Follow Us

Not Just Cute

Whole Child Development

Felt Food Fun

by Filed Under: Create 4 Comments

I’m over at Childhood 101 today with some fun ideas for making felt food.  Maybe it will give you a few ideas for some Christmas surprises!  Here’s a taste:

Image: Shelley Inspired

My children love to play with their food.  That is, they love to play with toy food.  We have a small set of inexpensive plastic food, but lately I’ve felt like it’s time to expand the menu.  In my search for new cuisine, I’ve decided that making some felt pieces might be a great route to take.  Felt food pieces offer a different sensory experience than the typical plastic pieces.  They can be both realistic and charming.  Avoiding paints and other aspects of manufacturing can also contribute to the piece’s safety.

I began scanning the internet for a few ideas and was bowled over by inspiration!  I thought I’d share a bit with you as well. [Read more…]

Guys and Dolls

by Filed Under: Learning through Play and Experience, Uncategorized 17 Comments

(Update: I now have FOUR boys, but my feelings about this remain the same.)

I have three boys.  My husband likes to say we’re specializing.  So of course I often find myself tripping over light sabers, stepping on Lego’s, and dodging Nerf darts.  But the toy that sometimes surprises visitors to our home is a couple of baby dolls.  Why would dolls have a place in a “testosterhome” like ours? [Read more…]

Enchanted Learning: The Benefits of Fantasy Play for Children

by Filed Under: Create, Learning through Play and Experience 3 Comments

I’m sharing some of my old favorites while I’m away this week.  This one was originally posted July 6, 2010.

Many parents have come to their child’s preschool teacher with the same concern.  “It seems like my child plays dress-up all day at preschool.  What could he possibly be learning from that?”  The question is understandable – what does he learn from leaping around with his cape fluttering behind him?  And yet, the question is somewhat ironic, as these very parents likely spent much of their childhood engaged in the same kind of play.

I personally still have vivid memories of my own childhood, as my playmates and I snuck past sleeping giants, swung through the trees in the Amazon, and set sparkling lures for fairies.  In fact, my playmates themselves included one conjured character named Cheney, a girl who lived in the clouds.

[Read more…]

Magic Words for Guiding Behavior: "Let's Pretend"

by Filed Under: Building Readers, Child Development & DAP, Create, Positive Guidance and Social Skills Leave a Comment

In Vivian Gussin Paley’s book, A Child’s Work: The Importance of Fantasy Play, she mentions the opportunity to use fantasy play as a tool for classroom management or child guidance.    I found this interesting, and it caused me to think about that premise, the ways I have used it in the past, and the ways I could use it to smooth out difficult situations.

As she states, “Conversations with children may arise out a ‘last straw’ annoyance, in other words, or from a sense of dramatic flow.  They can come from concerns over decorum or from respect for our imaginations.  Both approaches will manage a classroom, but one seems punitive and the other brings good social discourse, communal responsibility, and may have literary merit.” (pg. 74)

[Read more…]

Magic Words for Guiding Behavior: “Let’s Pretend”

by Filed Under: Building Readers, Child Development & DAP, Create, Positive Guidance and Social Skills Leave a Comment

In Vivian Gussin Paley’s book, A Child’s Work: The Importance of Fantasy Play, she mentions the opportunity to use fantasy play as a tool for classroom management or child guidance.    I found this interesting, and it caused me to think about that premise, the ways I have used it in the past, and the ways I could use it to smooth out difficult situations.

As she states, “Conversations with children may arise out a ‘last straw’ annoyance, in other words, or from a sense of dramatic flow.  They can come from concerns over decorum or from respect for our imaginations.  Both approaches will manage a classroom, but one seems punitive and the other brings good social discourse, communal responsibility, and may have literary merit.” (pg. 74)

[Read more…]

A Part of Their World: Adult Roles in Child's Play

by Filed Under: Learning through Play and Experience 9 Comments

I wrote yesterday about the importance of dramatic play in the development of the whole child.  It is true that a large part of the benefit from this type of play comes from the fact that it is intrinsically driven and self-guided.  However, sometimes there is a need for adult interaction or intervention.  While joining in is a natural way to  scaffold the child’s play, helping him to become more competent in the skill, it’s also a lot of fun, and a great way to build a good relationship with kids!

[Read more…]

A Part of Their World: Adult Roles in Child’s Play

by Filed Under: Learning through Play and Experience Leave a Comment

I wrote yesterday about the importance of dramatic play in the development of the whole child.  It is true that a large part of the benefit from this type of play comes from the fact that it is intrinsically driven and self-guided.  However, sometimes there is a need for adult interaction or intervention.  While joining in is a natural way to  scaffold the child’s play, helping him to become more competent in the skill, it’s also a lot of fun, and a great way to build a good relationship with kids!

[Read more…]

Enchanted Learning: The Benefits of Fantasy Play for Children

by Filed Under: Learning through Play and Experience 26 Comments

Many parents have come to their child’s preschool teacher with the same concern.  “It seems like my child plays dress-up all day at preschool.  What could he possibly be learning from that?”  The question is understandable – what does he learn from leaping around with his cape fluttering behind him?  And yet, the question is somewhat ironic, as these very parents likely spent much of their childhood engaged in the same kind of play.

I personally still have vivid memories of my own childhood, as my playmates and I snuck past sleeping giants, swung through the trees in the Amazon, and set sparkling lures for fairies.  In fact, my playmates themselves included one conjured character named Cheney, a girl who lived in the clouds.

[Read more…]

Get Our Newsletter & Developmental Guide