Meeting Developmental Needs Through Dramatic Play (and a Peek Inside Our Playroom)

As much as I sing the praises of the importance of play in early childhood, it may come as a surprise to know that the preschool we send S to is not play-based in curriculum. In fact, our preschool is Montessori inspired, and while many of the activities S does in school are playful and fun, he does not have a dramatic play area in his classroom nor is symbolic play a part of their daily routine. The students definitely do get time outdoors and even inside to act upon their natural childhood play instincts and we are truly so pleased with how our school's approach meets the needs of our son. I also feel so strongly that a variety of early childhood skills are met through thoughtful, open-ended play opportunities and I love the chance to supplement with that at home for both of the boys.

But is play truly enough? Are children really gaining skills through playing "house" or "fire station?" Come take a peek at our updated playroom today, and you'll see just how a simple but thoughtfully executed play setup can invite young children ranging in age and development to target current skills and learn through meaningful play.

Every Chanukkah, our community hosts an ice skating party with a public menorah lighting right on the rink. We have always enjoyed the event from the outer perimeters (and you'll still find me there this year!) but S really wants to try skating! He has been talking about it for months and while it is not something I am so fond of (or talented in), I do not want to discourage his enthusiasm. Whether he loves it, hates it, succeeds or slides around on his tush the whole time, I'm glad he is eager to try something new (and equally glad my husband will go out there with him for a bit...)! S has been gleefully skating across our hardwood floors for months in his slippers and the party is just days away now. But why wait until Sunday when you can have a skating rink in your very own home?

The boys have been really engaged in their play at our Bakery. For that reason and also for the sake of my own strength and sanity, it felt important not to completely tear down and rebuild our play area. Sometimes I will do a complete "overhaul" in my home or classrooms and other times, I just morph and mesh things together. Since much of the fun of an ice skating rink is the hot cocoa and concession stand (especially for us wallflowers), I kept out most of our bakery themed items, tweaking and adding a bit here and there. I also felt it was important to let the boys know that there would be a change to our play area. It can be surprising to see a different setup in a playroom or classroom. For some, the element of surprise is appealing and for some it is unsettling. I like to keep it in a middle range, so I also engaged the boys in revealing the surprise. Since they are both still mostly illiterate, I had them color and decorate letter pendants that I would use to create a banner for our skating rink.
And speaking of the banner--I did not create this play setup alone! Many times I do come up with all of my own props, printables and play accessories, but in this world of modern technology and communication, there is no need to reinvent the wheel. The incredibly talented teacher behind the website Pocket of Preschool has a variety dramatic play materials for sale on Teachers Pay Teachers, including this Ice Skating Rink Dramatic Play bundle. This is a great way to save on time and support fellow educators.

So come on in to our play area, I mean Ice Skating Rink! Set your shoes in the shoe locker (which, FYI-- is S's new favorite thing in our house) and grab a pair of paper plate skates. Glide around the room with me (even I skated on a pair!) and see how the boys are learning a variety of early childhood skills all while navigating and directing their own play experience...


Art & Creative Expression: In addition to their artwork that helped create our "Ice Skating" banner, I like to engage both boys in creating or helping to create props we use in our play area. Many of the baked goods in our concession stand were handcrafted from Model Magic and gingerbread salt dough by the boys. I did the preliminary work on our popcorn machine (just a cardboard box cut and taped with some macgeyvered accessories to attach popcorn bags (from Dollar Tree) and a scoop (also from Dollar Tree). The popcorn is made from scrunched up squares of yellow paper. This is a task early cutters can help with and even younger ones and scrunch up paper to make popcorn. Alternatively, you could use packing peanuts (especially if in your collection of Amazon Prime boxes you also have a collection of packing materials). While there are a plethora of great dramatic play toys on the market, the expense is not always justifiable or necessary. Children love using props they made or contributed toward in play and it is a great way for them to creatively express themselves in their play space.
Dramatic play in and of itself is a natural opportunity for creative expression. I open up our play experience with a brief tour and demonstration of what is out and available. Nonetheless, the boys come up with their own ideas and play schemes. Sometimes they have an idea for set up or story line that is different from my own. Barring anything unsafe, I allow for it. For example, in our bakery, S really wanted to use a shelf for displaying items that were "for sale." This was not something I had planned for or intended, but it was important to his story line and I cleared a shelf for it. I even left the shelf that way in our Skating Rink Concession Stand because this idea was of value to him and his play. He also learned that a Zamboni (ours is a riding toy with a sign I made from a laminated photo of a Zamboni I printed) is used to clean the ice. He had the idea to use our dreidel collection as ice chunks and clean them off the ice with the Zamboni. Totally not what I had in mind. Totally something I allowed and supported. Then he realized that the surface of our Magnetiles was quite ice-like in nature and used those to build a perimeter around our skating rink. Again--not in the "plans,"  but definitely part of purpose.
I find that one of the areas I often get hung up on in my home or classrooms is letting go of my intentions for an activity and making space for the children's play needs and ideas. Critical thinking skills and creative expression are such an important aspect of early childhood development. Dramatic play offers a scenario where children can own and dictate their own story line and experience. Our role is to support their safety and success. I definitely prompted the Zamboni driver to haul off the dreidel shaped ice chunks to a proper receptacle after the ice was cleared and we decided driving the Zamboni on the Magnetiles wasn't super safe in the end. But overall, I sit back and follow the boys' lead. If they are stuck in an element of the story or how to execute an idea, I offer suggestions and support and other than that, they are in charge of the experience.

Early Literacy & Writing: The use of labels and incorporating a print rich environment can feel a bit unnatural in some classrooms and especially at home. I don't have a sign next our clock that reads "clock" or a label by our couch that reads "couch." I do, however, use signs and labels strategically in our play area even though my boys are pre-literate. Can they read "Ice Skating" or "Shoe Locker" or "Popcorn Machine?" Not yet, but as I show them the different areas of our new play space, they come to associate the print with the object and learn that letters and words represent things around us. Books about ice skating, both non-fiction and fiction, that we borrowed from our library are set out in our lay area for reading together and gaining ideas. Cookbooks in our kitchen area offer recipes for baked treats. Snack menus and laminated order forms with a dry erase marker allow skating rink attendants to take their customers' orders once he or she decides from the menu what to purchase. Even our cash register area is stocked with a receipt pad and order form pad, pencils and pens. Our mailbox is stocked with laminated party invitations and envelopes that can be used (and reused) to invite guests to a skating party at the rink. Our play is rich in new vocabulary for the boys. Y learned to words "ice" and "skates" and "skating rink." And both boys now know what a Zamboni is!

Math & Number Concepts: Money concepts and counting are early math skills that older preschoolers can develop through playing at a cash register and selling tickets or snacks at the concession stand. Size and spacial awareness are developed as the boys select skates in their foot size. Each paper plate skate has a velcro dot in the middle and there are a set of laminated "skates" printed from the Pocket of Preschool dramatic play set onto colored paper each with a size and corresponding numeral. They can match the number to their age or simply work on matching and sorting by size and color. Even the cold beverages are separated into small, medium and large sized cups to encourage early measurement concepts and sorting skills.

Social & Emotional Development: When children engage in dramatic play, they are working on a variety of important social and emotional developmental skills. Narrating and leading a story line builds confidence and critical thinking skills. Children must problem solve as they navigate the play area and work together with peers or siblings. Role playing requires the ability to share space, materials and ideas. These are challenging concepts for young children! It takes a great deal of self control to share one Zamboni between two brothers! Even the art of conversation--listening, taking turns and waiting for a response--come into play when skating rink attendants communicate on walkie talkies...

Gross Motor Skills: I like to encourage an element of gross motor play as much as I can in our home. Both boys have low muscle tone and staying active is imperative to their continued development. Especially at this time of year when it is dark out by the time they are finished napping, getting creative with indoor gross motor opportunities is vital for my energetic and active sons. An ice skating rink pretty naturally lends itself to gross motor play as they skate (S mastered the skill, Y, not quite yet...) and push themselves on the riding toy (again, S has mastered this, Y is still working on walking and riding). The addition of some creative props and games in the weeks to come will expand on this as we play ice hockey with soft hockey sticks and balls, shovel "snowballs" (rolled up white socks) with child-sized shovels off the ice and perhaps engage in an indoor snowball "fight." Recycled shoeboxes or smaller cardboard boxes can be wrapped in white paper and used for building an igloo or ice sculpture. Stay tuned to see more gross motor play ideas as we expand on our play theme...


Fine Motor Skills: Many elements already mentioned in our play setup encourage fine motor development. Taking off shoes and putting on skates, dressing in warm winter gloves and mittens, writing and creating props and art all use those tiny little muscles in the hands. Scooping popcorn from the popcorn maker, separating and stacking cups and attaching lids to hot beverage cups also support this skill. I still like to sneak in a little bit more, so the hot cocoa department of our concession stand comes stocked with a container of cocoa pom poms (brown) and marshmallow pom poms (white) and a couple of fine motor tools and tongs for picking them up and transferring them to hot cups and then back to their proper receptacles.

Practical Life and Self-Care Skills: We all know that children need to learn how to dress and undress themselves. Never are we more reminded of this than when the cold weather strikes. And yet, every parent and early childhood educator knows the struggle that is getting any number of children into and out of winter weather gear for time spent outdoors. Honestly, it's faster to do it ourselves so we can at least spend an equivalent amount of time outside as we do getting dressed and undressed for it! Transition times just don't seem to be the ideal ones for teaching the important skills of zipping coats, wrapping scarves, putting on hats and gloves and mittens. A simple and inexpensive collection of scarves, hats, gloves and mittens set out in a basket are the perfect dress-up accessories for this dramatic play setup and a great opportunity for children to practice these practical life skills through play. Y especially loves to dress up and had such a grand time working on putting on and taking off hats and scarves and even mittens. We're not rushing to get out the door and we have all afternoon to play together. This is the perfect time and place to work on self-care skills like dressing and undressing!


Science & STEM Extension Opportunities: Stay tuned to see some fun theme relevant science and STEM expansions on the blog. In the meantime, you can check out some great play and learning activities using ice we have already done here.

Time Saving Tips & How to Begin: This probably seems like a huge investment in time and money. It definitely did take some time to collect, prepare and set up our Ice Skating Rink, but I did not do it all at once. I print and laminate things in advance as I have the time at home. Laminating props and storing themes together definitely helps me with the time investment in future years and themes. I also use and reuse props throughout the year in different activities. It is easier to add to an already existing play theme (as we did with the bakery) than it is to completely overhaul a play space. I also do not introduce all of the elements of a play theme at once. That would be overwhelming for me and for the children! So I did not set out all of the play props for gross motor play yesterday, nor did I set up a new sensory bin or the small world skating rink and winter play loose parts I intend to add in the weeks to come. In revealing and setting up just a few new activities and props at a time, I allow the kids a chance to experience the play area and work on the skills to be developed through each activity without the rush and overwhelm of having too much, too soon. In fact, when I have completely overdone it in the past and revamped the whole room, not only was I exhausted at the end and unavailable for play and interacting, but the kids often lost interest after just a few minutes of exploring. Yesterday, both boys spent a good long while using just the skates and dress up and Zamboni. Later, they spent some time in the concession stand fixing drinks and snacks. It was more than enough and will likely continue to engage them for several more days before I add in or introduce anything else. I will, of course, keep you all posted on expansion activities and add ins. Until then...

Happy Playing!

Pumpkin Patch Playtime!

It's November 1st, and allow me to be the first to wish you a Happy Buy Your Purim Costumes and Dress-up Clothes at 50% Off Day! We don't happen to celebrate Halloween, but Autumn just isn't Autumn without pumpkins here. We [I] even [toiled and slaved and cursed and cried] in the garden to grown our own mini pumpkin and gourd. Yes. Only one. Of each. Costing me roughly a total of $54 when all was said and done, but worth every penny. I think. We also purchased some mini pumpkins and gourds, painted white pumpkins with acrylic paints, picked our own pumpkins at S's school field trip and needed an indoor way to have some playful and active fun yesterday while handing out [and eating] candy.
Introducing Pumpkin Patch Playtime! Whether you're looking to give those pumpkins one last hurrah today or trying to burn off some of the post-Halloween calories and energy, these simple activities are sure to please and simple to set up and execute at home or in the classroom.


Our Pumpkin Patch hosted a small selection of gross motor and dramatic play activities. You could include them all, add your own, or choose your favorites. You could do this outside if your weather permits, but it works just as well indoors given enough space.

The boys were invited as they came downstairs from their nap to take a hayride to the Pumpkin Patch. I used a small riding toy, but you can also use a cardboard box, bike/tricycle, scooter, skates or your own two feet! I used masking tape to make a path toward the pumpkin patch that would later double as our corn maze. If you have carpeting and are worried about tape, carpet safe tape options are available. I've never had a problem with masking tape as along as you remove it the same day. You can implement labels and sentence strips if you want to support a print rich environment.

Once they arrived at the Pumpkin Patch, the boys were greeted by the sight of artificial leaves strewn about the rug (you can also cut your own from paper or use the real thing outside). A couple of child sized rakes and a recycled brown paper bag were at the ready for raking leaves. If you have reservations about using rakes indoors, you could probably substitute in child sized brooms or children could use their hands or even tongs or tweezers to pick up leaves. If you have a larger group, this would be a really fun activity to do with a parachute and to use the leaves on the parachute to toss into the air before having the children rake and collect them.

The Pumpkin Patch itself was set up using artificial floral/foliage garlands I bought from the Dollar Tree earlier this year to use in our play sukkah as vines and our collection of pumpkins and gourds starring as themselves. You could use artificial/toy pumpkins, or even make your own by painting and stuffing brown paper lunch bags (as I did for our basketball game). At the Pumpkin Patch, the boys could "pick" pumpkins and gourds, fill up their shopping cart and bring them to The Pumpkin Patch Store (their kitchen set and cash register) to pay. You can get as detailed as you want here and make price tags, signs, etc. You can also keep it simple (as we did) and just go with the flow. S had the idea to use the pumpkins in the kitchen and make pumpkin cakes, pies and something he called "pumpkin juice" that I'm willing to try at least once to find out if I like it! He also wanted to use some brown paper shopping bags for carrying pumpkins and gourds, which became its own lesson in measurement, weight and structural integrity...

Both of the boys loved Pumpkin Basketball. S was quite inspired to try a real pumpkin in the game, but since we were inside, I put a damper on that one. Instead, I prepped some simple brown paper lunch bag pumpkin basketballs. I colored the bags with orange and green marker, stuffed them with tissue paper and taped them shut before smooshing them into a round shape. Alternatively, you could use actual balls and permanent markers to make them look like pumpkins. Everyone (yes, me, too) took turns having three tosses to try and make a basket.

These activities are meant to get everyone up and moving and active. When excitement and festivity are in the air (even and especially the day after), movement is a necessity. If you're needing a less active and quieter option or station, these DIY peg board geo-pumpkins are the way to go. They still encourage active engagement of muscles, strength and energy, but they are a bit more stationary in nature. This has been a favorite activity for S the last few years now, and this year Y got in on the fun as well. They hammered golf tees into a couple of our mini pumpkins last week for Table Time one morning. Yesterday, I set out the trays of rubber-bands and our pumpkin geo-boards. Y was able to loosely drape larger rubber bands over the pegs and S was able to make intricate shapes and designs.

We will likely give these gourds and pumpkins one last hurrah here as we explore the inside and maybe even do a little baking per S's request. But honestly, I'm pumpkin-spiced out and ready for what's next...Chanukah!

If you're gearing up for Chanukah as well and looking for a playful and educational way to bring some early math and literacy skills into your home or classroom, check out my Chanukah Counting Soup game on TeachersPayTeachers. It's a fabulous way to bring fun, festivity and a little bit of learning into your home or classroom this season.

And until then...happy playing!

Playtime Post: Taking (and Making) Rainbows Beyond the Book

I think we all have a little case of the winter doldrums here. Our snow has melted and temperatures are back to a subtropical 65 degrees, but until this week, we were pretty cooped up indoors. Between winter break and snow days, re-acclimating to preschool and "normal" routine has taken some time and extra TLC. When S asked to do a story stretcher about rainbows (after re-reading a favorite book of his and his brother's, What Makes a Rainbow? by Betty Schwartz), I was game! And speaking of games--I felt like we all needed a little more playtime and movement in our day. So today's story stretcher will take us beyond the book of three of our favorite rainbow/colors themed children's books with an open play/gross motor twist! 

Our three target books are:

• What Makes a Rainbow? A Magic Ribbon Book by Betty Schwartz. In this cute ribbon/pop-up book, a little rabbit asks his mother what makes a rainbow after a rainstorm ends. His mother encourages him to ask his colorful friends, and as each one responds, a ribbon of color is added to the rainbow. There is a beautiful pop-up ending that brings a smile to both my boys each and every time!
• Alphaprints Colors by Jo Ryan, Sarah Powell and Pip Tinsley was a wonderful Chanukah gift to Y from my sister this year. We love the colorful illustrations and Y especially likes touching the unique textured pages. I particularly adore the illustrations that are made from fingerprints!
• My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss is one of my favorite ways to teach about the plethora of emotions we experience and move through in the course of a week or even a day (or sometimes even an hour). 

On some occasions, I formally introduce a book and sit and read with the boys. On other occasions, I like to strategically place them around our play area near a relevant activity. If S asks to read one, I certainly do. If the boys want to look at the books, they may and if they just want to play with the toys in that area or do an activity that is set up, that's fine, too!

In our rug area, I've set up a play space to entice both boys in the theme of My Many Colored Days.



In one area, I've set up our Grimm's Rainbow and some rainbow colored wooden peg dolls I painted. I want to invite the boys to play imaginatively and S in particular enjoys dramatic play with peg dolls. I am so excited to see how both boys, at their own level, will explore the variety of uses for a Grimm's Rainbow and these little peg dolls! When using peg dolls with very little ones, do make sure they are large enough not to pose a choking hazard and that you carefully supervise.

Across the span of the room, I tied a large piece of yarn between two chairs (better seen from the top photo) and affixed a rainbow of colored scarves to the garland using wooden clothes pins. Each of my boys are at very different stages of gross motor development. S and I can play a game of Rainbow Scarf Limbo and practice getting under the garland in different ways. Y has enjoyed sitting beneath the garland and grasping a pulling scarves from the clothespins! (That's the bonus of waking up from his nap while I was still setting up...)

Around the space, I've also set out a basket of colorful squeeze blocks, stacking rings, sensory balls, bean bags and giant pom poms to inspire a rainbow of ways to play using large and small muscles. Y had a blast not napping playing with the balls and stacking rings and exploring each of the discovery baskets around him. This layout really encouraged him to get moving at his own level, from seated to tummy to his back, pivoting and rotating to reach things that caught his interest. In related news, he's now napping again, so I also set up a few centers that will appeal more to S when he wakes up from his nap! (This sounds like a game of Whack a Mole...)

 For our art and fine motor component, I set out a What Makes a Rainbow? Station with Model Magic Clay to which I added blue glitter and a collection of rainbow colored pipe cleaners. For the sake of a photo, I demonstrated my own way of building a rainbow, however for S I have merely set out the materials and a blob of clay to encourage him to build a rainbow in his own way. Model Magic has the texture and viscosity of real clay and can air dry into a permanent work of art. Clay is a great fine motor tool for preschool aged children and up and truly works those tiny little hand muscles. When S is done with his rainbow sculpture, we will allow it to dry and be able to put it on display!






Our Alphaprints Colors station is aimed to inspire some fingerprint creations of our own! When S was about Y's age, we worked together to create an entire set of alphabet pictures using his fingerprints. Now that he is older, he can more independently create fingerprint art using this giant washable ink pad and a variety of artists' pencils. Y will need a bit of help from me and I think we will all have fun!




Finally, for a sensory component, I set up our sensory table with rainbow colored waterbeads and a variety of fine motor tools for scooping, transferring, squeezing and pinching. I added a bit of lavender and peppermint oil to the waterbeads as I love including the sense of smell in our sensory play experiences. I do not recommend using waterbeads with young toddlers and infants, however they are great fun for preschool aged children and if you do wish to explore this medium in a taste-safe way, you can make your own using basil seeds.

If your day is in need of a splash of color or a bit of movement, these activities are all great in conjunction or as stand alone stations. Here's to an afternoon of colorful fun and, as always, happy playing!

How Having Poor Classroom Management Helped Me Lose 25lbs (And Other, More Evidence-Based Ways of Sneaking Movement into Your Kids' Routine)

Picture it: my first day as a "real" teacher in my dream job, co-teaching in an integrated preschool classroom for four and five-year-olds. I had finally finished my college degree. I was living in a new city, all 15 boxes of my belongings unpacked and neatly put away in my slightly damp and crooked basement apartment. I walked a mile and a half to take an a hour and a half of public transit to my first day of school, toting a Muppets backpack and a sparkly pair of Toms with only a few ventilation holes. I was about to spend a year working 9 hour days and earning a whopping 12 bucks an hour, just slightly less per hour as a college educated lead teacher than I had made as a 15 year old babysitter... I was ecstatic! (And maybe a little off my rocker.) And there I was, as a first-year teacher on her first day of school, carrying more hope, motivation and confidence than I could fit into my Muppets backpack. I stood just inside the doorway of my new classroom--my new classroom, and that's when a little boy I will call Paul came marching on out the door, toward his cubby to grab his backpack and head for the front doors of the building, just down the hall. Those doors led to another set of doors, which led to a parking lot, which led to a highway. I know this very well, because after my 9 hour shift, I walked that route two more miles for another hour and a half of public transit back to my crooked, damp, basement apartment. "That's it," Paul said, "I'm going home!" And I, an overly eager and confident first-year teacher with a Muppets backpack and her own classroom, proceeded to do everything wrong. And I did so right in front of my new boss. I talked too much. I bargained. I begged. I pleaded. I joked. I choked. And then, for the very first time in my life, I took up running as a hobby. It started with chasing Paul out those doors and down the first few rows of parking spots before I scooped him up and carried his hefty body back inside. And it continued with days of chasing, running, being chased, playing, ducking and covering, heavy lifting, dancing, curling up in a fetal position, and, all the while, growing into a far more effective and self-assured teacher. By March, I had lost 25lbs. I came home at times with welts and bruises. I cried at work. Twice. Once in my boss's office. Once in the art supply closet. I questioned whether I was cut out for this work. I questioned whether my boss had actually read my application and resume. And I learned to re-frame the way I saw a day in the classroom. No more did I view it through the lens of "good" day or "bad" day; I learned to see the good moments in every day. Victories were subtle but larger than life, because by March, when Paul ran out the door of the classroom to grab his backpack from the cubbies and head for home, I was right there with him, holding a large sheet of paper and a basket of markers.
"You really want to go home and I want to help you, but there's one problem. I don't know how to get there."
"I know how to get there!" Paul said.
"Can you help me make a map so we can get there together?" I asked.
"Sure, that's easy!" he responded, grabbing the paper, the markers, and heading for a cozy spot behind a play loft back in the classroom. He drew all the places and landmarks he passes each day on his ride home from school. He drew us walking on the rode. He wrote his name and some other letters, too. And then he made a map of the preschool building. And we used it to go on a tour. And in the meantime, as the minutes turned to hours, he forgot all about his plan of escape and we both survived another day.
I got engaged in the middle of the year and moved again when I got married that summer. I packed the same 15 boxes or so, and not much more (12 bucks an hour didn't go so far, as it turns out, and 12 hour days of work and commute didn't afford much time for shopping), but I did have one more thing I brought to my new home with me: a pair of pipecleaner glasses made by Paul. At five years old, with a history of trauma and learning delays, he had experienced more life than I had at over five times his age. I was the teacher, but he taught me. And when he gave me the glasses, he explained that they are to "let me see whatever I want to see." Sure enough, whenever I put them on, I can see my success as a teacher that year. And I can see all the hope and wonder that accompany a child, even one who faces struggles like Paul's. And, just like Paul, wherever I am, I can see Home.
But the one thing that truly stands out to me as a key factor of success in that classroom as well as in any classroom I've been in since (and in my own home) is the importance of large muscle movement. The field of education often elicits images of children sitting stagnantly at desks. Indeed, we are schooled to help children "sit still" in order to create a better learning environment. And, if you ask me, this is counterproductive. Children, particularly under the age of five, are not hardwired to sit still. (I would argue that no human is truly hardwired to sit still, but that's another post in and of itself.) Kinesthetic learning refers to the style of learning that takes place through physical movement and tactile exploration as opposed to through hearing and watching. While some learners are primarily successful through kinesthetic learning, all learners benefit from it. And, as the cooler and shorter days give way to more time indoors, I am reminding myself of the many ways to ensure that movement is incorporated into my daily routine at home--both for our children and for the grownups--even if it means I sneak it in!

 Large muscle or gross motor movement certainly refers to the obvious physical activities, like sports, outdoor play, and games that involve running, jumping, dancing, skipping, etc. You can include a lot of equipment in your gross motor play or no equipment at all. Your body is really all that you need. Many times, we see gross motor activity as something that is restricted to recess/playground times and gym class--but it can definitely be effectively incorporated into structured learning indoors whether it is in the classroom or in your home.  Here are a few ways you can incorporate movement and kinesthetic learning into key pre-K subjects such as learning letters, numbers, shapes and colors:

• Reading and writing do not need to be sedentary activities! When I introduce letters to preschoolers, I provide a variety of means for them to explore them through tactile manipulation (with magnets, puzzles, foam letters, etc) and through larger muscle movement. Using masking tape, you can create the shape of a letter on your floor or rug. Children can trace the letter by walking over it, jumping over it, hopping over it, tip-toeing over it... You can include building materials like blocks for tracing. Providing a toy car to drive around the letter C is a great way to encourage pre-writing skills while teaching the beginning sound of a hard "C." Indeed, many of my students are introduced to the concept of verbs or action words through acting out a movement beginning with a particular letter sound. Jumping jacks are a fabulous way to get your heart rate up while learning the beginning sound a J makes.
• Learning colors can be a challenge for many preschoolers. They are not often isolated in our environment and many shades fall under the same name. Send your child on a color themed scavenger hunt around the house or classroom. How many red objects can they bring back? Both my boys are enrolled in classes in a local gymnastics studio and one of my favorite beginning stretches that they do each week is a rainbow chant in which they sit, legs wide and stretch their arms overhead from side to side in the shape of a rainbow while chanting each color: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, indigo!
• Incorporate sorting and separating colors by using color coded buckets and color coded balls, bean bags or other soft objects to toss inside.
• Numbers and early mathematical skills can be introduced through movement by having children choose an action word to carry out a particular number of times. I always incorporated kinesthetic learning into my daily calendar time when I taught in classrooms. A designated "calendar helper" was in charge of updating our daily calendar and also of choosing a verb to have all of the students act out the number of times corresponding to the date. Clapping, jumping, frog hopping, spinning in circles--you name it, we did it, one, two, ten, and even 31 times.
• Shapes are also able to be explored through tactile and physical exploration. They can be traced in the air, traced on the floor, drawn with sidewalk chalk and traced with a tricycle. One favorite activity of ours here is using silk scarves to create shapes in the air as we sing a favorite action song:

We wave our scarves together

We wave our scarves together

We wave our scarves together

Because it's fun to do

We wave our scarves in a circle

We wave them in a circle,

We wave them in a circle

Because it's fun to do!

S loves to choose the shape. There are some pricey play silks on the market, but we just use some fashion scarves from the Dollar Tree. It gets particularly interesting when someone chooses a shape like a hexagon!

Movement for the Less Mobile: Infants and babies may not be up to the developmental stage we most associate with gross motor movement, but they are doing plenty of it and it's so important at this point. While most of the time our play area is set up as a world for S in which Y happens to exist, once in a while, I set up a baby fun zone. S definitely finds ways to enjoy it when he's home and when we have other babies over for playdates, it's great fun to watch them explore and move at their own level. Areas for laying on their back and kicking/grabbing, tummy time, sitting assisted or unassisted, crawling, pulling up, assisted walking or toddling and objects with a variety of textures, shapes and colors all invite your littlest ones to develop vestibular awareness, their little bodies' GPS system.

Gross Motor Equipment, as I've said, is something you can add in or leave out to your discretion. We love using our play tunnel, bean bags for tossing, balls, our fort magic set for large building activities, parachutes, riding toys, hula hoops and child-friendly sports equipment. That said, indoors and out, movement can happen with very few extraneous materials. Many of our own favorite childhood games were follow the leader, red light/green light, Mother, May I?, What time is it, Mr. Fox? and tag. There are plenty of ways to build forts, engage in games and movement and play games with common household materials and additional equipment can often be found on the cheap at secondhand stores or discount stores. Adding unlikely elements to common activities (like turning off the lights and including flashlights and LED lights) can add some spice to the scenario if it gets a little stale.

• Leave the Heavy Lifting to the Kids?! Yes, you read that right! Heavy lifting and moving large objects is a great way for all kids to get moving. Many children actually greatly benefit from this type of activity. One year I had a student who loved to move playground equipment into a line every day. It was initially quite frustrating for the teachers until one day I stepped in and engaged him and his peers into turning it into a more functional game. We had choo-choo trains, airplanes, boats and more--and my little heavy lifter got his movement in!
• Just dance! Oh, we've all been there. The witching hour battles after dinner and before bed or even those moments in the classroom when all is going awry. Sometimes we all just need to turn up the music and dance. You don't need a specific playlist or particular songs and movements--you just need something with a good beat that will get you all moving. Go on and join 'em--it's fun to shake your sillies out.

• If you need some inspiration, YouTube is a great resource for free kids' exercise, Yoga and dancing videos. It's a wonderful way to get moving in new ways and incorporate skills like following instructions. 

• Let them see you do it! It's hard to tell our kids to get moving from a sedentary position ourselves. Let them see you making movement and exercise a priority and enjoying it and they will follow suit. I have stopped feeling guilty about whisking away to the gym because my time there is good for my body and mind and I want my kids to internalize that.
• Sneak it in! Lastly, I'd like to toss in a couple of my favorite ways to sneak in gross motor movement. One is a game I call "How Shall We Get There?" This is the one I whip out when my preschooler doesn't want to leave the playground, the friend's house, etc. "How shall we get to the car?" I ask him. "Shall we walk sideways like a crab or jump like a kangaroo?" And get ready to walk sideways with a slightly perturbed toddler all the way to your car... My second favorite is "What Shall We Do While We're Waiting?" This is the one I reserve for waiting in line or for an appointment or turn with a toy. Shall we jump ten times? Shall we hop on one foot three times? Shall we bear crawl across the rug?

Movement is an integral part of learning and growth. It is also a great tool to combat the winter doldrums for both children and adults. Through creative play, games and also just through allowing children to naturally do what they already do, plenty of movement can happen on a daily basis both outdoors and in. I'm off to get moving myself (blogging is rather a stationary activity for me) and until the next time...

Happy ACTIVE playing!

Community Helpers Theme: Police Officers & General Safety

Our table time activity and dramatic lay area were all set up and ready for some fun and learning about Police Officers. This theme seemed like a good one to also incorporate some lessons about general safety. Discussing fire and general safety as a family has been an important part of this week's learning about rescue workers in our community. These conversations are so important and have naturally also led us to ask some questions or put some plans in place where there were previously gaps. Children even as young as preschool age can learn important safety information to help manage an emergency situation should one arise, G-d forbid. Topics you may wish to explore as a family include (but are certainly not limited to):

• what to do in the event of a fire in the home (where exits are in each room/floor, where to meet and stay as a family, what to do if your clothing is on fire
• how to stay safe in busy public places and what to do if they get lost
• who the "safe" adults are in their life and how to identify a safe adult in a public location
• in addition to talking about not talking to strangers, we should also inform our children how to talk to safe strangers (like police officers, security guards, firefighters, EMTs and other rescue workers)
• personal safety and what to do if someone makes them feel uncomfortable (including safe and unsafe touch, parts of their bodies that are private, etc.)
• how to behave around animals outside of the house--even others' pets!
• children should also learn their parents' first and last names, their own full names, their home address and relevant phone numbers
• household safety--what items are safe to use and touch without an adult to help and which are not!
• who is allowed to pick them up at school/from home/from the babysitter and what to do if someone else comes to pick them up (even if it is a famiar person). In this day and age, most schools have policies about authorized pick-up anyway, however it can always be helpful to set up a secret family password that can be used in the event a child is unsure.
• how to dial 911 and what constitutes an emergency

Sometimes these conversations are best had informally and in the moment such topics arise. Talking about staying together is a great thing to do as you arrive at the zoo or museum or theme park. Sometimes children will have questions and these topics can be explored together. Other topics likely do require formal conversation and family meetings and it's a good idea to make a habit of regularly going over them as a family. We do not want to instill undue fears in our little ones; we do want to ensure they have the resources and tools in place should they need them. The good news is that there are a lot of great free resources through your local library, online, through schools and through parenting support and education programs to help us address these topics in an informed and prepared manner!

 We try to supplement more serious subject matter with some fun and play. We had a lot of fun playing some safety-themed gross motor games. I love playing games like this to help my toddler practice staying safe and close to us in public places like the park, museums, etc. We played the classic schoolyard game "Red Light, Green Light" and a slightly more detailed version, "Stop, Go, SLOW!" to help practice walking together in public places. Using games like this in times of play is a great way to practice developing the skills that are required to be prepared for how to behave when you are in a busy public place. We also make a game at our local parks/playgrounds of singing this little song we learned at our library's story time:

(to the tune of "Are You Sleeping?"
Walking, walking,
Walking, walking,
Hop, hop, hop
Hop, hop, hop
Running, running, running,
Running, running, running,
Now we stop!
Now we stop!

When we take the time and make a playful scenario of practicing the important direction of stopping and waiting as soon as an adult requests it, it is easier to practice it in the moment when you are out in public. We use the phrase "stop and wait" with my son, though some parents find it more helpful to use only a positive command in these instances like "freeze" or "pause." Generally speaking, children respond best to a positive command as opposed to being told "don't___" or "no____." We also give prompts in advance when we are out that at a particular point we will have to hold hands or that he may walk ahead but must stop and thus and such a landmark, etc.

My little guy had a lot of fun playing these games together and also especially enjoyed taking a turn to be "the officer" and calling out commands of "Stop," "Go," and "Slow" for me to follow! We found some great fiction and non-fiction children's literature about police officers at our library. My son has for quite some time adored the award winning book Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann. I made sure to include that one in our reading repertoire this week! I was, therefore, not at all surprised by my son's creative dictation in our journal prompt!

Using journals together is a great way to record play and learning adventures through this theme. The only thing more fun than imagining about what you might like to be when you grow up is going back years later and seeing what you had once imagined!

 I wanted to include a fun, hands-on activity related to this theme. Our mommy & me group did a great activity with washable ink pads and fingerprints related to police officers and there are some great ideas and printables online to do this as well. Observing how each of our fingerprints is different can be a great way to mix art and science! I decided to include some fun "detective work" in our police officer theme at home by writing and revealing secret messages and drawings. Using white crayons, we each wrote/drew our secret message. Next we used dot markers over the top (which is resistant to the crayon) to reveal our previously hidden message! This would work as well with watercolor paints and even washable markers. Hint: the harder you press and draw with the white crayons, the easier it will be to see your secret message in the end!

Happy (and SAFE) Playing!

Tu B'Shevat Theme: Do You Know the Parts of Trees?

Do You Know the Parts of Trees?

The bottom flaps open and close
with velcro to reveal a picture
of the parts of a tree!

We had just finished preparing a batch of homemade blueberry muffins when I sent my toddler to go play so I could safely pop the baking pan in the oven. Moments later as I was cleaning up, he came frolicking back in carrying a pine cone from his Nature Observation Station. He remembered painting it a few months ago when we were learning about Autumn. "No put in mouth!" he said, which is his way of saying it's not something we should eat. "You're right, but some animals do eat the seeds inside pine cones. They carry seeds from pine trees." He left the room, pine cone in hand and returned a few moments later with an acorn. "No can eat it!" he announced. "You're right. We can't eat acorns, but squirrels and chipmunks and other animals do. They are the seeds from oak trees." He was quite pleased, left again and returned in just another moment carrying a thick slab of bark we'd found on the ground in a nearby park this Fall. "What is it?" he asked. "That's bark from a tree. The bark protects the tree trunk."



This exchange was such a beautiful example of how a science/nature observation station can work to spark conversations and influence language development. It was also the perfect transition into our school activities today as I formally introduced the topic of trees and Tu B'Shevat!

The famous coconut tree of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is one of our very favorite trees of all time! It's also a great way to tie in some letter, early reading and pre-writing activities into our tree theme.

Our Table Time activity this morning was one that combined a familiar and beloved children's book (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. & Jon Archambault) with pre-writing and name recognition skills. I found and printed the template on this great blog post, where you can find a variety of story stretcher ideas related to the book. I set letter stamps for each of the letters in my son's name and provided a written and stamped example. He had a lot of fun (and fine motor practice) stamping the letters of his name all around and up the coconut tree. He also enjoyed singing the little song I taught him to remember the spelling of his name!

To help introduce our theme, we began with a fabulous book we borrowed from our library, Janice May Udry's A Tree is Nice. My son loved curling up on my lap as we read and looking at the lovely alternating black and white and color pictures done by talented illustrator, Marc Simont. While he was still on my lap, I began singing him the little song I composed to help teach the parts of trees. You can sing it as a lap rhyme as well or act it out standing up!

Do You Know the Parts of Trees?
t.t.t.o.: Do You Know the Muffin Man? by: Michal Lipp

Do you know the parts of trees, the parts of trees, the parts of trees?
Oh do you know the parts of trees that help them grow and grow?

The roots, they hold the tree in place, the tree in place, the tree in place,
The roots, they hold the tree in place and soak up water, too!
[tickle/touch toes]

The trunk moves water up the the tree, up the tree, up the tree,
The trunk moves water up the tree and brings it to the leaves.
[touch hands to belly or hips]

The branches stretch up far and wide, far and wide, far and wide,
The branches stretch up far and wide to carry all the leaves.
[stretch arms up and out]

The leaves, they soak up the sunlight, the sunlight, the sunlight,
The leaves, they soak up the sunlight and help the tree make food.
[wiggle fingers and then rub belly at "help the tree make food"]

So now you know the parts of trees, the parts of trees, the parts of trees,
Yes, now you know the parts of trees that help them grow and grow!
We sang our way through this journal page, which I found and printed for free from Teachers Pay Teachers. If you are a teacher or home educator, I highly recommend utilizing the many amazing resources at teacherspayteachers.com. I found a lot of great materials searching for free pre-K items related to trees.

We finished our school time together with a fun gross motor game. I found these dry-erase dice at the Dollar Tree earlier in the school season. On each of the six sides, I wrote a tree-related action. You can play, too--and even make your own die by recycling a square tissue box or instead using index action cards.

Here are our tree actions:

1. Sway in the wind (sway side to side)
2. Wiggle your leaves (reach arms up and out, wiggle fingers)
3. Touch your roots (bend down and touch toes)
4. Curl up like a seed (crouch into Child's Pose, small and tucked in like a tiny seed)
5. Stretch your branches (reach arms up and out, stand tall on tip toes)
6. Stand BIG and TALL like a tree (stand up straight and tall, for a more advanced version, try standing on one foot with other foot lifted to toe or pressed below or above your knee as in Tree Pose)

Our weather outside was quite cold for a park visit on our first day and we are looking forward to some milder temperatures in the days to come so we can go on a Parts of a Tree Nature Scavenger Hunt at a local park and bring home some more additions to our Nature Observation Station. Until then, I have to make a like a tree and leave!

Happy Playing!