Whole Child Development
I’m reading a fascinating book called Crucial Conversations, by Kerry Petterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler. It’s been sitting on my proverbial nightstand for at least a year now, and after hearing it recommended again from about a fourth source – from education administrators to business execs to parents – I decided I’d better start reading.
Kids lose it. They cry. And that can be a stressful thing. Especially when you were already on your last nerve sometime yesterday. But there’s something I hear parents say that makes me cringe a little. It comes in many forms: “No tears,” “Big boys don’t cry,” or the many other variations of “Stop crying now.” It’s understandable to a degree. The crying is stressful. But there are a few things we have to realize.
Imagine we’re all going into business together. You, me, and those other cyberfriends out there. We’re starting a fix-it shop and we’re about to open our doors. We will handle all kinds of problems: broken windows, leaky pipes, squeaky doors….You name it, we can fix it! We’re about to start fielding phone calls from frantic home owners with all kinds of problems, and we need to make sure everyone has their tools ready. So we all check out our toolboxes. In each toolbox is one, solitary hammer. It’s shiny and new, and handy in many different situations, but is it really enough to get us through every situation?
I am a firm believer that social skills should be taught directly, and then implemented and brought into habit through play and experience. During the very first weeks, I introduce the tools for entering play and taking turns. These are key areas of social conflict when you get a group of new preschoolers together!
I am a firm believer that social skills should be taught directly, and then implemented and brought into habit through play and experience. During the very first weeks, I introduce the tools for entering play and taking turns. These are key areas of social conflict when you get a group of new preschoolers together!
(Find instructions for superhero capes here.)
Superhero play is a theme that appears to enter into the imaginative play of every child at one time or another. In fact, researchers French and Pena (1991) have found that the theme of superhero play has greatly increased since the advent of television, specifically for children in the early childhood years. Other researchers hypothesize that boys in particular have a natural inclination toward “weapon play” that may be genetically tied to the Y chromosome. Whether hero play is brought on by media influences or genetic inclinations, there are many ways children can benefit from this type of play with the proper guidance.
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