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Tuesday 22nd May 2017
The Benefits of Imaginary Play
The demands of parenting are endless. Ensuring that a child (or two or three or four) has what he or she needs to grow and
thrive can be as thrilling as it is demanding. We want to give our children all the things we didn’t have, to guarantee experiences to shape them into humans that can take on the challenges of the real world. But the truth is, sometimes we overdo it. Sometimes, instead of adding another toy to the toy box or downloading another educational app on the iPad, all we really need to do is let our children reach for the play thing that doesn’t cost a dime and ensures a lifetime of excellent entertainment: their imagination.
Today the concept of life without instant communication, a phone in your pocket at all times, and endless access to the internet seems like life in the stone ages. Even in an age when our children have constant, instant entertainment at their fingertips, it is more important than ever to ensure they are receiving an appropriate amount of play time using nothing but their own minds. Playing pretend gives children the ability to develop crucial skills that they may not build as easily with technology alone.
Now, in no way are we casting judgment on giving yourself a little downtime after a long day of work by putting an iPad in those little hands; there are many, many benefits to technology and our world wouldn’t be thriving without it. Plus, sometimes that ten minutes of silence is worth it at the end of a long day! We just need to balance tech time with enough creative, imaginary playtime to let our children develop the skills they need to thrive in society.
Imaginary play gives children the chance to role-play and engage in the social and emotional roles of everyday life. Whether they are pretending to be a firefighter, a superhero, or a princess, they are having experiences that allow them to view life from someone else’s perspective, creating empathy that will better equip them for social situations. When they are encouraged to play pretend with friends, siblings, or parents, they are even more likely to develop the social and cooperative skills that will help them as they grow and mature.
Imaginary play is also critical to the development of a child’s language and thinking skills. By mimicking conversations they hear while observing everyday life, children will develop their own conversational skills and make connections between their own enchanted world and real life. This connection is crucial to engaging a child’s critical thinking skills and taking them into higher level thinking. If a child and his playmate both want to play a certain role, they will be faced with the opportunity to problem solve and create a role that allows both to enjoy playtime. This kind of problem-solving is the first step in a skill that children must possess to be successful not only in
While it is important to keep up with today’s technological advances, sometimes the old saying “keep it simple” wins. That’s the point of pretend play—simplicity, at least on the surface. Who knows what kind of depths your child’s mind is reaching!
6 Household Items To Help Your Child Imagine:
Crates and Boxes: Instead of throwing them out, let your child transform one into a playhouse, a rocket ship or a boat. Ask them where they are headed on their journey and watch them get excited about pretend play.
Old Clothing Items: Those old scarves, shoes, dresses and hats are the perfect dress up costumes for your little one. Don’t you remember strutting around in your Mum’s old high heels as a kid? Or was it Dad’s boots? Either way, they’ll love pretending to be a grown-up.
Old Phone and Magazines: Kids see us use our phone to take care of business daily, so why not let them use an old one to handle a few things of their own. Playing office, house, and library are just a few they can pretend with these old items.
Kitchen Utensils: Old wooden spoons, plastic bowls, kid-friendly serving pieces make great supplies for your child to open their very own imaginary restaurant. Grab a few and let them see what they can cook up!
Stuffed Animals and Dolls: Whether Hoot and his friends are on an adventure, or the farm animals need feeding, these little guys provide never ending imaginary entertainment for little ones.
Blankets and Old sheets: Remember those old tents made of sheets that you constructed as kids: Why not give your itty
Article source: The benefits of imaginary play By: Brittany Johnson | March 22, 2017
https://www.baby-chick.com/imaginary-play/
The Parents
As a psychologist who had mostly treated adults,
Among the issues he heads off with play
DEPENDENCE: One tactic he recommends is to let the kids make up the rules of the game and win. Some parents worry this will leave a child unprepared for the real world’s rules and competition, but Larry advises a taste of power through winning ‘fills their cup’ and levels out their upset at the real world’s limits and frustrations.
SEPARATION: They’re clinging to you? Cling to them instead. This role reversal gives them
CO-OPERATION: Let the kids make up silly rules, which you follow, and even break, in order to be ‘punished’. Kids love this, and when it’s time for them to follow your rules, they’re more likely to do so, Larry advises.
TANTRUMS: Larry’s favourite tantrum stopper is to jump in with play as tensions rise. Say something like “One of us needs to scream. Shall I, or do you want to?” He notes that children use limits to unleash their frustration but paradoxically, they tend to throw tantrums when they don’t get limits because they store up frustration too long. So make up some instant funny limits – “No standing on both legs!” “No giggling!” and the frustration comes flooding out as giggles.
BRING ON THE BAD! - An unexpected tactic Larry suggests is to invite kids to do the ‘bad stuff’. This gives adults room to think better about to handle the situation, and the playful twist catches kids off guard. For example, if kids’ arguments are driving you nuts, ask the kids, “Could you guys please have a fight?”
He once encouraged his daughter’s six nine-year-old friends to deliberately shriek their heads off just before leaving the park; then later at home, he could ask them to be quiet.
ROUGH IT UP - Every parent should know how to wrestle, Larry recommends. It is a major tool for nurturing confidence, letting go of old hurts, and connecting physically (a
“When the sibling rivalry gets intense, which it often does, I can suggest wrestling and they will cheer 'yes'. When they have anxiety, roughhousing is what they ask for.”
LOOK, LAUGH AND LEARN - A
Lismore, NSW, family day care educator Megan Edwards has used play as a parenting tool for most of her 15-year-old son’s life. “Using play to set limits brought so much more fun into my relationship with my son and helped me to avoid the distance that punitive limit-setting can sometimes create. This brought the type of close loving relationship with my adolescent son I’d hoped for.”
Even if you play all the time, however, it’s a good idea to set aside what Larry calls PlayTime. This one-on-one interruptions-free period can make a great relationship even better, but it can also heal a troubled child. If you schedule it, the kids will save up their feelings for it, he advises, which can make them less demanding at other times. It gives kids permission to bring up topics that might normally be off-limits or discouraged.
Sydney’s Benn Lim,
Whatever the problem is, bring it into the play zone, advises Larry. “Say to kids, ‘I’d like to help you with that issue. Let’s play some games about that!’ The kids might come up with a game themselves. If so, go along with it – this is going to be golden. If not, act out – say to them ‘Do you want to play the parent? The kids? Shall we all be polar bears?’ The aim is laughter, which reduces the tension, not a boring lesson in the right way to behave. To model good manners, for example, display outrageously terrible manners!”
FIVE TIPS FROM LARRY TO PARENT WITH PLAY
For a more in-depth guide to play strategy, see Larry’s book, Playful Parenting,
This article was written by Natalie Ritchie 14/02/17 Source: Sydney’s child article and image: http://www.childmags.com.au
/family/parenting/9121-the-parents-playbook
April
12th March 2017
We love learning, and our early learning educators take their role very seriously.
We have started this blog to bring you useful tips and advice. Did you know that our centre uses Educa?
This is an online early learning platform that makes it easy for you to follow your child's progress and experiences.
Take a look at the features below :-)
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15th March 2017
Educational Benefits of Childcare
As a parent, you know that good childcare is important for your child. Research shows that children benefit the most from at least two years of
*Language Skills - Children not only learn the letters of the alphabet, they also learn the sounds of each letter in the alphabet.
*Math Skills - Pre-schoolers learn math skills, like how to count to ten, in both English and their home languages.
*Science - Students learn science through simple experiments such as mixing vinegar and baking soda to make a volcano.
*Critical Thinking Skills - Children learn critical thinking skills by asking for an explanation or an example if they don’t understand something. For example, asking about the rules in a game of Duck Duck Goose being played.
*Reading Skills - Students learn beginning reading skills by the teacher guiding them in sounding out words as they are being read to.
All Of These Benefits Have A Long Term Effect.
*Studies show that children with at least two to three years of preschool in their early years scored high on their final exams and also had better grades in English and math. They also took more end of year exams in various subjects.
*Children with at least two years of preschool had much higher scores than those who did not attend preschool or only had attended one year.
*Those who attended preschool had a greater benefit when starting from age three.
There are many educational benefits to enrolling your child in a childcare
References:
1. http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/opinion/two-years-of-preschool-have-more-impact-than-one-research-shows/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/28267289/i=7&from=early%20learning%20in%20children