Does your baby or toddler enjoy repetitive play with everyday objects? Is she less interested in ‘proper’ toys? This is functional play, the first of four types of play outlined by Sara Smilansky, a developmental psychologist who studied how play develops in young children. The rest of the series is here: Preschoolers are happy to […]
As a child, did you love colouring in? It felt a bit like cheating, didn’t? Filling in someone else’s drawing. But it was satisfying – even therapeutic. But it’s not really drawing, is it? Does it have any value? Some early years teachers frown on colouring in because it’s not creative and has a pre-determined
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How often does your child play outdoors? Do they go out even when it’s raining? Do you believe that there’s no bad weather, only bad clothing? I once worked at a famous ‘open air’ nursery, where the children were free to come and go as they pleased, inside and out, in all weathers. Teachers were
Have you ever had a brilliant idea an activity but your child showed no interest? Have you played a game which you hoped would be fun but your child needed so much support that all momentum was lost. What went wrong? You didn’t start with the child. You know, of course, that you have to
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Have you ever wondered what the benefit of listening to stories is for children, beyond the joy of simple entertainment? Reading stories to young children helps them make sense of the world. Without experiences of their own to draw on, stories act as signposts for the young mind, directing them along the right path and
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Loose parts don’t look very inspiring. What can you do with a box-full of identical pieces? But sit with them a while and you’ll understand what makes them so fascinating. Even as adults we gain pleasure from these materials. There’s something soothing and almost meditative about arranging the pieces in a visually harmonious way. Some
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Identifying patterns – and making our own – is at the heart of learning. Help your child to master this skill and she will be on the road to reading, writing and confidence with numbers. And, best of all, it can all be done through play. What is a pattern? What makes patterns such a
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There is construction play – and then there is junk modelling. Junk modelling is by far the most creative and challenging type of construction play for young children. Toys like Lego and wooden blocks are excellent and rightly popular – but their strength is also their greatest weakness. Regular sizes and straight lines make construction
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Parlour games are great for sharing the fun. So many of today’s toys and games are played alone, especially electronic ones. Parlour games involve family time, shared experiences, interaction that is frivolous and without agenda. If you ever feel like all you do is hurry your children along from A to B, then spend five
Colour is one of the first attributes children notice about anything. It’s something children pay attention to early on. The more colour names a child knows, the better equipped they will be in the nuances of description and visual expression. Artists tend to notice more about the world than most people because they look more