Part of the Sparklings Friends, Paige the Tiger offers endless possibilities for pretend play. Even before our toy tester knew she had an “on” switch, she immediately took the included accessories: a crown, brush, and barrette, and said “I’m playing dress up with her!” and began talking to Paige saying “your tail is so soft” and then created play sequences, “First I need to comb her fur and then put her crown on.”
Play schemas are patterns of behavior that allow children to explore and express developing ideas through exploration. Using play schemas allows children to better understand their experiences by using hands-on play that engage active learning.
Paige the Tiger also talks, sings, and changes colors. Each color represents a different mood. My four year old friend went straight to interpreting her moods as Paige turned colors. When her colors turned red, she said “Oh no! She’s mad. I’m tickling her!” When she turned blue, she said “Maybe she’s thirsty” and began to pretend to bring her some water while she lapped it up.
Paige the Tiger, and the rest of the Sparklings Friends, offer great play value while sparking pretend play and conversations about emotions. After we discovered a few of Paige’s feelings, our 4 year old was eager to talk about her own emotions: “I’m so excited I could jump!” Needless to say, Paige was the center of the story during open play and our toy tester was able to build language skills and EQ (emotional quotient) as it encouraged more discussions about feelings.
