Having just spent an hour with two three year-olds, facilitating play, I realized that sharing is an ongoing challenge for preschool peers. As parents and teachers we need to be patient in the process of teaching this social tool since it takes time for children to grasp and exercise sharing.
I wanted to share (ha!) a few more picture books that you can read to your child and discuss sharing–the feelings behind complying or holding on to that toy for yourself.
- Will Sheila Share? by Elivia Savadier is a very simple story of Sheila learning to share. There are some things she can share and some she can’t. Berries, juice, hugs and kisses are all options for sharing. When she realizes the downside to withholding her berries, she decides to share.
-
Read the rest of this entry »
Certain toys and games are winners as they amuse children and allow for discrete turns so a child can repeat your model, and you give them one more piece to make their masterpiece. Play-Doh’s EZ 2 Do Zoo is so popular with preschoolers, that many parents have asked where they can get it. Target sells it for under $10. Kids have the choice of making a bird, elephant, or giraffe. A bit like Mr. Potato Head in Play-Doh, this set has all the pieces to make some whacky animals! I use it to model sounds, questions, words and phrases, while the child repeats and gets a piece to add to his project.
There is always room for creativity as eyes are pushed in top of the head or tails stick out the side of the body. Today, a child sat the animal on a play car and sent it on its way. Their funny faces invite conversation and can be incorporated in any play scheme.
Put out the pieces when your child has a playdate and watch them create together or mix and match.
My son sent me an excellent article on “The Serious Need for Play” in Scientific American. Psychiatrist Stuart Brown has been studying the effects of a childhood deprived of free play. He has found that children who lack the opportunity to play freely in an unstructured environment, utilizing their imagination and pretend skills, can be hindered from growing into happy, well-adjusted adults. Free play is essential for children to grow into socially healthy adults. The article goes on to outline the benefits of a child’s free play–developing healthy social skills, relieving stress, and fostering creative thinking ultimately building academic skills.
Why be concerned about this? Because as a society we are slowly decreasing the time we leave open for free play for our kids. According to this article, “According to a paper published in 2005 in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, children’s free-play time dropped by a quarter between 1981 and 1997. Concerned about getting their kids into the right colleges,
Read the rest of this entry »
Everybody enjoys a day off and yesterday was a day to go nowhere! We had 14 inches of snow overnight and schools were closed. Many kids went “sleigh riding” as they say in the East. I am from the Midwest where we call it “sledding.” In any case it was perfect snow for making a snowman or fort.
Snow days are Duke’s favorites–other than a trip anywhere near water–so I had to photograph him with the white stuff on his nose after tunnelling through the snow to fetch his balls. After shoveling the driveway (he was NO help, dropping his ball in front of my shovel, hoping to distract me) we took off along a stream snow shoeing.
I love my work with children and writing to encourage languge development, but I also enjoy my breaks, taking in this beautiful place where I live.
One of my favorite relatively new brands in kids’ toys is Yookidoo. I was entertained at the International Toy Fair in New York City by the inventor displaying the new bath toys: “Flow and Fill Spout,” “Stack ‘n Stream Fountain,” and “Stack, Flap and Tumble.” The “Stack ‘n Stream Fountain” suctions to the bottom of your filled tub and provides endless fun as streams of water are diverted through three boats and two little people. Keep an eye out for these new toys to the Yookidoo line. Last year the three-in-one snail (examined with interest by Oreo on the left) h proved to be a favorite toy for the toddler set. A child can follow behind the rolling snail or take apart the stacking toy that rotates on the snail’s back. In a world of economic uncertainty, it is great to have a toy that can be played with in more than one way!
Last year, Yookidoo introduced their Discovery Playhouse that I reviewed before
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: educational toys, learning toys
I realized I am a full-fledged Grandma, known to the kids as Sheshe, when I packed my bag for North Carolina and had only a few items of clothing and the rest of the bag was filled with a baby doll, doll accessories, play diaper bag and doll accessories.
It’s fun to see my toy tester, 10-month-old Caroline, mouthing and exploring all her toys. As much fun as she has playing with her little Fisher Price piano and Learning House, she is just as happy crawling over to the book shelf and helping herself to a nibble of her parents’ books while ripping out the pages.
I am often asked how do you know when your child is saying her first words?
Read the rest of this entry »
I wanted to share some observations I made as I viewed my favorite booths, specializing in educational toys, books and games for the birth-8 year old set.
- In keeping with the economy, I saw some “downsized” versions of old favorites that are just as much fun but more affordable. Playmobil is introducing a pirate ship about 2/3 the size of the large version as a good price.
- To add value to the toy, I saw companies advertising 2-steps to infant toys,
Read the rest of this entry »
Wow! Talk about a kid in a candy store–try spending the day at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City, being captivated by all the new toys created for this year’s International Toy Fair. I am going to write a series of blogs on my impressions, new great finds in books, toys and games and some fun stories about the inventors and creators of the toys and games.
I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be photographed with my friend, Pengoloo as well as Blue Orange president, Julien Mayot. As you know, I love games from Blue Orange, a toy company who values creative play as well as the environment, donating two trees for every one that is cut down to make their innovative, charming wooden characters and toy pieces.
This year’s newcomers for the younger set are “Chickyboom” and “Gobblet
Read the rest of this entry »
I will admit that Valentines Day was not my favorite holiday when my three boys were growing up. Guys just didn’t look forward to “”making” valentines and it was like pulling teeth to get them to print the names of their classmates on all the envelopes. I hear that now the teachers have gotten wise and told kids not to put names on the outside so it’s simpler to put them in random bags for the students in the class.
Anyways, as I have worked with preschool and elementary aged children this week, particularly the girls have loved my bag of art supplies–red glitter blue, foam hearts, stickers and valentine pictures. Here are some free downloadable valentines that were a big hit. If you don’t have a color printer, there is a black
Read the rest of this entry »
Call me crazy but I find the obituaries in the New York Times each weekend fascinating. There is a special story behind the people who shape our world.
Friday’s paper included the obituary of Hans Beck, the designer of the little Playmobil figures. My kids and I have spent countless hours creating stories around the pirates, policemen, Indians, soldiers, life guards and knights. These little people and their minute accessories provide the start for every child’s imagination.
Mr.Beck was the original designer of these captivating figures. According to the article, Beck was originally a cabinet maker and was “hired as a toy maker after showing executives there the model airplaines he had designed.” In the early
Read the rest of this entry »
