Sometimes we might wistfully say, “How great it is to be a child with no responsibilities and just play all day.” However, play is serious work for children. When they interact with others in play, their brains are constantly absorbing information at the speed of light. Play is a tool children use to learn how the world around them works. It is, in fact, a big responsibility for them. Here are some tips and ideas to encourage rich, learning interactions while playing with your child:
Unstructured Strategy
Play can be an excellent time to introduce new vocabulary and early literacy skills. However, be aware that children are already busy observing and absorbing information. You don’t need to make learning the only goal of play. Encourage learning and foster your child’s curiosity. For example, when playing doctor you can introduce the word stethoscope and pretend to listen to a heartbeat. Maybe your child wants to pretend to be a kitten instead. If so, you can adapt and allow your child to change the direction of play. I recommend Yolo County Library Storytime kits like this one, with books, toys, and puppets for your child to play with after reading a good story.
Sticks and Stones
As a child I owned several dolls and accessories – including a two-story dollhouse. I would, however, often abandon them to build tiny houses out of mud and sticks surrounded by a corral made of rocks piled up like the one around the corner in my neighborhood. Other times, I pretended to be a chef and “cooked” flowers and leaves that I cut from my grandmother’s garden. If your little one is more interested in your pots and pans than the newest trendy toy, your experience is not unique. Children learn best through play when we strengthen our connection with them and let go of the reins to safely explore their world openly. To start, I leave you with this book titled “Not A Box” written by Antoinette Portis for you and your child to play and explore with an object as simple as a cardboard box.
Adaptable and Fun
Finally, remember that play is just a door that opens to an infinite world of development and learning. How you decorate that door depends on your child’s needs, abilities, and senses. Therefore, play can be adapted in a myriad of ways and no one way is the only way to open that door. In short, play with us! I invite you and your little one to join us for a virtual or in-person storytime. Click here for a list of free Yolo County Library events.
A veces decimos: “ya yo quisiera ser un niño para jugar todo el día sin responsabilidad alguna”. Sin embargo el juego es un trabajo serio para los niños ya que cuando interactúan con otros en el juego, sus cerebros están absorbiendo toda la información constantemente con la rapidez que cae un relámpago. El juego es una herramienta que los niños utilizan para aprender cómo funciona el mundo a su alrededor así que para ellos es una gran responsabilidad. Aquí te comparto tips e ideas para fomentar el aprendizaje y enriquecer esas interacciones al jugar con tu niño:
Estrategia Sin Estructura
El juego puede ser una excelente estrategia para introducir nuevo vocabulario y un precursor importante para aprender a leer y escribir. Sin embargo es importante permanecer consciente de que los niños siempre están observando y aprendiendo. No es necesario, hacer el aprendizaje como la única meta del juego. Fomenta la curiosidad de tu niño.
Por ejemplo, al jugar al médico puedes introducir la palabra estetoscopio y enseñar cómo se usa para escuchar los latidos del corazón. Pero si tal vez a tu hijo no le interesa jugar al médico y en cambio hoy quiere pretender ser un gatito, posibilita a tu niño cambiar la dirección del juego. Utiliza nuestros kits de Storytime como este que además de libros también tiene juguetes y títeres para jugar con tu niño después de leer un buen cuento.
Piedras y Palillos
De niña tenía varias muñecas y accesorios para muñecas incluyendo una casa de muñecas de dos pisos. Sin embargo siempre abandonaba todo para construir casitas pequeñas de lodo y palillos siempre acorraladas por un corral de piedras amontonadas como el corral en la casa de la esquina. Otras veces pretendía ser chef y “cocinaba” con flores y hojas que cortaba del jardín de mi abuela. Si a tu pequeño tal vez le interesan más tus ollas y sartenes que el más nuevo juguete de tendencia, tu experiencia no es única. Es más, Magda Gerber postuló que los mejores juguetes simplemente no hacen nada. Reitero, los niños aprenden mejor jugando cuando fortalecemos nuestra conexión con ellos y les soltamos las riendas para explotar su mundo abiertamente con seguridad. En fin, te comparto este libro titulado “No Es Una Caja” escrito por Antoinette Portis que te dará unas ideas a ti y a tu niño para explorar con un objeto tan simple como una caja de cartón.
Adaptable y Divertido
Por último, recuerda que el juego es solamente una puerta que abre a un mundo infinito de desarrollo y aprendizaje. Cómo decorar esa puerta depende de las necesidades, habilidades y los sentidos potenciados de tu niño. Por ende, el juego se puede adaptar a un sin fin de maneras y ninguna es la única manera de construir para abrir esa puerta. En resumen, juega con nosotros! Te invito a que tu y tu pequeño nos acompañes a la hora de cuentos virtual o en persona en tu biblioteca más cercana. Haz click aquí para ver la lista de eventos.
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Play can be an excellent time to introduce new vocabulary and early literacy skills. However, be aware that children are already busy observing and absorbing information. You don’t need to make learning the only goal of play. Encourage learning and foster your child’s curiosity. For example, when playing doctor you can introduce the word stethoscope and pretend to listen to a heartbeat. Maybe your child wants to pretend to be a kitten instead. If so, you can adapt and allow your child to change the direction of play. I recommend Yolo County Library Storytime kits like this one, with books, toys, and puppets for your child to play with after reading a good story.
As a child I owned several dolls and accessories – including a two-story dollhouse. I would, however, often abandon them to build tiny houses out of mud and sticks surrounded by a corral made of rocks piled up like the one around the corner in my neighborhood. Other times, I pretended to be a chef and “cooked” flowers and leaves that I cut from my grandmother’s garden. If your little one is more interested in your pots and pans than the newest trendy toy, your experience is not unique. Children learn best through play when we strengthen our connection with them and let go of the reins to safely explore their world openly. To start, I leave you with this book titled “Not A Box” written by Antoinette Portis for you and your child to play and explore with an object as simple as a cardboard box.
Finally, remember that play is just a door that opens to an infinite world of development and learning. How you decorate that door depends on your child’s needs, abilities, and senses. Therefore, play can be adapted in a myriad of ways and no one way is the only way to open that door. In short, play with us! I invite you and your little one to join us for a virtual or in-person storytime. Click here for a list of free Yolo County Library events.
