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Helping Toddlers Learn Through Make Believe
Kayleen is serving tea and muffins to Oscar the Grouch while sporting a faded felt snowman hat. Not too far away, C.J. is holding a baby doll and gently taking her temperature with a big plastic thermometer. What do these two year olds have in common? They聮re both engaging in the time-less activity of 聭make-believe聮 play.
Through make-believe, young children learn about themselves and the world around them. Little babies playing pat-a-cake are making believe. Depending on the age of the child, their role playing games will vary. Imaginative children don聮t need fancy toys or equipment to pretend; they聮re happy with a box and a toilet tissue roll. When they engage in pretend play with a variety of objects, they聮re learning life skills that will help them as adults.
We聮ve all watched little kids playing dress-up or 聭house.聮 Children can create an imaginary world anywhere 聳 when molding clay animals, when helping mom or dad match-up socks (sock puppets are the best after all.) If they聮re this creative with just a sock, then think what they can do with special make-believe props.
Often parents feel that their children require expensive furniture and household equipment for pretend play. Remember the little boy with the refrigerator box in his back yard when you were a kid? Everyone showed up to help build limitless structures and the play would go on for hours, or until the box fell apart. Oh well, the hours spent cooperating together and using colorful imaginations were worth far more than any expensive jungle gym or playhouse.
What spurs the imagination of a toddler or preschool age child? What type of 聭props聮 should parents provide to encourage make-believe even further than what kids will do naturally? Here are just a few ideas:
Dress-Up 聳 hats, jewelry, scarves, shoes, dresses and shirts, purses or backpacks
Kitchen 聳 lots of plastic bowls with lids, kid size broom/mop/dustpan, towels, spoons, measuring cups, pots and pans with lids
Family 聳 blankets, pillow, both male and female baby dolls, old or toy cell phones, boxes of various sizes for baby beds
House 聳 kid size table, cardboard boxes to serve as appliances, furniture or TV, full-length mirror
Playing make-believe encourages little children to play together, and is perfect for play groups and for helping shy children overcome anxiety. Little children have boundless ideas for creative play, but love it when parents or caregivers take part in the activity. Many times, imaginative play can help parents realize that their child is fearful or worried about something in particular. Helping them talk about their fears through make-believe will often lessen the child聮s stress and bring you closer to your child.
Encourage your child聮s imagination through make-believe with simple and inexpensive toys and props. Your refrigerator box may fall apart, but the fun of building it will last forever.
BONUS : Helping Your Child Deal With The Birth Of A New Sibling
If you聮re pregnant with your second child, it聮s time to be thinking about how to prepare your first child to deal with 聯not being an only child聰 anymore. This can be a difficult transition for any child, and most, regardless of age, have some adjustments to make. Here are some suggestions to help your child be prepared.
路 Talk about how special it is to be a big brother or sister. Discuss the baby in terms of how important the older sibling will be in its life. This is your child聮s chance to be the big kid, which is usually a very appealing idea.
路 If you聮ve been thinking about putting your child into a preschool program, now is the time. Don聮t wait until after the baby comes, or she might feel like you聮re trying to get rid of her. She should have time to make friends and get adjusted before the baby comes, and then she will enjoy the chance to get away.
路 Get her used to being away from you. If your child spends most of her waking hours in your care, it聮s time to start having someone else take over some of this time for you. Maybe start using a sitter a little more, or sending her to play at a friend聮s. This way, when the baby starts to demand your attention, she will be accustomed to having other caretakers.
路 Don聮t plan any major changes for her right after the baby is born. The adjustment to the baby is plenty, so don聮t try potty training, or changing her sleeping arrangements during this time. If you can聮t get these things accomplished before the baby comes, plan to put it off a few months.
路 Familiarize her with babies in general, particularly the amount of care they require. Talk to her about when she was a baby, and all the things that she did. Then when the new baby comes, she will have something to relate to.
路 Let her assist you with any baby preparations that she would like to help with, but don聮t force her. She might think its fun to pick out nursery items, for example.
路 Prepare her for the time you聮ll be spending in the hospital, and explain what the situation will be like. If you can make it special for her, so much the better. When my daughter was born, we had arranged for my four year old son聮s favorite aunt and uncle to come and stay with him at our house while I was in the hospital. He was looking so forward to their visit; he hardly noticed I was away.
No matter how well you prepare your child, there is bound to be some difficulty in adjusting to the new baby. My son thought his little sister was cool, but he didn聮t much care for the fact that I was her Mommy, too. It takes a little time, but things work out well in the end. And, anything you can do to prepare them ahead of time will only make the transition easier.
If you聮re pregnant with your second child, it聮s time to be thinking about how to prepare your first child to deal with 聯not being an only child聰 anymore. This can be a difficult transition for any child, and most, regardless of age, have some adjustments to make. Here are some suggestions to help your child be prepared.
路 Talk about how special it is to be a big brother or sister. Discuss the baby in terms of how important the older sibling will be in its life. This is your child聮s chance to be the big kid, which is usually a very appealing idea.
路 If you聮ve been thinking about putting your child into a preschool program, now is the time. Don聮t wait until after the baby comes, or she might feel like you聮re trying to get rid of her. She should have time to make friends and get adjusted before the baby comes, and then she will enjoy the chance to get away.
路 Get her used to being away from you. If your child spends most of her waking hours in your care, it聮s time to start having someone else take over some of this time for you. Maybe start using a sitter a little more, or sending her to play at a friend聮s. This way, when the baby starts to demand your attention, she will be accustomed to having other caretakers.
路 Don聮t plan any major changes for her right after the baby is born. The adjustment to the baby is plenty, so don聮t try potty training, or changing her sleeping arrangements during this time. If you can聮t get these things accomplished before the baby comes, plan to put it off a few months.
路 Familiarize her with babies in general, particularly the amount of care they require. Talk to her about when she was a baby, and all the things that she did. Then when the new baby comes, she will have something to relate to.
路 Let her assist you with any baby preparations that she would like to help with, but don聮t force her. She might think its fun to pick out nursery items, for example.
路 Prepare her for the time you聮ll be spending in the hospital, and explain what the situation will be like. If you can make it special for her, so much the better. When my daughter was born, we had arranged for my four year old son聮s favorite aunt and uncle to come and stay with him at our house while I was in the hospital. He was looking so forward to their visit; he hardly noticed I was away.
No matter how well you prepare your child, there is bound to be some difficulty in adjusting to the new baby. My son thought his little sister was cool, but he didn聮t much care for the fact that I was her Mommy, too. It takes a little time, but things work out well in the end. And, anything you can do to prepare them ahead of time will only make the transition easier.
