Put on your socks and then your shoes. Wash your hands after you have been to the bathroom. 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th. Doing things in order is important – but it’s not always easy. My children still forget to brush their teeth before putting on their school uniform. Someone gets toothpaste on their jumper …
A boy is on the beach. He squats down to fill his bucket with sand. A while later, a little girl appears alongside him. She too has a bucket, but also some moulds and a scoop. She digs and fills, tips out and shapes. They don’t talk. They barely acknowledge each other’s presence. They simply …
Here is a boy. He is doing his own thing. His sister is nearby and they are happy to be together. They trade toys, they share materials, they talk, but they don’t co-operate, they aren’t working towards a shared goal. This is associative play. It is the fifth of the Six Stages of Play. The …
Associative play | Doing different things, together Read More »
Onlooker play, a term that might seem contradictory at first, plays an integral role in your child’s developmental journey. While it might appear as though your child is merely standing on the sidelines, there’s a lot more happening beneath the surface. This stage, marked by observation without direct participation, has myriad benefits for your child’s …
Unoccupied play, though seemingly simple, plays a crucial role in your child’s early years. It lays the foundation for various developmental milestones and offers parents unique insights into their child’s world. The six stages of play Mildred Parten identified six stages of play, from unoccupied to co-operative. They chart children’s progression from playing alone to …
Have you heard of small world play? In this type of play, children can build, create and imagine, all in a small, safe and manageable ‘world’ of their own making. It’s imaginative play, only it’s more contained, often in a space that your child can return to again and again. What is small world play? …
Lie on the floor. Yes, down there. Do it now. Lie down on your tummy. All the way down, with your chin on the ground. What does the world look like from there? Now take a toy – a plastic figure or a car. Move it around in front of you. It feels like you’re …
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by toy clutter in your home? Ever felt exasperated that your child never seems to play with any of their toys? It doesn’t have to be like this! Through simple toy rotation, you can reduce clutter and increase your child’s creativity and focus. Read on to find out how: Contents: …
Open-ended play is brilliant. It encourages experimentation and perseverance and keeps your children busy for hours, buying you the time to have five minutes’ rest and a nice cup of tea. In this guide we’ll look at how you can get more of it in your life. What is open-ended play? As a child, do you …
What is a schema? Schema play is how our children learn to make sense of the world. A schema (also known as a play schema) is like a set of instructions. As adults we use them all the time, and we don’t really notice we’re doing it. Switch on a light or make a sandwich …