How to Develop Writing Skills Through Play
What does play have to do with writing? When kids play, they are bringing their inner worlds to life! Over time, this transforms from showing thoughts through play to manifesting ideas through writing. Play is the precious work of early childhood! It should be taken seriously and encouraged! We must give our kids plenty of unstructured time and engaging materials each day to imagine and to create!
This morning my kids were splashing around in the kiddie pool. I brought out a fish net for scooping grass out of the water. This was immediately enthralling. After a few minutes, I wondered what would happen if I added some cut up pool noodles and little teddy bears to the mix. All of a sudden, a new game developed. My daughters were life guards and the teddy bears were in swim classes. A whole world was created and the game lasted about 2 hours! I was happy to see them in the flow and I had peace to take care of business.
Here are Three Ways to Promote Open Ended and Engaging Play with Toys:
1) Rotate your Toys
This means have some toys set aside in a place like the garage or your bedroom closet that kids don’t see every day. New or forgotten toys will always be more interesting. Cycle toys in and out of rotation on a regular basis.
2) Use Toys in a New Way
Our teddy bears are usually used for indoor play, so throwing them into the pool immediately upped their value.
3) Use Everyday Objects for Play
The fish net is typically used for filtering gunk out of the pool, but in this case my daughters gave it a different job, teddy bear rescue net! Giving everyday objects new purpose stokes the imagination. When possible, say yes to these ideas.
