to choose different ones, alternating them for the different games we played, and it was great to see we can have so much fun at home. After this, I don’t have to worry about Matthew’s reaction if we ever go through a blackout; kids have the tendency to get addicted to screen time nowadays, I consider it my mission to protect him from this.

We had the kind of fun at home we have during our camping trips, which was refreshing. With the help of a pair of flashlight torch we turned our rooms into a world of imagination; the kitchen and dining room became mountains and caves (e.g. underneath the dining table) with lots of minerals and wildlife to explore, whereas the living room was the spot for fishing after dark and sleeping in a tent made of blankets.

Counting on the durability of the flashlights and torches, as well as the different modes and features, I’m convinced we have plenty of the same fun ahead of us, changing the modes with every game. What would flashlight games be without the main shadow charades game? As soon as we were done exploring the wilderness, it was time for shadow puppets, my husband’s favourite.

Do I recommend this sort of play? I most certainly do given the variety of developmental benefits, such as vocabulary expansion, imaginative play that enhances creativity, and socialising. He’s away from electronics and we’re part of his play as parents, so it’s fun for the whole family; simple and yet so engaging, just the way I like it!