Extending Children's Play

 

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about children's play and learning. As we settled in having shared the first month of school, we are reflecting on the children’s play as we engage daily with this beautiful community of learners. With the start of a new week, I thought I would share some considerations for extending children’s play. I’d love to hear your thoughts too. So share in the comments below. 

After careful observation of the children’s play and thinking, there is an opportunity to extend and build upon initial play ideas. Play does not occur in isolation. Within play a relationship exists between and among materials, children and educators, and the experience itself. Play is born from our previous explorations with materials and ideas. These experiences inform what will occur in the present and inturn, the present informs how the future play opportunities will unfold. Add to that our own observations of others in play and there is a rich experience filled with multi-layers of nuanced moments and creative opportunities all built upon relationships. 

Supporting children to have positive play experiences, therefore, begins with our own ability to carefully listen to and observe children. As parents and educators, we bring our own experiences with play to each encounter with children. Guiding children’s thinking and extending their current play interests rests on our ability to see, listen and honour children’s unique ideas about their play. Play is the space where children experiment, create and innovate. 

So the big question to consider is, “How do we extend children’s play without taking over with our own good intentions and ideas?” We must be considerate of the children’s play journey. Guiding them without pushing our own agenda on the play honours the rights of the child and their unique experiences in play.

Consider the following as you engage and extend with children in play

• Observe the play, document what you see, hear and notice. Take photos, videos, and notes.

• Reflect with the children. Share the experience back to them through the photos/videos. Record their thoughts. Ask questions, “I wonder why that happened?” “I noticed this…” “I see you…” “Can you share with me what made you think of that?” “What might you do next?” 

• Add new materials, books, and opportunities to think about within the children’s interest/play space. The addition of one new material ignites creative thinking and introduces another layer to the play.

• Change the location of the play. Bring the play materials outdoors for example. This can invite new thinking and innovation to children’s ideas. 

• Offer children art mediums to record their play, thinking, and ideas. Paint, pastels, charcoal, and clay can all be considered in relation to the play focus. This not only engages children in documenting their own play and learning but allows for reflection and the sharing of ideas. 

Many of the children within the learning environment have shown an interest in playing with toy cars. This past month they have sent them zooming around the room. Racing them under shelves and incorporating them within their block play. They have also built roadways with the wooden blocks collaboratively. It’s been several weeks of observing and documenting this play and thinking about how to support it alongside the children. 

Recently they were offered new materials to use with the cars to expand their interest in movement, speed, and directionality. Within the block area, the addition of PVC pipes cut to various lengths, wire sides of a crate, and a large storage container were offered to the children. What we observed was a more focused play and the experimentation of building ramps with the new materials. As the children inspired each other through their play, they shared ideas, strategies, and challenges within the design process. We look forward to reflecting with the children and seeing where this play may lead us. The journey is indeed just beginning. 

If you know someone who’d love this post. Please share it with them. I look forward to reflecting with you in the comments. Don’t forget to share below. 

Wishing You Many Creative Explorations in Play!

Sincerely,

Michelle 

Earth Day Everyday - Storybooks and Play

We are big fans of outdoor play and celebrating the wonders, joys, and gifts to be discovered while in nature. Building children's connections to the natural world through play remains an important part of our everyday experiences. So Earth Day is a time for us to renew our promise to continue to learn more about what we can do as stewards of the natural world. I am so thrilled to share a lovely invitation to play for Earth Day in this post. 

One of the ways we can support the children in gaining some insights into the gifts of the earth is to allow them time to explore freely in the outdoors. Children can also develop a love of nature through books. Storybooks are a great way to give children not only visual information from the pictures but also inspire dialogue as you build connections to their everyday experiences through reading. This post will also share just a few storybooks from my collection that engage children in thinking about the earth and celebrating her gifts. But first our invitation to play!

Materials: 

Blue sensory base

Round shallow tray

Die-cut wooden frogs, birds, butterflies, and leaves

Books to inspire children to look at the land formations of the earth. I used, "You are Here" by Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield and "Here We Are" by Oliver Jeffers. Both books are wonderful and full of images to inspire children. You could also print out a map of the world or use a globe as a point of reference. 

There is rich conversation awaiting to ignite children's thinking about the parts of the earth and their role in sustaining life through their play. If your child loves puzzles as much as my oldest does. Then the die-cut pieces are a great way to explore problem-solving and spatial reasoning too. There is a lot of learning through this Earth Day play. 

Earth Day Storybooks

Here are just a few of the books we will be sharing with the children this week in celebration of Earth Day. I cannot wait to dive into conversation with the children and support their developing stewardship for the environment through these books. 

Thanks for checking out our Earth Day play and storybook post. If you love this post please consider sharing it. We appreciate you being here. 

Let's make every day Earth Day.

Be Kind to the Earth.

Keep well my creative friends,

Michelle 

Sensory Play With Dried Flowers

Sensory play is one of my favourite experiences to share with children. There are so many opportunities for children to delight in the look, feel, texture, scents and sounds of materials during sensory play. Creating a sensory experience for your child doesn't have to be complicated. Often simple is best, and some of the most loved experiences that we have shared with children include materials from the natural world. 

To create your own sensory play experience a shallow tray provides a great space for your child to explore the materials and items you present to them. A beautiful tray is a great option and I have thrifted many of ours, giving them new life as part of the children's play materials. 

The addition of the small wooden bowls, the tongs and the spoon also invite children to give their fine motor skills a workout. As they investigate the flower's natural properties which build their connections to the natural world, children are deepening their understanding of the environment around them. This type of play engages children's curiosity and wonders. They begin to question, investigate and seek out information as they play and explore. 

I dried our flowers from Valentine's day for this invitation to play by simply placing them out on our marble baking slab for about a week. I wanted to preserve them for some sort of play experience and with the arrival of the spring weather, I knew this sensory tray would be perfect. 

In the bottom of my tray I added pink Himalayan salt. Then placed the dried flowers throughout the tray. Next, I added the bowls, tongs, and spoon along with the long wooden cookie press. The addition of a mirror as a backdrop to your child's play will add an additional element and exploration to the play experience. 

Play some quiet music reflective of the spring season such as, "Earth's Flowers" by Tim Janis to set the tone for a mindful play experience. Tim's music and videos are sure to ignite inspiration for your child's play. 

I am thinking of so many possibilities for dried flowers in our play! How would you use them in your explorations with children? Share below in the comments. 

 "If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, 

our whole life would change."

Budda

Sincerely,

Michelle