Playtime Post: Winter Edition

We are continuing on our Winter theme this week with the addition of also playing and learning about animals in the Winter and animals in cold climates. While many of our activities, particularly earlier in the day, are more structured, we are including more opportunities for open ended play in the afternoons--particularly as cold and dark weather have us at home more often than out and about. For this week's Playtime Post, I've included some of our favorite winter-themed play activities that involve minimal set-up and preparation but maximum interest and focus! The intention with activities like this is to draw in extended periods of play that ignite their interest, imagination and creativity. There are always skills being developed through various types of play and that is, of course, an added bonus. Many times I create activities based upon an interest my child displays or if there is a particular activity that he is consistently drawn to, I might add a new element to it to draw upon his own imagination and creativity process. Some of the time, I am engaged in play and exploration with him and some of the time he is playing independently. There is, of course, no "right" or "wrong" here--playing together and playing independently both offer important opportunities for development!

My little guy has been VERY into using a glue stick and liquid glue lately, so I've included more opportunities for artwork that involves gluing. Many times, if there is a medium or element he is very interested in, it will overtake his desire to add anything else to a piece of artwork. This is totally fine and there are so many wonderful skills that are built through drawing, painting, gluing, cutting, etc. I also like to work with my son's "comfort in the familiar" to expand out of his boxes a bit. Repetition is the essence of learning at a young age, so it is natural he would want to do the same thing over and over again. With this comes a concept of the world around him, mastery of skills and a great deal of self confidence. Mixing it up a bit is also important. Adding something to a comfortable scenario can encourage creativity, adaptability and flexibility. With this Arctic Animal Snow Scene, I added in another medium--white paint with a Q-tip to use as a brush. This was "different" since it pushed beyond the "just gluing" aspect of a collage and also introduced something with paint that was NOT a typical paintbrush. And he totally went for it! He even dictated a story of what each animal was feeling and experiencing as he dabbed "snowflakes" on them and around them. He was quite proud to show his finished creation to his Tatty when he returned home from work in the evening. We happened to have these animal die cuts from the Dollar Tree on hand, but you could also use animals cut from a magazine or recycled greeting cards or stickers--anything you have on hand. Painting with Q-tips is a great way to encourage fine motor development and you likely already have them in your medicine cabinet!

Lately my son has also developed an interest in using scissors and practicing cutting. He is very early in developing scissor skills, and while he has the idea of squeezing to open and close the scissors, hand positioning is still a work in progress. Since he is interested, I am offering more opportunities to practice (with supervision, as even safety scissors have their potential risk factors). If he did not seem interested and especially if he adverse to cutting, I would certainly not push it so early. I first introduced safety scissors to him over the summer and he was initially curious but quickly grew very frustrated and made it clear he did not want to continue. I decided to re-introduce them at a later point, and when he displayed an interest in using the scissors at our Children's Museum art room, I knew it was time! At this stage, it's more about opportunity to practice than proficiency.
Cutting snowflakes is an integral winter craft that has spanned the generations. I remember doing this as a child and I'm sure you do, too! One of my favorite "fool-proof" mediums to use is white coffee filters. They are already the perfect shape for folding and cutting into beautiful snowflakes. Additionally, you can use washable markers and spray with water for some colorful results (who says snowflakes have to be white?). For this activity, proximity was important since my little guy was practicing with scissors. I definitely didn't push for him to cut "correctly" or produce a snowflake like mine. I think I had just as much fun making them! They are a fun and festive way to decorate your home or window this season.

This is definitely an activity the whole family can get involved with. All you need are scissors and white coffee filters. You can add washable markers and water if you'd like. My favorite pair of safety scissors are actually ones commonly sold at the Dollar Tree. They have a plastic lever than can be flipped across the handles to make it easier for little hands to just squeeze in order to cut and flipped back up once cutters are more advanced. Even with safety scissors and early cutters, it is important to talk about and demonstrate safety techniques for using scissors.

Setting up for successful playtimes is sometimes all about set up itself! Making playthings readily available at child level not only encourages interest and attention, but also fosters more independence in beginning and moving through playtime activities. Many times my own son does not seem to play with a toy, it is because he does not realize it's there. How it is stored and where it is stored sometimes makes all the difference. This does not mean everything is out all of the time--on the contrary, we do keep what's "out" pretty minimal. Less really is more when it comes to play. Interest and functionality in playing seems to increase when there is less in a space to distract from and detract from focus. This month I made a temporary flannel wall using a swatch of sparkly white felt for a snowy looking background. This is tacked low on our wall at child-level. Although we have a more permanent one set up in an upstairs hallway, it gets very infrequent use as the space it is in is very infrequently used! This totally drew him in. I keep our homemade winter themed felt board sets in a basket right below it and he's had a great time telling stories to go along with what he builds and creates. As an added bonus, he is gaining fine motor practice and coordination while simultaneously developing vocabulary and storytelling skills!

We also set up a winter themed sensory bin this week. I kept this one very simple--and sometimes, simple is best! We used cotton balls, scoops and recycled cardboard tubes for a Snowball Sensory Bin. Later (not pictured), I also added some foam and plastic snowflakes. He had such a great time shoveling up snowballs and putting them through the cardboard tubes. With different sized scoops, he is gaining spacial awareness and he is definitely practicing those fine motor skills, too. One of my favorite parts is that a larger filler material means more independence on his part when it comes to cleaning up any spills or strays. Admittedly, as often as I swap and fill my sensory bins, I don't always get them out for play. Either I forget about it (as it's tucked away between play sessions) or I am too lazy to go through the process of getting out a drop mat, having time to play and then time to clean it up...there's my guilty confession for the day! So if you, like me, feel yourself getting into a rut with certain play activities, it's totally OK to find a loophole or hack! For me, this was choosing a filler that didn't require a drop mat and assistance at clean up time. We love our rice and beans, but cotton balls, you are a Mom's best friend right now! (And I think the toddler is a fan, too...)

We are huge Magnetiles fans here. This is another toy my son goes back to again and again. His activities are repetitive with them, and with this, he demonstrates his ability to master skills (like building a cube) that he once required help with. As he becomes more confident and comfortable, I like to mix it up a little bit and expand on his play. We've added toy cars and trucks and made a parking garage. We've added Fisher Price Little People and built cities. We even added jingle bells for some noisy, magnetic fun! This week, I created a winter animals themed small world basket. I included some Arctic animal figurines we had, some cotton stuffing as "snow," some blue glass gems as "ice" (found in floral departments of craft stores or the Dollar Tree--just make sure to choose a large enough size with little ones not to pose a choking hazard and supervise play with small parts in general!), some "evergreen trees" made from cardboard tubes and construction paper, and a recycled container "cave" for our resident bear! He's enjoyed using the items in the basket on their own and here, he enjoyed building an "ice castle" together with his Magnetiles. Initially I sat with him and engaged in play and storytelling, and as we continued, he "took over." His Tatty even had fun joining in the game when he got home a few minutes later!

And there you have it! Some winter themed playtime fun for your little ones (or bigger ones) to keep you warm and busy this season. Happy Playing!