You cant always plan!
A couple of days ago I thought that it would be fun to set up the girls dolls into a beach scene so when they woke up in the morning it would be ready to play! Bunny has been crying that she is board and Pup is starting to do the same. I thought that they would love to find something new, and they did!
I thought that they would be all set for hours of fun, but that isn’t what happened. They played, but quickly lost interest and even cleaned it all up. Hmmm….what went wrong? Well I was thinking that play only really becomes a concentrated effort when the child chooses it themselves, or when it is a group effort between other kids. Why? Well maybe because I set up a world for them made from my mind and imagination. It wasn’t their world. This pre-set up play didn’t capture their minds and become a part of their world. It was fun for them to visit, but not stay for a long time. So play then must be something that reaches something deep inside the child. Play is essentially no different then Montessori materials. If fact Maria Montessori often called the work that a child was doing play. So is this then the missing link to getting rid of boredom? Maybe instead of making a world for the child to visit, we should be bringing ideas for them to work into their own world. For example, instead of making a beach scene, I could read books, make sure the craft area has shells and sand to work with, make a matching game with fish figurse, bring out the kiddie pool for some ocean fun! These ideas are feeding their imagination so then they can create when they want, what they want, and play that way! So….instead of planning out play, I am going make sure that I prepare ideas instead! Has anyone else noticed the same things with your kids play time? I would love to hear what you have observed!
June 16, 2013 @ 12:29 am
Oh my goodness…you are absolutely right!! My daughter is usually not interested in play scenes I set up, but if I just make sure good open-ended materials are available to her she’s more likely to come up with her own games!!
June 16, 2013 @ 2:03 am
I am so glad that I am not the only one who sees this! I feel like super mom when I take the time to set things up, but as much as they love the idea, they just do better with open ended play like your daughter! I hope you both have fun playing where ever the moment takes you!