Power of Play
Raise your hand if you want your child to learn HOW to learn. Raise your hand if you want your child to be capable and confident with curiosity, creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. Raise your hand if you want your child to be able to process experience and express emotion healthfully.
Play has the power to do all of this and more! Our children’s right to play is often dismissed as “just play” or denied because “there’s no time.” It’s not “just” play. There is no time like the present, and there is no present like the time to play.
Did you know you can learn sight words through Star Wars? It’s not in the “curriculum.” The curriculum calls for sitting at the table and doing sight word drills with flashcards. Learn Play Grow calls for meeting children where they are and building on their interests to support learning. When my little learner had a meltdown while being drilled, the only things that comforted him were his Star Wars costumes and Angry Birds slingshots. So, together we went from inconsolable to incognito. We dressed up as Star Wars characters and used the Angry Birds slingshots to hurl figurines at sight word flashcards all over the wall. That little learner mastered all of his sight words!
Did you know children learn social skills by playing, not prompting? We can prompt our children each step of the way through an interaction or conversation. Or we can teach our children social skills in context through play. Have you ever done a Yeti in My Spaghetti interview? My little learners and I love taking turns adding spaghetti and going back and forth in conversation on topics of interest to both of us! When it’s my turn to add a noodle, I might ask “Have you ever been to the zoo?” My little learner can answer (yes or no or a story about all the animals they saw) and then ask me if I have ever been to the zoo. On my little learners’ turn, they might ask “What’s your favorite color?” and I can answer and ask them their favorite color. Yeti in My Spaghetti interviews teach children how communication is a partnership going back and forth and sharing ideas that interest everyone, not just one person.
The Learn Play Grow Power of Play Guide reconnects you with the power of play. The guide gives you the actionable strategies you need for engaging meaningfully with your child and expanding their interests and skills through PLAY!
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