CreativePlay Plus: Ideas in Play and Child Development

April showers bring May flowers, but how do you help keep your kids playing creatively when it is raining outside? Mommy blogger Stephanie from Mommy Poppins® suggest pitching a tent in your living room for a good old fashion Living Room Camp Out. We love this activity because it helps your kids think outside of the box by encouraging them to:

• Turn off the electricity (including the TV and phones) and turn on the flash lights
• Tell ghost stories and sing songs around the “camp fire”
• Make animal shadows on the wall
• Go on a scavenger hunt or “nature watch” out the window
• Make indoor camp fire s’mores (with assistance from an adult of course)

Best of all, you are able to incorporate creative play with your kids even on a rainy day!

Undoubtedly an important aspect of child development is a child’s ability to be playful. No one knew this better than Dr. Seuss who said:

“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope, which is what I do. And that enables you to laugh at life’s realities.”

To be playful means to have a flexible understanding and approach to life. It also means having the ability to make an experience more joyful and entertaining. If you have a child, you understand that most children inherently have this gift to make a lot of situations fun when given the opportunity. Even something as simple as walking from the car to the front door could mean a chance to skip, twirl, fly, and buzz all the way home.  We write a lot about the importance of giving children time to play, but having a playful disposition may be just as important as the act of playing itself. One way to help your child be playful: reading books by creative writers like Dr. Seuss. Another way, be a playful parent! That way, when they come up against a boring or scary situation they have the freedom to escape into their imagination and make light of some of life’s tedious tasks.

The social and cognitive benefits of recess and free play are too important to be ignored. During recess children learn valuable social skills like learning to negotiate with peers in order to keep playing with them.

“I want to play on the monkey bars too.  How about we take turns?”

“You got to choose 4-square yesterday, today let’s play tag, okay?”

“Come play with us! We need more people to play kickball! It will be fun!”

Recess also gives children opportunities to become comfortable with deciding how they want to spend their free time and who they want to spend their time with.

The argument that physical education is a good substitute for recess is not adequately supported. The instructional nature and highly structured time found in physical education classes does not allow children the same sort of free time to explore, be creative, or control how they spend their time with peers, on their terms. Physical education also does not give them the time to practice sophisticated ways to compromise and resolve conflicts.

Dr. Anthony Pelligrini has studied important questions like, does what children do on the playground predict school achievement? In fact, Dr. Pelligrini found that the behavioral measures he developed to observe children at recess actually predicted first grade achievement better than kindergarten test scores.  Meaning, playground behaviors should be considered an important part of child development that could determine academic success of children early on in child education.

How do you feel about the amount of free-play time your children gets at school? Do you agree that play could potentially promote academic success?

Playday is an annual event in the UK that celebrates children’s right to play. On Playday thousands of children and communities will take part in locally organized events across the UK.  While this is a great opportunity for children to get out and play, the Playday campaign raises awareness about serious issues affecting children’s play. For instance, creative play is essential for physical and emotional growth, mental, intellectual and educational development, and for acquiring social and behavioral skills.

Learn more about Playday in the UK.

It seems like every time the New Year rolls around, we make resolutions to ourselves.  Lose weight. Stick to a budget.  Get organized.  So often, it seems as if those resolutions just end up falling by the wayside!  Maybe it’s time to make some resolutions that are easier to stick to, more specific, and more realistic so that we may actually accomplish them.  Instead of worrying about that extra 10 pounds, why not resolve to make 2010 the year creative play becomes an important part of life in your home?

Start by taking a look at the toys in your household – are there things the kids have outgrown?  Give them to charity!  Most likely, those toys won’t even be missed.

Next, cast a critical eye at the quality of the toys – can kids learn from and be inspired by them, or are they the types of toys which lead children into specific forms of directed play?  If you’re seeing a lot of things that wouldn’t lend a creative spark to play, put them away!  You don’t have to get rid of them, but take this opportunity to make these toys a “last resort” for an especially snowy or rainy day.

Finally, note what you have around the house that could be used for creative play, and if you haven’t already, start a “prop box” for kids to go to when you hear the words all caregivers dread the most – “I’m bored!”  The box can contain almost anything, from last year’s Halloween costumes, to towels, to stuffed animals, and even your old clothes.  Kids have the creative capacity to be inspired by almost anything, and chances are, your house is a treasure trove of potentially exciting and stimulating props that will allow them to imagine, create, and explore well into the next year, and beyond!

School age kids are all about getting things done. The famous psychologist, Erik Erikson, wrote (famously) that the core of development at this age is the crisis of “industry versus inferiority.”  In other words, children need to feel capable and competent. They need to make things, know things, and master skills. You can plug into this powerful drive when picking out the perfect presents for the kids on your list.

Projects: Children love to have special projects they can create on their own.  For younger children, look for kits that come with instructions. Older and more experienced creators need higher quality materials, and the freedom to follow their creative urges.

• Think about supplies for painting, drawing, candle-making, woodworking, macramé, knitting, assembling electronics, flower arranging, photography, and similar ventures.

Tools for science: Children with a natural curiosity about the world may enjoy a gift that helps them explore and learn about science. For that matter, it’s hard to imagine a child who wouldn’t be curious about nature, given a proper invitation. By invitation, I mean an adult who gets excited about natural things, and gives a child an opportunity to take an interest and learn about the natural world.

• Consider if your child may like a microscope and slides, a telescope, a star map, a gyroscope, binoculars for birding, a starter rock collection, a pick for digging up fossils (or just interesting junk), or a butterfly net.

Lessons: You might have bitter memories of lessons that were forced upon you. But if a child shows urges in an artistic direction, lesions can be joyful and meaningful.

• A child whose feet move with the beat might love dance lessons.

• A child who is always humming tunes may blossom with singing lessons or with a musical instrument.

• The key –and where you have to be a little lucky – is matching the child’s interest with a great teacher.
  • A great teacher doesn’t have to be the best dancer or singer or actor, but he or she does need to have a love for the subject, and a love for children and for helping them grow.

Sports and Athletics: Many children express their drive for growth and accomplishment through sports and athletics. If they’re already into a particular sport, it’s no trick to find new, better equipment for them. If they are not sporty, they might still enjoy an introduction to a new non-competitive activity.

• For the last few months I’ve been giving out 3-lb weights to patients of mine who need an extra nudge to get moving. I tell them they’re for “TV exercises” –a pleasant way to keep moving, build muscles, while mentally vegging out. The kids always seem excited.

You’ll notice that I’m not advocating out and out asking children what they want, but instead making educated guesses based on what you know about their interests and leanings.

If you do ask, most of the boys (and many of the girls) will say that they want the newest video game console or handheld player. I know this, because I’ve asked. And sure, video games aren’t entirely passive, and they do teach children things (some good things and some bad), and they do feed a child’s hunger for competence. But most relate only to a virtual world, drawing a child away from the real one. Things in everyday life become dull and boring, because they can’t compete with the non-stop action (complete with catchy theme music) in the virtual reality. Anyhow, there’s a good chance that some less original Santa will tie a boy around an electronic whiz-box. Let them. You can do better, developmentally speaking.

As the holiday season draws to a close, the final celebration on the calendar before New Year’s is Kwanzaa.  Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday; instead, it was established in 1966 to celebrate the African-American heritage and to reinforce positive values within the community.  It is celebrated over the course of seven days, beginning on December 26th, and ending on January 1st.  December 31st is the major feast day, when a festive meal is prepared for family and friends.

There are plenty of ways to help kids learn about Kwanzaa.  One way for them to gain a better understanding of the holiday is to have them make a traditional candle holder, known as a kinara, which holds a candle for each of the seven days of Kwanzaa.  Each station on the kinara can then be labeled with one of the seven principles of the holiday, and a candle lit on each day, leading up to January 1st (with an adult’s supervision, of course!).

Next, get children excited to learn about Kwanzaa by having them help out in the kitchen while preparing several traditional Kwanzaa recipes.  This is the perfect way to have your own mini-feast! Dishes such as Salmon Croquettes and Sweet Potato Pecan Bars are fun foods that kids can enjoy helping you make, and enjoy eating even more.

Finally, help kids learn about Kwanzaa and internalize the seven principles through a variety of activities which engage them in the learning process.  Simple printable Kwanzaa coloring pages detailing the lessons of the holiday are one way to do just that.  Or, try helping them make a Kwanzaa handprint wreath – an enduring way to preserve memories of the holiday and see how kids have grown throughout the years.

No matter how you choose to learn about Kwanzaa, with so many fun things to do, it’s sure to be an exciting and educational time for everyone!

The holiday season is made up of several major holidays, of which Hanukkah is first. If you follow the Jewish faith, this is a great time to commemorate the holiday with children through creative play, while allowing them to take part in important family and religious traditions.  Even if you don’t traditionally celebrate Hanukkah, but are interested in exposing kids to religious diversity, there are plenty of ways to do that, too.

One way to get kids involved in celebrating and understanding Hanukkah is by grabbing your prop box and encouraging them to act out the Hanukkah story.

For the less theatrical group, crafting may be more your thing.  There are a variety of different ways to use creative crafts to celebrate Hanukkah.  Anything from the traditional menorah to a fun dreidel can be crafted easily and inexpensively out of things you have on hand or even in your own backyard!

Another fun (and yummy!) way to celebrate Hanukkah is by making specific traditional foods.  Delicious Hanukkah recipes for dishes such as potato latkes, kugel, and apple fritters are widely available, and often simple to make.  Just be sure that an adult is on hand to help supervise the cooking!  If you sit down for a special meal of Hanukkah favorites, you may want to include a special holiday blessing.

Lastly, there are many games and activities which can make what is often known as the “Festival of Lights” into an educational but fun time for the whole family.  From coloring pages, to puzzles, to the traditional dreidel game, there are many ways to celebrate Hanukkah, while honoring the ancient traditions of the holiday.

The holidays are here, and if you’re a parent or caregiver to children, it’s a great time to start thinking about winter break activities that will keep kids busy and having fun.  As an added bonus, if the activities result in a little learning, well then, all the better!

Some of the best winter break activities are fairly traditional, like making snowmen in colder climates when weather permits.  But how about taking that outdoor fun to a new level by creating different kinds of snow creatures, from snowdogs to snowmonsters?  Don’t forget to utilize your creative play prop box during this activity – you’ll be amazed at what kids will find to “dress up” their creations!

Another great winter break activity for a frosty day is baking or cooking (with an adult’s supervision, of course!).  Have a book of child-friendly recipes on hand and let them choose what they want to make (make sure it’s age-appropriate – even kids’ cookbooks generally span a range of ages).  Then take them to the grocery store with a list of needed ingredients.  For older children, this is a great time to start shaping skills such as selecting produce or even budgeting.  Let them pick out what’s on the list, and only guide them when they get off track.  Once you get everything home, make a production out of it!  Tie on aprons, make chefs hats out of napkins, and get cooking!

For a simpler take on baking, buy refrigerated sugar cookie dough, and let kids of all ages have a chance to shape, bake, and decorate the final product.  Don’t feel limited to traditional holiday themes –a little cookie dough and a lot of creative energy will produce hours of incredible, edible art in all shapes and sizes.

Finally, the holidays are a time when many children receive gifts from various friends and relatives, and the perfect winter break activity to thank others for their generosity is making homemade thank you cards.  This is an excellent way to let kids get creative, while making a lasting and much-appreciated memento for the gift giver.  Gather up whatever art supplies you have on hand, a list of recipients and you’re ready to go!  This is the ideal opportunity to have a little messy, crafty fun, while learning the art of expressing gratitude to those around us at a very special time of year.

Mother of Tears: The Third Mother dvdrip Lie to Me movie download The holiday season is wonderful time of year that for some can mean a lot of stress and restless children. Often, families have to travel to see one other, normal routines that children follow may be thrown out the window, and it is sometimes the case that children are coming together with relatives or other children who they don’t know well.

When children become “bored” or feel out of their element, a lot of parents find that their kids tend to get into trouble or become clingy and demanding. So how do you keep children happy during holiday gatherings so you can also socialize and catch up with relatives? One way is to try to come up with activities that children can get involved in regardless of age or ability.

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• Have supplies available for a craft project and have children make decorative napkin holders, place cards, or center pieces for the table.  Check out enchanted learning to get some wonderful, easy craft projects for children preschool-elementary school aged.

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• Children can also draw pictures of what they are thankful for and have older children write down their stories with the picture. During dinner or dessert have everyone share what they are thankful for this Thanksgiving!

What are some of the ways you encourage the children at your holiday gatherings to get along and do something together?