Page 21 – Playful Learning

The Gift of Failure: The Importance of Letting Children Make Mistakes

By Mariah Bruehl, 12th February 2014

I am well-versed in all of the sound bites… It’s okay to make mistakes, learn from your mistakes, mistakes welcome here! I have them all perfectly lined up in my intellectualized self. Yet the truth is that I was exposed this Valentine’s Day season.

As my children get older, I am letting them take on more responsibility. For example, we just moved, which is giving me an exciting opportunity to re-create our atelier. I am finding that my philosophy for creating spaces for older children is evolving. As my daughters get more and more inspired by DIYs they discover on the internet (I discuss this phenomena more here), I am making more and more materials readily available and accessible to them, so that they can create spontaneously and independently.

It has been interesting to watch them embrace this new found freedom and I love seeing how empowered they feel when they can bring their ideas to life. I am taking a backseat in this process and have been watching in awe as they rise to the occasion.

Except, believe it or not, I have found that I have natural tendencies to be the worst kind of backseat driver! I can confidently rattle off all of the well rehearsed lines about the benefits of making mistakes, but I found myself jumping in on numerous occasions in an effort to “help” the girls avoid making mistakes. I am grateful that the first couple of times they respectfully declined to take my advice, which gave me the opportunity to observe their process in its entirety. And what happened? When I finally stepped way back, they were both able to take their projects from idea to completion. While some of their initial attempts didn’t work, they adapted, changed strategies, incorporated different materials, and yes, learned a lot along the way.

Two simple examples are…

On the card in the photo above, my daughter wanted to individually stamp each letter in her Valentine message. Although it was a lovely idea, I knew that she would burn out and not want to finish all of them. When I tried to “help” her by telling her that upfront, she looked at me as if I was squashing her creative brilliance (and I was). So, I stepped back and let her execute her plan. After two cards she decided it wasn’t going to happen and changed her card design. All without any input from me. It was a wonderful process to witness, because she enjoyed every minute of it and was very pleased with herself and the beautiful Valentines that she made for her friends at school.
I usually micromanage the set-up and clean-up experience. Yet, I am also starting to encourage bigger projects that take place over time, which means that we may need to leave materials out for longer periods. When I came into the atelier the next morning, after a fun night of making Valentine’s, I saw that my daughter had forgot to put the top back on the glue stick. In the past I would have made sure that did not happen. Yet, it did, and I realized that it was another good learning opportunity. I left it there until she came back to continue her work. I let her discover it on her own, so that she could internalize the fact that the glues stick was unusable and had been ruined. That process was far more powerful than if I had reminded her for the 463rd time to make sure the lid was on the glues stick or if I had been the one to point out that it was left off and shame her for her actions. Did we have to sacrifice a good glue stick? Yes, but I can’t help but think that she will be a lot more thoughtful about taking care of her art materials in the future.

I realized that my quick suggestions about what would work and what would not work might have saved them time, but would have defeated the purpose. I realized that the reason I had those quick answers is because I had years of mistakes under my belt. I realized that my daughters also need years of mistakes under their belts as well. Then, I realized that if I am so quick to jump in during craft sessions in an effort for them to avoid failure, that I must be doing it in other areas of their lives. What other learning opportunities am I sabotaging with my good intentions?

I am more convinced than ever that we need to let children… Feel life. Experience cause and effect. Develop hypotheses and modify them as they test their ideas. Get knocked down. Get back up. Take risks… And find their voices.

SaveSave

In the Community: Experiential Learning

By Mariah Bruehl, 11th February 2014

Monique of Green Acorns is with us today with to share the power that comes with introducing children to role models within our communities.

I educate my three children at home. It is one of the most challenging roles I have taken on and also one of the most rewarding. As my children get older and their interests broaden, I have had to accept that I cannot teach them all that they desire to know. I can, however, continue to support their interests by providing them with the right tools. One of our goals for this year has been to get out in our community more and take advantage of the wonderful resources it’s members have to offer.

As I walked down the “artist wing” of a local business complex one day, I noticed one particular studio with its doors wide open. In speaking with my friend in that building I found out that this particular artist loves for people to pop their head in and see what he’s working on (and his dog LOVES making new friends). Aha! I had found an artist who was willing to talk to my children about painting techniques, give a demonstration, and answer their questions! That small moment set me on a course of connecting with other community members who may be willing to give their time and talents to nurture my children’s interests and enhance their learning. So far I have connected with someone to teach basket weaving, a pilot to demonstrate the physics of flight, an architect to discuss design principles, a neighbor to teach knitting, and some bird and wildlife biologists.

Some of these connections may be a one time meeting and some will be on-going but all will positively influence my children and will foster a deeper level of learning. Children learn best when what they are learning is relevant to their interests and they are thoroughly engaged. This type of experiential learning can also improve confidence and communication skills, develop a sense of citizenship, and allows children to see how skills apply in the broader world.

If this is something you would like to try for your child, whether you home-school or not, but you’re not sure where to begin or it seems overwhelming, try starting by reaching out to family and friends. Think about your child’s interests and consider who you know with skills that match those interests. Is your child fascinated with wood scraps and likes to fit things together? Perhaps a grandparent has some building or woodworking skills. Does your child love birds? Perhaps there’s serious bird-watcher in your neighborhood. Never be afraid to ask. Start with one area of interest and be clear on what you hope, and your child hopes, to take away from the experience. Let yourself be open to where the experience may lead and continue to provide your child with the right tools that will continue to foster his or her love of learning.

Now if I can find a local stunt-person for my son…

Designing Spaces for Children: Texture

By Mariah Bruehl, 4th February 2014

“Space speaks to us. Long corridors whisper ‘run’ to a child; picket fences invite us to trail our hands along the slats. Physical objects have emotional messages of warmth, pleasure, solemnity, fear; action messages of come close, touch me, or stay away.“ -Jim Greenman

Children explore their surroundings with all of their senses. From the moment of birth, touch is an essential component to communication. Texture is appreciated almost always by touch yet it can also have a strong visual presence. We each experience texture differently so it is important to include a variety of textures when creating spaces for children. The aim should be to create a multi-sensory setting with many different materials. Materials that are rough and smooth, warm and cold, wet and dry, hard and soft, and so on.

Furnishings like pillows, rugs, and textiles are soft and promote a feeling of security and belonging. Including plants, wood, and other natural materials adds complexity and intrigue, especially when used in unconventional ways.

Baskets provide wonderful texture. Using them to store materials, such as books, is an attractive way to organize that adds both dimension and warmth to your space.

Curious how to display the many treasures children find outside in nature? On this shelf, moss is placed on top of a mirror while bundles of pine needles lay on a large felt circle. When materials are displayed in an inviting way, children are encouraged to explore their properties. This supports the development of observational skills where children can begin to differentiate, categorize, and classify.

There are also countless sensory experiences that encourage exploration of texture…

What materials are you, or your children, most drawn to? Where is texture visible in your space?

Weaving 101

By Mariah Bruehl, 3rd February 2014

Heather of Poppy Haus is with us today to share a DIY on a wonderful weaving project for kids and grown-ups… I can’t wait to try it!

In addition to being a mom and a DIY blogger, I am also an Interior Design student. Earlier this year I took a textiles class where I learned about fibers, fabrics, printing techniques, and weaves. One of our final assignments had us building simple looms from a piece of cardboard and string to create a wool tapestry using a variety of weaving techniques. For this post, I sat down with a couple of crafty 10 year olds, Ella and Amelia, and following the same steps, they built their own looms and tapestries. This is my favorite kind of project; the kind where math and art combine, and composition and craftsmanship influence the end result. I think they did a beautiful job! Here’s the tutorial in full. Follow along with the photos and it won’t feel all that complicated, I promise.

Materials:

1 piece of cardboard, at least 8 inches wide, and 15 inches long
Embroidery thread, or thin string, about 14 yards
1 piece of construction paper or cardstock
Pencil
Ruler
Scissors
Yarn (multiple colors)
Wooden dowel or stick, cut to about 8”
Leather or twine for hanging

Step 1: Making the loom

Using a ruler, mark the center point of the width, and mark ¼” segments 10 each side of center, a total of 21. Repeat on the other end. Cut the segments ¼” deep with a pair of scissors.
Wrap the end of the thread around the outermost cut, winding in one or two spaces, then back to the outer cut to secure the thread.
Wind around, lengthwise, end to end, with decent tension (do not warp cardboard) until you reach the last cut on the other side, secure in the same way, by wrapping back in and out, and trim the end. You have made the warp! And you are ready to weave in the yarn, crosswise, this is called the weft.
Fold a piece of construction paper in half lengthwise, then fold until it is about ½”x 8”, insert under the strings on one end. This lifts them for weaving.

Step 2: Plain Weave (Tabby Weave)

To start weaving, wrap a few feet of yarn around your pinky and thumb to form a skein.
Starting from the left side, with the loom in front of you, lengthwise, paper side closest to you, insert the end of the skein in and out the first few warp strings, tuck the end down toward the paper.
Starting from left to right, weave over and under each warp thread, back and forth either side. keep it really LOOSE, if you make it too tight, it’ll pull the warp threads together and the tapestry won’t be straight. Do about 10 rows to make a full inch. Push it down to compact and make the weave tight.

Step 3: Sloping

After an inch or so of tabby, starting 4 warp strings in, anchor your yarn as you did with the plain weave, and work back and forth, plain weave, to the other side, 4 places in. Do this for 5 rows, the drop a warp thread each side, repeat for another 5 rows, drop another each side, repeat, until you get to just two warp threads, winding around 5 rows, cut off and tuck under. You now have a big triangle.
To fill in the sides of the triangle, tabby back and forth in different colors, varying the width of each row, to create a gradual sloping effect.
Follow with another inch (10 rows) of plain weave.

Step 4: The Swedish Braid

Anchor your yarn, and go over 2 warp threads, looping under the 2nd thread, repeat all the way across.
Go back and forth at least 4 times to create an inch of braid.
Follow with another inch of plain weave

Step 5: Dovetail

Working with three different skeins of yarn, create color block by interlocking weaves as they meet on warp yarns. To do this divide the loom into three sections, of 7 warp threads each. Tabby across, when, where they meet, twist the yarns around one another and turn back, the middle row will interlock on both sides, or one of the outer blocks can not connect, leaving a slot.
Follow with another inch of plain weave.

Step 7: RYA Weave (the fringe weave)

This one is fun! Cut yarn several (40-60) 1 ½ inch pieces of yarn.
Center the yarn over two warp threads and pull ends up through the warp. Go across one row.
On the return (right to left) drop the first warp thread so that your knot will offset from the first row. Repeat for 3-4 rows.
Follow with an inch of plain weave.

Step 8: Tie it Off

Pull the paper guide out of the loom, and compress the weave, it will be about 5”x5”.
Cut the warp threads (leaving 5 inches of thread on either side to tie off.
Use a square knot to tie 2 threads together at a time, trim flush with the tapestry.

Step 9: Tassels!

I made pom-pom tassels for the girls to hang off their tapestries. To do this just wrap yarn around the tines of a fork, about 50 revolutions.
Remove the looped yarn, tying around the middle with another piece of yarn.
Cut the loops and even out to make a perfect ball
Attach to the back side of the tapestry with a piece of yarn, just by knotting through some of the weave under the RYA tufting.

Step 10: Hang and Enjoy!

I attached the tapestry to the dowel by looping pieces of yarn through the weave, tying it off, trimming and inserting the dowel.
Knot a piece of leather cord around either end of the dowel and you are finished!

Ideas + Resources for Collaborative Art

By Mariah Bruehl, 30th January 2014

Rebecca from Thirteen Red Shoes is with us today to share some inspiring resources for creating collaborative art with the budding young makers in our lives.

I just adore the concept of creating with your child. There are so many different ways in which you can create with the littles in your life. It just takes a little planning and preparation in order for it to be successful.

Below are a few ideas to help you free your creative side and spend some time exploring the imaginative side with your favorite little people.

Online Resources:

1. Busy Mockingbird blog. Particularly this most delightful post, which discusses the unexpected collaboration of the artist with her four year old. The line “ if you can’t share, we might have to take it away ” was spoken by her daughter one afternoon when Mica brought out her new sketchbook and made her change her mind about components of her art. The final products between mother and daughter are so very inspiring. I want to begin collaborative art with my little ones tomorrow! Keep an eye on the TED X talks as Mica Angela Hendricks is preparing for a talk at the moment.

2. Amag This is an online architecture magazine for children and adults to engage in together. It is part of the Open Educational Resources hub, which enables family access to educational content from around the world. This is such an intensive program. There are endless ways in which this site can foster creative development. The supportive education content that goes with each article is simply amazing. This is a concept I hope to share with my boys. An example of a learning experience can be found here.

3. Made By Joel Joel is an artist and designer who founded this wonderful site. He offers such an amazing range of activities which are often collaborative in nature and engaging. If the concept of drawing and creating freehand is intimidating at first, why not start with coloring pages to sit down and enjoy while dinner cooks on the stove? Some free coloring sheets can be found on Made By Joel’s site here, or you can purchase posters from other resources to color together. My personal favorites are these amazing Draw Me A Lion posters and the Giant Coloring Pages from OMY shop.

Hands on Ideas:

1. Projecteo Gather a series of images captured by your little ones from a nature walk, number search, LEGO creations, cooking, books shared or of favorite people in your life. Rather than have these image live in the digital world have them made into a mini projector at Prejecteo. The following code will give you a discount! FRIEND08ZT

2. Collaborative Weaving, which I shared about a few weeks ago. This is such a delightful project that knows no boundaries.

Reading Resources:

1. The Artist’s Way for Parents: Raising Creative Children by Julia Cameron, published by Allen and Unwin.

There are three key tools that Julia encourages every parent to incorporate into their lives and the lives of their children:

A. Morning Pages – Three pages of longhand writing that the parent does alone. A portable, private support kit for the parent, a safe place to process feelings, ultimately making you able to be more present in your day and with your child.

B. Creative Expedition – A once-weekly duel adventure that the parent and child plan, look forward to and take together. A creative expedition doesn’t need to be large, but it does need to be festive.

C. Highlights – A daily bedtime ritual in which the parent and child each share their favorite moment from the day

I believe so very much in Julia’s three guiding principles. I just need to be able to put these into practice. I can envisage Step 2 and 3, but Step one I am not so sure!

2. Big Kids Magazine BIG Kids Magazine is an Australian contemporary creative arts publication that features the work of children and artists side by side. BIG stands for Bravery, Imagination and Generosity. The magazine accepts submissions for their magazine throughout the year in regards to specific themes. This magazine is delightful in every way and truly values the relationship between artist and child.

Photo Credits: The Busy Mockingbird / Amag / Made by Joel / OMY Shop

Yoga For Kids: Animals in Winter

By Mariah Bruehl, 29th January 2014

Monique of Green Acorns is with us today with to share a wonderful winter yoga sequence to share with the little yogis in our lives.

Here in the northeastern U.S. the January thaw has come and gone and temperatures have dipped once again. We bundle up in layers from head to toe to tolerate being outdoors and come in to warmed houses when we can bear it no longer. But what do wild animals do? How do they survive winter’s cold? This is often a point of curiosity for children and a wonderful source for playful learning activities.

Why not encourage your children to put themselves in the animals’ skins? Start by reading some books on the topic to help your child gain a better understanding of animals’ survival techniques. These are a few of our favorites:

Animals in Winter by Henrietta Bancroft
Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner
Not a Buzz to be Found by Linda Glaser
The Big Snow by Berta & Elmer Hader

After some exploration and discussion your child should be ready for some movement, imagination, and fun! Just follow the “Animals in Winter” yoga sequence to support your child pretending to be various animals preparing for their winter survival. As your child walks like a bear looking for a den, wraps up in a cocoon, and flies like a migrating bird, they will be having fun and doing their body good while reinforcing their learning.

Download Animals in Winter Yoga here.

The Benefits of Raising Bilingual Children

By Mariah Bruehl, 21st January 2014

Nuria from the The Adventures Archive is here today to share some helpful tips on raising bilingual children…

By now you’ve probably heard a lot about the benefits of bilingual education. From enhancing your kids cognitive capacity, to a better developed linguistic understanding, there are so many reasons why you should introduce more than one language in your home. Today I wanted to focus on a less known advantage, mental flexibility.

Kids don’t do grey. Their world is all black or white, things are “grrrreat” or “oooful”, they love something “so very much” or they “hate it forever”. And most of the times if you give them a task they’ll want to do it just one particular way.

Yet teaching kids mental flexibility is crucial. A child who is not mentally flexible has trouble adapting to unexpected changes in routine, finds it hard to self-evaluate and is less willing to embrace other people’s opinions. They can grow up to become rigid adults that lack the elasticity that is needed to find different solutions or to work inside a team.

While there are many ways to teach this mental agility, exposing children to different languages can deeply enhance this type of flexibility. Why is that? Let me show you this example. This is a drawing made by my daughter (she speaks Spanish, English and Italian):

The left one is the Italian version of a spoon, “il cucchiaio”, a masculine word. On the right you can see “la cuchara”, the Spanish word, which is feminine.

Just like that, a simple word opens two possibilities. In her brain there isn’t only one way to consider a spoon, it can be seen in at least two different manners and both of them are equally right and valuable.

Ready to create a bilingual environment in your home? Then follow these steps:

Take it easy: adding another language shouldn’t feel like an imposition but rather something natural. If your kids already speak one language, introduce the new one gradually.

Make it fun: from iPad apps to interactive DVDs it’s never been easier to find cool multilingual tools for our kids. If Spanish is your choice you can show them these fun videos that my girls have recorded. Here are some of my favorite bilingual apps:
- Mindsnack s (Spanish)
- Gus on the Go (10 different languages)
- Lately Lily (French/English)
- Dic-Dic (multilingual app to practice spelling).
- Kids Learn Mandarin
- Finally, I love A Story Before Bed eBooks. They let you add the book’s audio so a parent can record it to the kid in his or her native language.

Ask for help: research suggests that a child needs to be exposed to a language 30% of his waking time to actively speak it, so if you are a working parent you may find this difficult to achieve. Find a bilingual school, hire a foreign nanny or ask a relative to help. Even if they live far away they can connect with your child via web cam and have regular chats.

Stick to it: consistency and perseverance are the key. If you choose to speak in one language to your kid try to do so always. Also, don’t succumb to peer pressure. Most bilingual kids have a slower start and it can be frustrating to watch them struggle but they always catch up eventually.

Are your kids multilingual? Do you want them to become so? Either way, I’d love to hear your opinions about it.

Ready For Spring: Garden Planning with Kids

By Mariah Bruehl, 17th January 2014

Here in Central California, we have an early grow season and the perfect time to set your summer seeds indoors, or in a greenhouse is January and February. Knowing how desperately my children wanted their own garden beds to tend to this past summer, I made a real effort to include them in the planning process.

Here are some simple steps to creating a fun garden planning afternoon with your children.

1) Gather your resources.

In our house we have an ever growing pile of gardening books, as well as piles of seed/nursery catalogs. I found most of them at Library sales or online at Amazon (buy used for pennies and just pay for shipping). Most seed and nursery companies will send you a free catalog if you subscribe to them online.

I had the kids sit and go through the books at their own pace over the course of our morning. I loved seeing them sit side by side and point to the beautiful photographs and critique the delicately illustrated garden plans. I realized my children were as intrigued by flowers as they were by edibles. It made me realize I needed to plan a few more flower beds this spring.

2) Seed Shopping

Because of my penchant to seed hoard, I let the kids go through some of our seeds and choose four vegetables for their raised beds. I then let them choose two companion flowers to plant alongside the veggies. It was interesting to see which seeds were chosen by which child. My daughter essentially wanted to know which plants made salsa and chose from there. My son chose his favorite vegetable – lettuce. And after that, it was just a matter picking a few plants that would complement his favorite tomato sauce.

If you don’t already have a stash of seeds, this can be such a fun opportunity to go to your local garden center or nursery and seed shop. Or you can do my favorite thing, and sit together and shop online. Go here for a wonderful list of seed companies. We use Rare Seeds and LOVE all of their seeds and they have a very high germination rate.

And while we’re talking about trolling online and garden geekery, go to my gardening page on Pinterest. My children love to just sit and scroll and exclaim and plan their fantasy gardens. And if you really want to my your child’s day, go to Pinterest and search “fairy doors.”

3) Plan it out.

In that children are impetuous and impatient, I like to make them sit and really plan out any activity they are going to do. This year I created a form to let them draw out how and what they wanted to plant in their individual raised beds.

I was amused to see how dedicated they were to their plans. My son planned to have a circle of marigolds protecting his vegetable plants in the middle, while my daughter was much more invested in all the pretty flowers sprinkled amongst her veggies.

The reason we let the kids have their own beds is that they want ownership in the endeavor of gardening. Sure, they love picking tomatoes and peppers with me in the summer, but this year they’ve consistently repeated that they want to pick THEIR own tomatoes and peppers. And I am willing to make the effort in order for them to realize that this garden with live or die based on their efforts and their efforts alone.

4) Garden Markers; a fun little project.

Because surface sowing boring old seeds in our milk jug greenhouses a couple of months before we start the garden can be a bit anti-climatic, I planned to have the kids make their very own garden markers for the four veggies they chose to grow. I used what was on hand, markers, wedges and a few paint sticks and simply told. Go here for a DIY garden marker inspiration. There is a lot of potential for creative interpretation here and I would love to see what all of these amazing Playful Learning parents could come up with.

While the years, the obligations and the general chaos of adulthood can seem to dull our senses and distract us, children are still fresh and open and drawn to nature. They don’t see a beautiful sunset and sigh and talk about the beauty – they smile, their eyes flutter and they FEEL the beauty. They feel this way about everything in nature, from ladybug to swiss chard. Children also like to get dirty, really dirty. Even the most hesitant child will eventually break through the fear of the unknown and relish the feel of the loose soil on their hands as they place their plants in the carefully dug holes. Gardens grow food and beauty – and children love everything about them. So, go and grow a pot of flowers together. Grow a garden bed, plant an apple tree, grow a pot of flowers together, or go to a u-pick berry farm this summer…let your child participate in the miracle of growth.

Math Stories

By Mariah Bruehl, 9th January 2014

When I was in elementary school, my Dad would often help me with my homework. He had a great way of incorporating stories into the work, and I always looked forward to that time with him. Children love stories and story telling and I’ve found that it’s easy for them to learn new things while lost inside a tale. With this thought in mind, we’ve started a new game around here that focuses on simple addition and subtraction. It started with a homework assignment, and has grown into something more…

Math Stories

All you need to play the game is a group of objects, preferably of the same nature. You can use a favorite set of toys or even dried beans. We used a set of unfinished peg dolls for this post, but have also used ponies and paper dolls. The concept is simple, set up an invitation to play with your objects and perhaps and few little props. Take turns telling a story using your objects and props, inserting a few key questions about the amount of objects along the way. My children tend to like it when I tell the story and they do the counting and act it out with the objects.

Math Stories

For example, a story may go something like this…A group of people were spending an afternoon playing at the park. How many people were in the group? One Mom and her two children decided to go home for lunch. Now how many people are left at the park? The stories can be as simple or complex as you’d like. My children really love counting and answering the questions. My oldest, six, is able to do the simple addition and subtraction easily, so I try to make the story a bit more complicated so she feels challenged. She also likes to make up stories herself. My four year old is fairly new to these concepts and loves counting the objects out each time to answer the questions. The objects serve as a great visual, concrete representation of mathematical concepts and the story makes things fun! Math Stories

Prop Boxes: Creating Imaginative Play Spaces

By Mariah Bruehl, 8th January 2014

Joey from Made by Joey is with us today to share a dose of inspiration for nurturing dramatic play with the children in our lives…

What are prop boxes?

Prop boxes are used by many preschool and Kindergarten teachers to create imaginative play and hands-on-learning opportunities in their classrooms. They are essentially a collection of items (or props) that suggest a specific theme and “set the stage” for a child’s imagination to engage in creative play.

How to make a prop box for your home.

Prop boxes can be coordinated for a variety of age groups. First of all decide on your “theme”, some examples might be: a doctor’s office, supermarket, traveling to India, deep sea diving, restaurant, dentist, health club, spaceship, pet store, hardware store, library, museum, pirate ship, shoe store or fire station.

Make a list of items that are used in the location you choose. Think of the small details that help define the space. Some examples for a doctor’s office might be:

– a telephone

– an appointment book and pencil

– a clock

– chairs for the waiting room

– magazines for the waiting room

– money or medical cards (make copies of your own)

– receipt book

– a white shirt for the doctor to wear

– a nurse hat

– medical bag with a red cross

– patients (dolls, stuffed toys)

– a stethoscope

– an eye chart

– fabric for slings

– cotton balls and swabs

– x-rays (b&w images printed on clear transparencies work well!)

– plastic medicine syringes

– plastic medicine measuring cups

– empty medicine bottles (washed)

– small paper water cups

– a “prescription” pad and pencil

– assorted sizes of bandages

– gauze (toilet paper works too!)

– scissors

– thermometer

– tongue depressor (if your child is old enough to handle one)

– magnifying glass

– tweezers

– examining bed

– small blankets or fabric to cover patients

– bathroom scale

– tape measure for measuring height

Presenting the above items should instantly spark imaginative play. Let the child set up the space while you watch from the sidelines. Depending on your child’s age, more learning opportunities will soon present themselves, such as:

– making signs for the reception area, waiting room and examining room

– making name tags (Dr. _____, _____ RN)

– tying slings

– applying bandages

– writing in the time of the appointment using the clock

– writing prescriptions for patients

– paying and writing receipts

– reading a thermometer, scale or tape measure

– answering the telephone

Watch where the play takes them.

Perhaps the play eventually moves from the doctor’s office to the patient`s home where they now receive homecare, get well soon cards and flowers from their friends. Or maybe the doctor has just announced that the patient is going to have a baby and they need to start preparing for the arrival of a new family member!

Try to include all of the senses.

To enhance the experience of a medical office even more you may:

– play music appropriate to your theme (waiting room music?!)

– at lunchtime cut the child’s sandwich with a gingerbread man shaped cookie cutter.

– introduce scents to the play (flowers brought to the sick patients)

Be ready to answer questions.

Imaginative play can often lead to the beginning of some great conversations with your child. A doctor`s office may bring up questions about their own bodies so a book on Body Science may be a good reference to have on hand! Or if you have had someone close to you receive bad news from a doctor recently, this may be the perfect opportunity to check in with your child about their feelings and answer any questions.

More tips about collecting supplies.

You will likely find that many of the items on your list you already have in your home in one form or another, but a few other places to look for specific supplies are Thrift Stores, yard sales or online stores. Visit the library or bookstore ahead of time to find story and reference books about the theme you are planning to set up.

Books on Prop Boxes…

These are a few of my personal favorites!

I hope these ideas spark an afternoon of fun for you and your child!

SaveSave