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Comparing Objects by Weight with Child 14 (erikson.edu)
This had a great video with children exploring weighing objects. They love exploring different weights of objects and playing with the scale to see what weighs more than other objects.

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Erikson Institute Early Math Collaborative

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Comparing Objects by Weight with Child 14

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A kindergartner explores weight with a pan balance.

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Magnet Experiments for Pre-K Preschool Kids - PreKinders
Exploring magnets with children can be such a fun activity. Seeing the wonderment in kids is so joyful. They have such curiosity about how it works and what is magnetic.

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Try these 7 fun magnet experiments with your Pre-K and Preschool children!

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Children use a magnet wand to test a variety of objects to see if they are magnetic or non-magnetic. They classify the objects onto the spaces on this magnet sorting mat.

Download: Magnet Sorting Mat
This idea for magnet tubes is a great DIY project for your science center.

I like to plunder through craft stores and hardware stores looking for things I can use at school. When I came across these coin collector tubes at Hobby Lobby one day, I immediately knew I could use these for something, and thought about making magnet tubes.

I bought the tubes that are made for a stack of quarters. I collected magnetic objects and non-magnetic objects to put inside, and the lids just screw on. I haven't had a problem with kids taking the lids off, but if that's a concern, you could glue the lids shut, or add tape around them. Children first make their predictions: which items will be magnetic and which items will not be magnetic? Then they use a magnet wand to "test" the bottles, and compare the results to their predictions. This Magnet Sorting Mat could be used with this activity, or you can label two baskets "magnetic" and "not-magnetic" for sorting the tubes.

From left to right, these are the objects in the bottles as pictured:

magnetic bingo chips

mini jingle bells

coins

stack of disk magnets

thumb tacks

paper clips

wooden hearts (craft supplies)

iron filings

plastic beads

pencil eraser

seashells

Since the lids can be screwed on and off, you could change out the items in the bottles. A few ideas for other items:

In the science center, I added a collection of magnet wands, horseshoe magnets, and things that are magnetic, such as paper clips, magnetic marbles, boxes filled with iron filings, and magnet tubes (shown above).

I used a pocket chart stand to suspend two magnets by tying them to the bar with yarn: a horseshoe magnet and a magnet wand. At the time this photo was taken, my class was infatuated with making spiral snakes which they hung all over the classroom - those are the colorful pieces hanging from the top bar, but these are not necessary for magnet experiments :).

There are two ways to use the hanging magnets:

Children can attach paper clips or magnet balls to the hanging magnets, and see how many clips or balls will attach to the magnet without falling.

Children can use a second magnet wand and slowly move it closer to the hanging magnet to see how far they must get before the hanging magnet "jumps" to the magnet in their hand.

With this activity, kids can use magnets to paint!

For magnet marble painting, you need:

Magnetic marbles (from an educational supply company)

Magnet wands (purchase in fabric store)

Tempera paint

Heavy duty white paper plates (not plastic or foam) - e.g. Chinet

Small paint bowls

Squirt tempera paint into each bowl and drop in a few magnetic marbles. It helps to place the same color marble into the same color of paint (green marble into green paint) so the children are less likely to mix up the paint colors. Children place a marble on top of their plate, then move their magnet wand below the plate to move the marble. The magnetic marble paints the plate! These make a nice abstract painting, which are nice to display in the classroom.

To add a magnet activity to the sensory table, fill the table with rice. Mix in some non-magnetic plastic beads (such as colorful pony beads), magnetic marbles, and colored metal paper clips. Include a magnet wand for each child. Children explore with the magnets in the sensory table, discovering which items are magnetic and which are not, and using the magnet wands to find buried magnetic treasure. They can also see how many paper clips and magnetic marbles they can attach to the wands before they fall. (Note: These items could be a choking hazard for very young children.)

Where to find these items:

Pony Beads: Can be found in craft stores.

Magnetic Marbles: Can be purchased from school supply stores.

Magnet Wands: Can be found in fabric shops.

Here's an interesting science activity to see how far something magnetic will "jump" as you put a magnet closer to it.

For this magnet activity, I first placed a long piece of masking tape on the table. The red dot drawn on the tape signified the starting point. The magnetic objects all begin at the red dot.

We collected some objects that we knew were magnetic (by the time we did this activity, the children knew what was and wasn't magnetic). We used: paper clips, magnetic marbles, jingle bells. The magnet wand was placed on the tape, and slowly pushed along the tape towards the magnetic object.

At the point where the object "jumped" to reach the wand, a child marked the spot on the tape with a marker. We tried several different objects to see which ones would jump the farthest distance and which the closest.

The magnet marbles jumped the farthest, but for the paper clip and jingle bell, the magnet had to be very close for them to move. Stronger magnets would probably make this a better activity. I have seen some "super strong" magnets in an educational catalog, and that's probably what we need.

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Try these 7 fun magnet experiments with your Pre-K and Preschool children! This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Children use a magnet wand to test a variety of objects to see if they are magnetic or non-magnetic. They classify the objects onto the spaces on this magnet sorting mat.

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Which Objects Can Balance? | Crafts for Kids | PBS KIDS for Parents
This had some really cool ideas to teach kids about balancing objects. I love teaching kids about science and think this site has some great ideas to let them explore.

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Which Objects Can Balance? | Crafts for Kids

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Sparks' Crew notices that ice cream cones are pointy on the bottom. You can't make an ice cream cone stand up by itself. The cone doesn't balance. It wobbles and falls down. You and your child can use your Superpowers of Science! Your child can investigate different objects. Your child can predict...

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Brain Development - First Things First
The brain is not made, its built! We are the teachers who can help provide the tools they need to succeed.

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From birth to age 5, a child’s brain develops more than any other time in life. Early brain development impacts a child’s ability to learn.

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Why is Problem Solving Important in Child Development? | Marlborough News
This is great to understand why it's so important for children to learn how to problem solve. It starts at such a young age and helps throughout your whole life.

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Children develop problem-solving skills at different rates; nevertheless, it is imperative that children learn to tackle problems with grit and creativity, especially as they learn to cope with setbacks or resolve conflict. Moreover, problem solving is one of the most important skills children can develop, because it prepares them to face increasingly complex academic and interpersonal issues as they mature.

Experts agree that the ability to meet challenges confidently is "a critical skill for school readiness." In many cases, children learn by watching parents or caregivers solve problems.

This article will explore three benefits of learning problem-solving skills at school:

Why is Problem Solving Important in Child Development?

The earlier children begin solving problems, the more ready they are to deal with bigger challenges as they mature.

By introducing problem solving skills in the classroom, children learn to think in terms of manageable steps as they:
1. Identify Problems 2. Brainstorm Possible Solutions 3. Test Appropriate Solutions 4. Analyze Results
By viewing problems as opportunities to grow, children broaden their understanding while building confidence.

The classroom is a safe, controlled environment, with experienced teachers who direct students as they hone problem-solving skills.

Good schools know that problem solving is important in child development. Therefore, we incorporate problem-solving exercises into a wide range of classes. Marlborough's goal is to ignite intellectual inquiry by combining problem solving with creativity, collaboration, and communication, thereby empowering our students to become actively engaged global citizens.

We ask our middle school girls to solve various types of problems; thus, they develop flexibility. Since our students regularly practice problem solving, they dramatically improve their academic performance.

Problem-Solving Skills Improve Academic Performance

One reason that problem solving is important in child development is that it teaches discernment, helping young people distinguish what is a solvable problem.

Problem solving also develops grit, a trait that successful students routinely display.

Often, it takes an entire team to solve a problem. Since it can feel intimidating to collaborate or ask for help, the classroom is a perfect space to take risks. Together, students learn how to ask determining questions, such as:

Students who learn how to solve problems have a deeper understanding of cause and effect. Teachers often urge students to look for patterns or make predictions. Problem-solving skills, then, boost reflective, critical thinking.

At Marlborough, we foster practical, analytical thinking through individual and collaborative school projects. Here are two middle school elective courses that show how problem-solving skills lead to academic success:

Middle School Debate teaches the art of research, deliberation, and argument. Students consider both sides of a question, discussing realistic solutions, and presenting their findings with clarity and eloquence.

Crime Scene Investigation: CSI Marlborough synthesizes biology and chemistry as students learn about forensic science. Students systematically solve problems by investigating a fictional crime, securing the crime scene, gathering detailed evidence, testing hypotheses, identifying potential suspects, then solving the case.

Problem-Solving Skills Build Confidence

Solving problems means making choices. Typically, effective problem-solving skills result in "happier, more confident, and more independent" individuals.

When children tackle problems on their own, or in a group, they become resilient. They learn to look at challenges from a fresh perspective. Therefore, they take more calculated risks.

Problem solving is important in child development because confident, capable children usually grow into confident, capable adults. <

If students practice problem solving consistently, they can develop greater situational and social awareness. Additionally, they learn to manage time and develop patience.

As students mature, problems they face become more complex:

How do I make lasting friendships?

How can I bring justice to my community?

Which career suits my abilities and interests best?

Marlborough recognizes the need for practice; no one masters problem solving overnight. Consequently, we offer a wide range of courses that teach middle school girls how to solve problems in the real world.

Here are a few middle school electives that focus on critical thinking, thus enhancing students' confidence:

Makers' Space 1.0 introduces middle school girls to original, school projects that they design, then create with hand and power tools.

Tinkering and Making with Technology invites girls to play with electronics + code. They learn the basics of electronics, ultimately completing an interactive and/or wearable technology project.

Drawing and Animating with Code uses text-based computer programming to teach girls to write code and create computer graphics drawings or animations.

As students develop their problem-solving skills, they learn to rely on independent, creative thinking, which enhances their sense of independence; these skills, then, prepare students for life and future careers.

Problem-Solving Skills Prepare Students for Future Careers

Children who learn how to solve problems when they are young tend to appreciate lifelong learning. They are curious, motivated, and innovative.

Employers want new hires to think imaginatively, especially since many problems that society faces today are new.

The push for school STEM programs in schools reflects this trend. For instance, coding requires students to envision a goal, then identify logical steps, and plan ahead. Coding also requires persistence, which means that students must be able to power through failure.

Notwithstanding the need for personal excellence, employers also really want team members. Taking classes that encourage group problem solving can be invaluable as students look ahead to college and careers.

As a result, our students participate in academic teams that build leadership through problem-solving activities, including these middle school elective courses:

VR and Animation is a project-based class that invites middle school girls to create a virtual reality (VR) theme park attraction with interactive artwork and digital designs.

Robotics classes allow middle school girls to design, build, program, and operate a robot. Our students also participate in the national FIRST Tech Challenge.

Marlborough is preparing girls to enter the workforce. Problem solving is important in child development because it trains young people to think independently and to collaborate. Marlborough's graduates are ready to enter adulthood because they know how to solve problems.

Why Choose Marlborough?

Marlborough serves girls in grades 7 through 12. We are a private, college-preparatory secondary school, conveniently located in the heart of Los Angeles, California.

Our goal is to ignite intellectual inquiry and to build the problem-solving, creativity, collaboration, and communication skills that our students will need to innovate, invent, and lead in college and beyond.

Next Steps

If you want your daughter to become a curious, agile thinker, consider Marlborough. We will enhance your daughter's problem-solving skills, helping her gain an academic edge as she builds confidence and prepares for the future.

Want to know more about the Marlborough experience?

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Why is Problem Solving Important in Child Development?

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Children develop problem-solving skills at different rates; nevertheless, it is imperative that children learn to tackle problems with grit and creativity, especially as they learn to cope with setbacks or resolve conflict. Moreover, problem solving is one of the most important skills children can develop, because it prepares them to face increasingly complex academic and interpersonal issues as they mature.

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Sensory Play for Babies (growingajeweledrose.com)
This had some great ideas for play with the children. Letting kids play and explore sounds is so helpful and entertaining for you children.

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Fun and educational kids activities - slime, glow in the dark, play dough, science experiments, kids crafts, fun recipes, and more!

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The Benefits of Block Play | Learning and Development | Teach Early Years
Children can learn in so many ways when playing with blocks; math, problem solving, self-expression as a few examples. Its valuable open-ended play that helps stimulate brain development.

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Block play offers an open-ended, creative and valuable play and learning experience available to every setting.

It offers children freedom - to explore, take apart and put back together any block-based creation they can think of.

There are a host of benefits to be gained from this activity. Here are ten aspects of learning that can expect a boost, many originally highlighted by the National Association for the Education of Young Children:

1. Imagination - Through block play children are free to follow their own ideas as they embark on a voyage of discovery or share in the development of their friends' creations.

2. Self-expression - Children are able to express themselves through their play, creations and discoveries - a form of communication that's particularly valuable for bilingual or non-verbal children.

3. Problem-solving - Blocks offer a great platform to develop problem-solving and reasoning skills. This can be deliberate, with children consciously working to develop a solution, or as a natural consequence of play, as they learn first-hand what does and doesn't work.

4. Mathematics - Due to the many shapes, sizes and colours on offer, blocks offer ample opportunity for children to practise important maths skills, covering measurement, number, symmetry, balance and estimation. By comparing shapes and sizes, creating patterns or providing measuring and weighing tools, we can can extend play and exploration.

5. Physical development - Block play promotes the development of spatial awareness and develops hand-eye coordination as children reach for, lift, move and build with blocks, strengthening their fingers, hands and arms.

6. Creativity - Blocks are loose parts, meaning children are free to combine and re-combine them in countless ways. Add in alternative resources such as dough, small world characters or paint and pencils to further extend opportunities for creativity.

7. Science - Through the exploration of cause and effect and experimentation, children are able to develop their problem-solving skills, test hypotheses and practise scientific reasoning. Blocks help them to become familiar with balance, weight, spatial awareness and gravity.

8. Self-esteem - Children can take risks in their block play, helping them to discover that they have independent ideas. Children experience a sense of achievement as they 'have a go', creating and developing something new and unique.

9. PSED (personal, social and emotional development) - Block play allows children to co-construct and negotiate. They take turns, share materials and cooperate with others, forging new friendships. It also encourages self-reliance, increases attention span and develops sense of self.

10. Communication & literacy - As children encounter new experiences through block play, there are countless opportunities for discussion and the development of new vocabulary. Social interaction with adults and peers unlocks further benefits, while using blocks can support story creation and collaborative storytelling.

Adult support

When observing block play you can support children by identifying and supporting the Characteristics of Effective Learning. Key questions for adults to ask include:

● Are the children having and following their own ideas? Are they choosing and exploring their own ways of doing things?

● Are the children willing to have a go and take risks in their block play? Do they keep trying if things don't work?

● Are the children involved? Are they concentrating on what they want to achieve?

● Are the children enjoying their play and discoveries? Do they enjoy achieving what they set out to do?

By scaffolding ideas using open-ended questions or making 'I wonder' and 'I notice' comments to children, block play becomes an exciting environment in which we as practitioners can develop a deeper understanding of a child's world.

Charlie Chewter is a childcare qualification assessor at PACEY, which is dedicated to supporting everyone working in childcare and early years, providing training, insurance, practical support and expert advice. As a not-for-profit professional association, it offers membership packages for all types of childcare professionals.

You may also be interested in...

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Block play - The benefits of manipulative play in early years | Learning and Development | Teach Early Years

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Teach Early Years magazine is the leading B2B title for early years teachers, practitioners and providers, offering expert advice on educating the 0-5s and operating a sustainable childcare business.

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7 Valuable Benefits of Construction Play - KingasCorner
I love watching my daughter play with block while she builds and creates with her own hands. It's so important for children to be able to explore this curiosity and creativity and very enjoyable to see when your child does.

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If you click on my affiliates/advertisers links, I am going to receive a tiny commission. AND... Most of the time, you will receive an offer. Win/Win! The products that I advertise are the ones I believe in.
updated on: 02.01.2022
Construction play is a form of play that uses construction toys to build things. Construction toys are toys that encourage children to use their creativity and imagination while they build different structures. Construction play has many benefits for children, including developing their spatial awareness, enhancing their problem-solving skills, and more.

Construction play is important for children because it helps them learn how to properly use tools like hammers and screwdrivers, while also providing the opportunity for them to develop spatial awareness. Having this type of play available can make it easier for kids with autism or an attention deficit disorder.

This is the first post of a series I'm starting called "types of play". It's specially designated for toddlers. Throughout this series you'll find out more about them, what are the benefits, and how to incorporate them into your toddler's life and education.

Contents

Types of play series:

1. 7 Valuable Construction Play Benefits for Your Little One (this one)

2. What is open-ended play? {+accessible toy ideas}

Construction Play. What is it?

Construction play is exactly as the name states. Your child will construct or build something new using toy elements or real-life materials.

It is very important in your child's early development stages. Studies show that this makes a huge difference in the way kids think or complete certain tasks.
By using open-ended materials it allows children to reflect on the materials used.
It can also involve playing or building with 3D materials such as blocks. Other constructive play alternatives where the little ones can decide what to do are:
counting bricks

wooden bricks

playdough

measuring weights

stacking & sorting

assembling or disassembling

building with any other recycled materials, such as cardboard boxes.

This freedom helps them think outside the box and make decisions based on what they learn or see.

What are the benefits of construction play?

Besides being fun and engaging, constructive play also offers several benefits.

Fine motor skills - refers to your child's ability to control small muscles - hands, fingers. These are essential for a more developed body. But more importantly, for grasping, coordination, and even writing

Gross motor skills - involves all the large muscles of arms, legs and torso. These are usually acquired at a very young age as your child learns how to crawl, walk, run, etc. Both fine and gross motor skills are required to manipulate and handle the materials in order to construct something.

Creativity - is very important in everyone's life. You don't have to be an artist to be creative. There are so many occasions when people must think outside the box. Sometimes it's also involved rational thinking and letting the creative side out. So this step is essential for toddlers and kids as well. Another huge bonus is to see how ideas come to life.

Problem-solving - construction toys are the perfect way for a child to learn how to solve an issue. Trial and error is a great method to learn what works and what not.

Hand-eye coordination - we all use it whenever we do something with our hands. Babies are no different. As they grow up you see them getting better and better at it. The way these works is. When the eyes see something. It sends certain signals to the brain. Then, the brain sends signals to the hands by "telling" them how to move and how to create a certain shape.

Perseverance - is another important ability your child will face and have to learn. Building something can be very challenging and difficult, especially for young children. So not giving up and keep on trying, even if it's difficult are required in constructive play.

Team work - it's very important for every child to be able to work or play in a team. This will be extremely helpful for them later on in adulthood. Some tasks need many people to complete them. So, by doing this, it will increase their social skills and learn how to become a team player.
You might also like:
Example of construction toys

As a parent, I know how hard it can be to choose the appropriate toys for your little one. That's why I listed some of our favourite toys here. Feel free to use them as inspiration.

Lego Duplo My First Bricks. This is the perfect first Duplo set to introduce to your toddler. It has 80 colourful pieces in various shapes and colours. In the box, there are 5 cards with instructions to build a heart, a flower, a helicopter, a fish and a duck. But the building possibilities are endless. Includes double-sided decorated bricks and a propeller. These are the perfect finishing touches to showcase the end project. Buy on Amazon now

Wooden Building Blocks. These are beneficial for any baby or toddler. Not only they will improve your child fine motor skills. It will also develop their cognitive skills and brain development. The market is full of lovely wooden building blocks and colourful ones. It doesn't matter what blocks you have, they all do the same thing. My favourites are on Etsy. Buy on Etsy now

Magnetic Blocks. These are better suited for older children, but toddlers can enjoy them too. They get to experiment and learn about tridimensional shapes. It's a great way of learning and developing shape recognition and patterns. It's great for sorting and stacking too. Possibilities are endless. Buy on Amazon now

Wooden Race Track. These are a great way to incorporate fun and creativity. It's a 50+ piece set that includes scenery items and 3 cars. It may be a bit advanced for a 1-year-old, but it's one of those pieces that last a long time. So great as a gift.

VTech Baby Toot-Toot Drivers Deluxe Track Set. We got this as a gift for my son's first birthday. He didn't play with it as much at first, but he started enjoying putting the track together. The only downside to this track set is that you'd have to buy the cars separately. For older kids, there are some extra items (garage) that can be added in order to form a more advanced toy. Get it on Amazon

Construction activities

No matter how many toys your child has, sometimes is not enough. You will often see your toddler playing with totally different things. This is a normal thing to do, especially in those early ages.

So to give you more ideas, I listed some of our favourite activities you can try at home with your little boy.

Posibilities are endless and Pinterest is full of ideas.

1. building forts out of blankets or bed sheets

2. playdoh activities

3. create a construction site sensory bin

4. building sand castles

5. put together a car or train track

6. create tunnels for cars or big enough to fit your child through them

7. put together a farm

8. cardboard box house

9. creat ramps or marble run

10. build a plastic cup tower

11. create castles out of toilet roll

12. build a bridge using craft sticks and plastic cups

13. create foam towers - this activity is more for parents, but your toddler will enjoy it too

14. use cereal boxes as giant building blocks

15. make your own sponge blocks

16. create shape houses using craft sticks

17. create a play town or small world

18. feed the lego monsters

19. cardboard maze

20. domino

21. stacking whatever you have on hand

22. assemble or disassemble anything you like

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7 Valuable Construction Play Benefits for Your Little One

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If you click on my affiliates/advertisers links, I am going to receive a tiny commission. AND... Most of the time, you will receive an offer. Win/Win! The products that I advertise are the ones I believe in. updated on: 02.01.2022 Construction play is a form of play that uses construction toys to build things.

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4 Creative Construction Play Ideas for Kids - Toddler Approved
The blog site had a lot of great information about construction play for toddlers. There're some good ideas I could use for my daughter, she loves building right now.

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We hope you enjoyed a wonderful weekend! This week we are kicking off Construction Week by sharing four easy construction activities for kids!

Our Weekly Virtual Book Club for Kids featured book this week is Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site by Sherri Duskey. We LOVE it and had so much fun reading it and then wrangling together all of our favorite construction trucks and materials so that we could share these activities with you!

We created FOUR construction activities to share with you, and you can find TWO of the activities here and TWO MORE easy construction activities over on the Melissa and Doug Blog.

CONSTRUCTION SENSORY PLAY ACTIVITY

Materials Needed: Dried beans, Dried barley or rice, pebbles, Round the Construction Zone Work Site Rug & Vehicle Set from Melissa & Doug, small plastic lids and containers.

Playing with our construction trucks and sensory materials is always so much fun. To set up our sensory play activity we rolled out our Construction zone work site rug and gathered our vehicles. We added a few other vehicles in addition to the roller, cement truck, and dump truck that were included. We also used some of the haulers from our wooden construction site vehicles set.

Once we gathered our materials we set up different areas around the mat for the sensory building materials (barley/beans/rocks, etc). We also add plastic lids and containers around the mat for dumping.

I didn't give the kids any specific instructions other than to try their hardest to keep most of the materials on the playmat.

The kids had so much fun driving the trucks around, picking up loads, dumping sensory materials, and even building with them!

They also got to use their diggers and haulers to clean up sensory materials when there were any spills at the construction site!

It was fun to see the kids working together and this activity also provided several opportunities for conflict resolution practice! The kids were SO EXCITED about the materials, play mat, and trucks that sometimes it was hard to share, take turns, and work together. I joined in the play for a little bit to help model appropriate turn taking and conflict resolution skills and it was neat to watch as the kids got better at working out any problems as they played.

My favorite creation was my son's huge long sidewalk made out of pebbles! Adding some simple sensory materials to our work site rug was a lot of fun. The mat is made of durable rug material and is stain-resistant and machine-washable. It is also has skid-proof backing that is safe on all floor surfaces so it didn't move around while we played!

REUSABLE STICKER CONSTRUCTION PLAY

Materials Needed: Reusable Vehicle Sticker Pad, markers, paper tape, scissors, and a window.

We love reusable stickers! We found this awesome Reusable Vehicle Sticker Pad and ripped out the construction themed set for Construction week!

Once we ripped out the construction pages we stuck all of the construction vehicle stickers onto my sliding glass door for a little sorting project! We took some paper tape, cut it up., and wrote the different names of construction vehicles on each piece of paper tape.

Next we stuck the paper tape on the sliding glass window and then tried to match the names of the construction vehicles to the correct vehicle. This was hard, but informative! We even had to do an online search once or twice just to make sure we got the vehicles matched properly!

Reusable stickers work great on sliding glass doors and glass windows!

After we were done matching the vehicles we talked about their names and then the kids just enjoyed playing with the construction vehicles and the play scene on the window.

As an extension activity you could also give your kids some whiteboard markers and have them draw their own construction scene on the window for them to use with their reusable stickers!

These simple construction themed activities can be done over and over again.

NOW HEAD ON OVER TO THE MELISSA AND DOUG BLOG TO CHECK OUT 2 MORE CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS.

This week our Virtual Book Club for Kids co-hosts have also been creating construction themed activities to share with you! Click on the links below to see what they shared!

CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES BY OUR CO-HOSTS

Alphabet Activities

Goodnight Construction Site ABC Dig and Construct- Growing Book by Book

Construction Themed Letter Crafts - Books and Giggles

Name Activities

Truck Play Dough Name Activity- JDaniel4's Mom

Construction Truck STEM: Building Beams - Preschool Powol Packets

Counting Activities

Construction Site Build and Count - Inspiration Laboratories

Construction Site Counting Game - To be a Kid Again

Sensory Activities

Cloud Dough Construction Site Sensory Bin - Powerful Mothering

Construction Site Sensory Bin - CraftCreateCalm

Digging Up and Sorting Construction Equipment

4 Easy Construction Play Ideas for Kids- Toddler Approved

Cooking Activities

Rock Cakes - Rainy Day Mum

Science Activities

Design and build a truck - Mama Smiles

Magnetic Construction Site - The Educators' Spin On It

Color Activities

Digger Color Sort - My Storytime Corner

Pre-Writing Activities

Constructing a Story Printable and Kids Book List — Chickadee Lit

Painting with Trucks - Clare's Little Tots

Movement Activities

Construction Site Brain Breaks- Sugar Aunts

Shape Activities

Construction Truck and Equipment Puzzles - Kori at Home

Disclosure: I am a paid guest blogger over at the Melissa & Doug Blog and received these Melissa & Doug products for free to use as part of our Construction posts. All opinions are mine.

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4 Creative Construction Play Ideas for Kids

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We hope you enjoyed a wonderful weekend! This week we are kicking off Construction Week by sharing four easy construction activities for kids! Our Weekly Virtual Book Club for Kids featured book this week is

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5 Easy Homemade Clay Recipes to Make Clay with Kids - FamilyEducation
I can't wait to try this one with the kids! Homemade clay recipes are so helpful so that I can have the kids make the clay with me so we can create and activity from scratch.

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Use the following recipes to make clay that can be rolled or shaped into sculptures. Some clays should be dried overnight, while others are best baked in an oven. When hard, sculptures can be decorated and preserved with acrylic paint or finish.

Modeling Clay
Materials Directions

1. Stir salt and water in a saucepan over heat 4-5 minutes.

2. Remove from heat; add cornstarch and cold water.

3. Stir until smooth; return to heat and cook until thick.

4. Allow the clay to cool, then shape as desired.

5. When dry, decorate with paint, markers, glitter, and so on.

6. If you like, finish with clear acrylic spray or clear nail polish.

7. Store unused clay in a Ziploc bag.

Bread Clay
Materials

6 slices white bread, crusts removed

6 tablespoons white glue

1/2 teaspoon detergent or 2 teaspoons glycerine

Food coloring

Paintbrush

Equal parts white glue and water

Acrylic paint or spray or clear nail polish

Directions

1. Knead bread with glue plus detergent or glycerine until the mixture is no longer sticky.

2. Separate into portions and tint with food coloring.

3. Let your child shape the clay.

4. Brush the sculpture with equal parts glue and water for a smooth appearance.

5. Let dry overnight.

6. Use acrylic paints or spray or clear nail polish to seal and preserve.

Baker's Clay
Materials

4 cups flour

1 cup salt

1 teaspoon alum

1 1/2 cups water

Food coloring (optional)

Large bowl

Cookie cutters, drinking straw, and fine wire (optional)

Baking sheet

Fine sandpaper

Plastic-based poster paint, acrylic paint, or markers

Clear shellac, acrylic spray, or nail polish

Directions

1. Mix flour, salt, alum, and water in bowl. If dough is too dry, knead in another tablespoon of water.

2. Dough can be colored by dividing it into several parts and kneading a few drops of food coloring into each part.

3. Roll or mold into ornaments.

To roll: Roll dough 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut with cookie cutters dipped in flour. Make a hole for hanging by dipping the end of a drinking straw in flour and using the straw to cut a tiny circle 1/4 inch from the ornament's edge. You can also use the straw to cut more clay dots for use as decorations.

To mold: Shape dough into figures such as flowers, fruits, animals, and so on. The figures should be no more than 1/2 inch thick.

4. Insert fine wire in ornaments for hanging.

5. Bake ornaments on an ungreased baking sheet for about 30 minutes at 250ºF.

6. Turn and bake another 90 minutes until hard and dry.

7. Remove from oven and cool, then smooth with fine sandpaper.

8. Decorate both sides of ornaments with plastic-based poster paint, acrylic paint, or markers.

9. Let dry and seal with clear shellac, acrylic spray, or nail polish. Makes about five dozen 21/2-inch ornaments.

No-Bake Craft Clay
Materials

1 cup cornstarch

1 1/4 cups cold water

2 cups baking soda (1 pound)

Saucepan

Food coloring (optional)

Plate

Damp cloth

Tempera or acrylic paints (optional)

Clear shellac, acrylic spray, or nail polish

Directions

1. Combine cornstarch, water, and baking soda in saucepan; stir over medium heat for about 4 minutes until mixture thickens to a moist mashed-potato consistency. (For colored clay, add a few drops of food coloring to the water before it is mixed with cornstarch and baking soda.)

2. Remove from heat, turn onto plate, and cover with a damp cloth until cool.

3. Knead until smooth.

4. Shape as desired or store in an airtight container or Ziploc bag.

5. Dry sculptures overnight, then paint with tempera or acrylic.

6. Seal with shellac, acrylic spray, or nail polish.

No-Bake Cookie Clay
Materials

2 cups salt

2/3 cup water

Medium saucepan

1 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup cold water

Rolling pin

Cookie cutters

Drinking straw

Paint, glitter, and other decorative materials

Directions

1. Mix salt with 2/3 cup water in saucepan.

2. Stir and boil until salt dissolves.

3. Remove from heat. Add cornstarch and 1/2 cup cold water and stir. If mixture doesn't immediately thicken, heat and stir until it does.

4. Sprinkle cornstarch on table and rolling pin.

5. Roll out clay and cut with cookie cutters. Use straw to make holes for hanging.

6. Let dry overnight and decorate with paint, glitter, and so on.

7. Remind your child that these ornaments are not edible!

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Use the following recipes to make clay that can be rolled or shaped into sculptures. Some clays should be dried overnight, while others are best baked in an oven. When hard, sculptures can be decorated and preserved with acrylic paint or finish. Materials Directions Stir salt and water in a saucepan over heat 4-5 minutes.

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15 CUTE AND CLEVER CLAY PROJECTS FOR KIDS (hellowonderful.co)
This site had some great ideas for clay projects. I can't wait to let the kids explore some of these ideas. Clay is wonderful because it's something they can create and save or bring home.

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One of our go-to craft supplies is polymer clay which is easy for little hands to mold, comes in vibrant colors and bakes up hard. No need for a kiln! Nowadays, you not only have the option of polymer clay but many cool, new modeling and air-dry clays that don't require any baking at all. Sculpt animals, make your own alphabet magnets, jewelry, and even a cool car clock or dino fossils with these cute and clever clay projects for kids.

What are your favorite clay projects to make with the kids?

Take a look at more creative ideas here!

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15 CUTE AND CLEVER CLAY PROJECTS FOR KIDS

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One of our go-to craft supplies is polymer clay which is easy for little hands to mold, comes in vibrant colors and bakes up hard. No need for a kiln! Nowadays, you not only have the option of polymer clay but many cool, new modeling and air-dry clays that don't require any baking at all.

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https://www.bing.com/search?q=childcare+studio+art+clay&form=ANNTH1&refig=da8f0d0eae054de78782884d2a94f2fd
I love the idea of playing with clay with our toddler group. They love to get dirty and play with things like playdough but i feel like the feel of clay would be wonderful for a sensory activity.

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3. https://extension.psu.edu › ... › all › play-with-clay

Introducing clay to young children provides multiple outlets for their individual ideas, feelings, and developmental skills. For young children, clay holds no preconceived ideas as to what it is or …

5. https://childcare.extension.org › planning-a-successful-art-center-in-child-care

Setting Up An Art Center in Your Classroom Or Family Child Care Home

What An Art Center Should Look Like

Choosing Materials For The Art Center

For More Information

The location of your art center will depend on the space available in your classroom or home. The following are several different possibilities: 1. Near a window: The natural light through the window is pleasant, and children will be able to look outside for inspiration. 2. Near a sink: Placing the art center near a sink allows for …

See more on childcare.extension.org

6. https://www.pinterest.com › teachkidsart › kids-art-clay

May 12, 2021 - Explore Teach Kids Art's board "Kids Art: Clay", followed by 22,928 people on Pinterest. See more ideas about clay, ceramics projects, clay projects.

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Clay Studio for Grades 3-5 | Visual Arts | Katonah Art Center

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Ultimate List of Dramatic Play Ideas for Preschoolers (playtolearnpreschool.us)
I've started setting up play ideas for when my daughter wakes up from a nap so having tons of ideas like this is super helpful. She gets so excited to wake up to a play invitation.

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Huge List of Dramatic Play Ideas for Preschoolers

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Spice up the home living area with one of these fun & creative dramatic play ideas. Children will pretend to be chefs, pilots, doctors and more!

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What is Small World Play and Why is it Important? (teachingmama.org)
This site had some great information about small world play and why it's important. It's always helpful to find resources for craft ideas sensory play and dramatic play ideas.

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Small world play is an important part of preschool and a great way for little ones to learn. It's an easy play activity to set up and kids love the invitation to play. Today I'm going to share more about what small world play is and why it is important!

Small world play is creating a life scene for the child to play with. You can use miniature items (such as miniature furniture or barn animals) in the environment you create for them to play with. The goal is for the child to act out ideas from real life or reenact stories they know of. Often times, many sensory elements are used with small world play. It's a wonderful, rich time of learning!

This type of play is wonderful for language building. Children are imagining, and while doing so are talking out loud and using vocabulary. I created a farm scene with our Big Red Barn , farm animals , and fences for my children to play with. I noticed my 5-year-old son reenacted a story he knew about deer. He was using vocabulary words that he heard in the story, and not necessarily words he would use in daily life! It was so cute to hear him using dialogue between the animals. It also showed me that he really comprehended the story he listened to!

Small world play is an awesome opportunity for children to use their imaginations. I love this quote from Benjamin Franklin.

Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.

When you do small world play with other children, they learn how to share, play nicely together, and imagine together.

Small world play is also great to do independently. It can be an activity that children do independently to work on doing activities alone. That's a great skill to work on with children!

Now that you know what Small World Play is all about, let me share some of my favorite examples!

We like to set up sensory sinks. This is basically a sink for the child to play in with miniature animals.
Frog Sensory Bin Sea Turtle Sensory Bin
Here are 14 more fabulous small world play ideas!

1. Construction Gravel Pit from Imagination Tree

2. Magical Gnome Garden from Childhood 101

3. Frog Pond from One Perfect Day

4. On the Farm from Two-daloo

5. Arctic Animals from The Imagination Tree

6. The Three Little Pigs from Growing Book by Book

7. The Little Red Hen from Fun-A-Day

8. Under the Fall Tree from Buggy & Buddy

9. The Wild West from Happy Brown House

10. Dinosaurs from One Perfect Day

11. Forest World from My Nearest and Dearest

12. Beach Vacation from Still Playing School

13. Emergency Vehicles from Where Imagination Grows

14. Reptile World from Two-Daloo
What small world play ideas do you have?

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What is Small World Play and Why is it Important?

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Small world play is an important part of preschool and a great way for little ones to learn. It's an easy play activity to set up and kids love the invitation to play. Today I'm going to share more about what small world play is and why it is important!

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5 Ideas for Dramatic Play in Early Childhood (schoolspecialty.com)
Dramatic play is so fun for kids to pretend whatever they want. Areas for dramatic play and dress up materials make it so much more exciting.

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Dramatic play is a critical part of any developmentally appropriate early childhood education program. Young children learn best through play. By giving children time to engage in imaginative play, you can create an environment where children are excited to learn. Dramatic play can be integrated into your curriculum in a variety of ways and can be used to enrich many common areas of study for young children.

Using Dramatic Play for SEL, Math, and Literacy in Early Childhood

Social Emotional Learning

The benefits of dramatic play are great for children to learn empathy and explore their feelings, while interacting with others. Creativity and problem solving come into play as they communicate with each other.

1. Role play with dress up

Stock your dramatic play area with tools and dress up supplies to allow children to take on the roles of common community helpers like doctors, police officers, and fire fighters. This will allow the children to explore the roles these people play in their own experiences. As a teacher, you can gain insight by observing them at play to see what they feel about themselves and the world around them.

2. The right setting for role playing

Role playing through common life situations helps children make better make sense of their families, communities, and our world. Providing a puppet theatre or kitchen area that mimics home-life allows a child to explore their feelings and give them control over their own identity. This meets the goals of a common early childhood social emotional expectations: learning about one’s place in the world and feelings about who they are.

Math

Dramatic play can have a role in teaching early childhood math concepts such as shapes, numbers, counting, and simple addition and subtraction.

3. Count on learning with a grocery store

Set up your dramatic play area to resemble a grocery store. Children can count play food items, play coins, and match numbers of coins to the prices listed for certain foods. Advanced or older children can use a play cash register to practice adding numbers of coins for purchases.

Language Development & Literacy

Dramatic play is a great tool to encourage children to verbally interact together. Children learn from each other through play and those that need help with language will benefit greatly from time spent with dramatic play. In addition, basic reading skills such as sight words and letters can be supported with labels and signs integrated into dramatic play areas. By incorporating signs, you create a print-rich environment that is shown to greatly contribute to early childhood literacy skills.

4. Play restaurant

Have children take on roles like a restaurant server who “writes” orders down or “reads” a menu. This can make reading skills meaningful to young children while boosting their recognition of words and letters as well. These games also help a child to build skills in negotiation and collaboration and improve receptive and expressive oral language skills. Children also learn the importance of taking turns and sharing through dramatic play, all while having fun with others.

5. Dramatic play stories

Develop language skills by asking young children “journal” or tell stories about what they did in a dramatic play area. The children can draw a picture, share a story during circle time, or tell a story with puppets driven by their own imagination and experiences. These stories can be the building blocks that inspire a love of reading.

More Early Childhood Inspiration & Ideas

Your early childhood program can incorporate many different opportunities to learn through dramatic play. Whether you set up a play kitchen with furnishings, dishes, and play food or a puppet theater with multicultural puppets, your dramatic play area can enable children to engage in imaginative learning.

Read More: Early Childhood

Visit the Early Childhood Online Store

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Schemas in Children’s Play - N A T U R E P L A Y (nature-play.co.uk)
Outdoor activities are so important for growth. Being able to touch and explore new materials that surround us give children a way to expand their curiosity.

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Written by Clare Caro

Schemas in Children's Play are such an important concept when it comes to the development of our children that it's worth taking the time to understand them so you can facilitate them when you see them.

Well it's really a fancy word for the What are these schemas?
urges that children have to do things like climb, throw things and hide in small places.

They appear through play; perhaps it is the way they choose to do things, or what they desperately need to do out of the blue!

Here are ten of these natural play-urges mapped out in a list, they can come one at a time, in bunches, some are super strong and last for ages... each child is different.

They are the building blocks for the brain, repeated behaviour that in turn forge connections in the brain, patterns of unfolding, learning and growth.

Schemas are such an important part in every child's development that they are covered in training for anyone in the business of care and education of young children - yet not too many parents seem to know about these natural, uncontrollable and totally necessary play-urges that children have.

Knowing about these play-urges can help us to understand why our children are so determined to do certain things that we might not understand. If we have no idea about the way in which a child exhibits signs of brain development, then we might actually think that the child is being 'difficult' or even try to stop the developmental urges themselves.

By knowing about these schemas we can recognise and support their urges and development.

After looking at each schema individually to get to grips with what each 'urge' is all about we may already be able to recognise some of the different ways they can appear in your child. Bringing It All Together

Rotation, Trajectory, Enveloping, Orientation, Positioning, Connection, Enclosure/Container, Transporting and Transformation are urges that show in all children starting as early as their first birthday, some times before.

As a parent, one of the best things about having an understanding of these urges is that we are able to recognise and support them in our children as soon as we see them. How Can Knowing About These Urges Help Us?

Sometimes they will come through as what we might once have seen as 'inappropriate behaviour' such as throwing objects in enclosed spaces or climbing on the table.

When we observe the behaviour and recognise the play-urge we are able to redirect it, your child will be happy to throw something outside where it is okay, or climb a tree instead! Its not about the action, its about the urge.

If the action is dangerous, harmful or inappropriate then find a more suitable outlet for the urge. That way the energy seeking expression (the urge) can fulfill its role in your child's development, and in an acceptable way.

If you found this useful, you might like these... Five Easy Steps for the Observer and The Adult Role in Child-led Play.

Thank you Jannelle Preston for the use of the acorn image to show Transporting.
Thank you Kylie D'Alton at How We Montessori for the use of the mixing pot image to show Transformation.

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Written by Clare Caro Schemas in Children's Play are such an important concept when it comes to the development of our children that it's worth taking the time to understand them so you can...

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What are Play Schemas? The Answer and 150+ Fun Schema Activities (reachformontessori.com)
I love finding different site with ideas for children. This had many to choose from and also ideas that you could modify to work for your children.

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Learn about the history of play schemas, why they are important, how they align with the Montessori philosophy and get fun activity ideas.

Transporting, positioning, connection, transforming, orientation, trajectory, rotation, enveloping, and enclosure are all covered in this article.

What Are Play Schemas?

In layman's terms, play schemas are repeated behaviors that children demonstrate through play, which facilitate development.

There are many different definitions of schema, each varying in context. Merriam-Webster defines schemas as " mental codification of experience that includes a particular organized way of perceiving cognitively and responding to a complex situation or set of stimuli. "

Dictionary.com has a simpler definition: " an underlying organizational pattern or structure; conceptual framework." In this article, we will refer to them as play schemas.

In child development, Swiss Psychologist Jean Piaget (1952) defined schema as: "a cohesive, repeatable action sequence possessing component actions that are tightly interconnected and governed by a core meaning."

History of Schemas of Play

Jean Piaget was one of the first to use the term " schema" or " schemata " in 1923. Piaget was one of the most important child development Theorists and his Theory of Cognitive Development was and still is incredibly influential.

He was one of the first who believed children think differently than adults and that they have an innate desire to learn, and do so by constantly taking in information from the world around them.

A major piece of his Theory of Cognitive Development was schemata. He theorized that children have three schemata: Symbolic Schemata, Operational Schemata, and Behavioral Schemata.

We will be focusing on what he defined as Behavioral Schemata, and what people refer to today as Play Schema, as those are the ones we see in action.

Over the last 90-100 years, the theory of schemas has been further studied and developed by numerous professionals.

Along with Piaget, British Psychologist Frederic Bartlett was one of the first to discuss schema.

He studied and wrote about schemata in his 1932 book "Remembering," wherein he discussed schemas as they related to memory.

His research had an integral part of today's understanding of schemas and how our brains work.

Richard Anderson, an Educational Psychologist, was one of the first people to express that understanding children's schema could help educators.

In his 1977 paper " The Notion of Schemata and the Educational Enterprise: General Discussion of the Conference," he discussed the importance of play schemas in education.

Chris Athey, a Constructivist Educator, further developed Piaget's theories and the need for understanding play schemas in education.

She was the director of the Froebel Early Education Project in the 70s which was an important study in understanding the way young children think.

One aspect of this study involved discussing play schemas with parents and observing what behaviors they exhibited at home.

Why Are Play Schemas Important?

It's important that Psychologists understand schemas to understand the brain, and for educators to understand their students and for adapting curriculum, but it's also incredibly useful for parents.

Understanding that a particular behavior is really an uncontrollable urge and that they are learning while doing it can be helpful in more ways than one.

Sometimes your child may be exhibiting an undesired behavior that may be frustrating, but really they are in a particular play schema.

For example, one very common behavior in the toddler age is throwing food, plate, or silverware off their high chair or the table.

Understandably, it's frustrating and we want to correct them.

However, they are experimenting while in the trajectory schema.

Believe it or not, they're learning with every drop or throw.

Not only are they learning cause and effect, but they are discovering how different things fall at different speeds, how they all make different sounds, how they can drop or throw things, and that changes the result, even how it feels different in their hands as they're dropped.

Once you have an understanding of why they are doing a particular behavior, and that they aren't simply misbehaving, it makes it easier to cope.

Then you can give them other outlets to safely explore with a more appropriate activity.

By fulfilling that urge in another way, it will hopefully curb the unwanted behaviors.

In addition, knowing your child's interests can be helpful in planning activities that they will enjoy and that will further assist in brain development.

Not every child enjoys the same types of activities, and understanding play schemas will allow you to tailor activities to interests that may otherwise not be obvious.

Some children may not enjoy arts and crafts, but once you discover their play schema, you can plan art that will really pique their interest.

How do Play Schemas align With Montessori?

While Maria Montessori didn't discuss schemas specifically in her teachings, she believed in child-centered learning, and that it is best to "follow the child".

What she meant was it's important to observe the child for their interests, skill level, and needs and plan their environment and activities accordingly.

Therefore, recognizing play schemas complement and align with the Montessori Method.

Being able to do so will assist in creating your prepared environment customized to your child.

You can also introduce different Montessori Practical Life Activities that support their schema interests.
(This post contains affiliate links. Purchasing from these links costs you nothing extra, but sends a few cents our way for website upkeep.)
Different Schemas in Play

Children start showing play schema somewhere before or around their first birthday. Some children have strong, clear schemas, others are more subtle.

Schemas can overlap, interconnect and combine over time as well. They are constantly changing and developing.

There are nine most common play schemas: Connection, Enclosure, Enveloping, Orientation, Positioning, Rotation, Trajectory, Transforming, and Transporting.

Below I explain each one and provide activities and ideas for toys/supplies for all ages.

I will also discuss what areas of learning are possible in each play schema but keep in mind it is not limited to the ones listed.

All offer opportunities for learning new vocabulary, building self-confidence, problem-solving skills, and just overall cognitive development.

What is a Connection Schema?

Joining things together, connecting objects, tying things together, opening and closing things.

This can and often includes destruction/disconnection of what they've connected such as knocking over blocks they've put together.

Real-life Example: A child finds a piece of string and starts tying or wrapping it around knobs in the kitchen, connecting all the doors together.

What Are They Learning?: Examining how things come together and apart, fine motor skills, cause and effect, spatial awareness, and pre-science and math skills, such as predicting and estimating.

Connection Schema Activities

DIY Weaving Activity: 1. Take a baking cooling rack or something similar. 2. Tie fabric, yarn, or ribbon to the outside frame. 3. Have the child weave the ribbon through the slots.

Contact Paper Suncatchers:

1. Cut two pieces of contact paper into any shape you'd like (flower, sun, heart, etc.).

2. Make a construction paper frame & attach it to one piece.

3. Have the child stick a small piece of tissue paper on the sticky side of the contact paper.

4. When finished, have the child stick the other piece of contact paper, sticky side down, onto the finished suncatcher.

Tape Activities:

1. Give your child pieces of tape to simply stick on a piece of paper, or attach two pieces of cut paper with the tape.

2. Paint Resist Art - attach the tape to paper to create a pattern or shape and paint over. Then remove.

3. Have them help anytime you need to use tape, like wrapping presents.

Montessori Practical Life Activities for this Schema: Dressing boards, tying shoes, locks and keys, nuts and bolts, containers with lids, and lacing/weaving.

What is an Enclosure/Containing Schema?

Containing things, creating borders or lines to form enclosures, building fences/walls around objects, borders around art, lining up food around their plate, filling up cups with water.

Also includes enclosing themselves: climbing into boxes or cabinets.

Real-Life Example: A child takes all of the pots and pans out of a kitchen cabinet, then climbs in and sits down inside the cabinet. He is discovering how to enclose or contain himself.

What Are They Learning?: Building pre-math skills while planning their enclosures (measuring, predicting), fine and gross motor skills, object permanence.

Enclosure Schema Activities

Tents/Forts made from sheets and blankets

Cardboard box house

Coloring inside a cardboard box

Clay caves/homes for animals

Bear cave made from brown packing paper

Shoe Box Habitats

Hide and Seek

Coin drop box

Putting Groceries away

Putting Dishes away

Building Blocks for border building

Containers with lids

Moats and sandcastles

Making Eggs in a Basket recipe here

Bubble Wrap Mitten Painting:
1. Take a small piece of bubble wrap that will fit over the child's hand.

2. Tape bubble wrap on like mittens.

3. Child paints or stamps with hands!
Framed Art:
1. Child cuts up cardboard or card stock into strips OR uses wood craft sticks.

2. Child frames their artwork.

Body Forms With Blocks:

1. Have another child or yourself lay down on the ground.

2. Child lines up blocks around the edge of the body.

3. Person gets up and you can now see the shape of the body.

Montessori Practical Life Activities for this Schema: Putting groceries or dishes away, containers with lids, making sandwiches, Eggs in a Basket.

What is an Enveloping Schema?

Covering objects or themselves, hiding things in discrete places.

They may enjoy dressing up, playing peekaboo, or even painting their entire paper or hand.

Similar to Enclosure, except with Enveloping they are covering the entire item so it cannot be seen.

Because they are similar, there are many activities listed in each that can be used for either. Enveloping may be done for comfort or safety as well.

What Are They Learning?: Object permanence, fine and gross motor skills, problem-solving, visual tracking, and spatial awareness.

Real-Life Example: If there's laundry laying around, my daughter will take whatever is there and will wrap it around her and/or put it over her head.

She will take it off and put it back on, continuing to envelop herself.

Enveloping Schema Activities

DIY Box Activity:

1. Take several different-sized boxes.

2. Child tries to put as many boxes inside one another as possible. This activity is great for concentration, problem-solving, and keeping them busy for a while!
Papier-mâché:
1. Cut strips of newspaper or brown packing paper.

2. Make your base shape (you can use a balloon, chicken wire, aluminum foil, or cardboard boxes).

3. Make your papier-mache paste (See recipes below).

4. Dip strips of paper in the paste and start layering on your shape.

5. Allow drying.

Paste recipes:

1. 2 parts flour, 1 part water, then boil and stir until thick.

2. 2 parts Elmer's Glue and 1 part water (or to desired consistency).

3. Or buy pre-made Elmer's Art Paste.

Montessori Practical Life Activities for this Schema: Tablecloth on the table, dressing, wrapping presents, baking pastries, making wontons.

See also enveloping schema toys.

What is an Orientation Schema?

Experimenting with different viewpoints: hanging upside down or views from on top or under things.

What Are They Learning?: Body and spatial awareness, gross motor skills, sensory and vestibular system stimulation.

Real-life Example: A child loves hanging upside down from the couch, or bending over and looking through their legs.

Orientation Schema Activities
Art Activity:
1. Tape a piece of paper underneath a child-height table or coffee table.

2. Allow the child to lay on their back and draw while laying down.

Allowing risky play is super important for this play schema.

Allowing them to get outside and explore different viewpoints by doing things like climbing things, hanging upside down from trees, and walking along rock walls can really support this play schema.

Montessori Practical Life Activities for this Schema: Kitchen Tower, yoga.

What is a Positioning Schema?

Arranging objects or themselves. Lining up items a particular way, by size, color, etc.

They might like tidying or placing things in unusual places.

Sometimes these behaviors are mistaken for a sign of OCD, but it is a normal part of development; a play schema.

What Are They Learning?: Recognizing differences and similarities, concentration, visual discrimination, and pre-math and science skills such as problem-solving, exploring patterns, classifying, and planning.

Real-life Example: While I'm getting ready, my daughter likes to take out my nail polishes from a drawer in our bathroom and she lines them up on the step to our bathtub.

Since she hasn't yet explored this with any other items or her toys, I let her do this under my supervision.

Positioning Schema Activities

Stacking blocks

Grimm's Rainbow

Balancing objects

Peg boards (create patterns)

3D art (buttons, beads, shells, etc.)

Lite Brite

Symmetrical patterns with nature materials

Dominoes

Pom Pom sorting or lining up

Sorting activities: by color, shape, size, category

Button sorting activity here

Flower arranging

Matching games - like the musical instrument card game here

Animal Parade

Placing stickers on lines, shapes, or letters

Trace shapes of toys and have child match toys to shape

Knobbed cylinders

Lining up toys and tracing their shadows

DIY Table Placemat:

1. Buy a cheap or dollar store placemat.

2. Place plate, silverware, and cup on mat and trace with permanent marker.

3. Have the child use for setting their place at the table (or make them for the whole family).

Letter or Number Activity:

1. Make large cards with letters or numbers.

2. Have the child line up small items on letters or numbers (tiny pompoms, beads, buttons, etc.).

Montessori Practical Life Activities for this Schema: Setting table, flower arranging, cleaning/tidying.

What is a Rotation Schema?

Interest in things that spin or turn. They may like spinning themselves in circles, twisting things, or drawing circles.

What Are They Learning?: How things move, fine and gross motor, cause and effect.

Real-life Example: A friend's child, R. loves wheels and spinning things. R. was visiting my house and discovered the crank of our casement windows. He enjoyed spinning them and figuring out how and where they turned.

Rotation Schema Activities

Rotation Art Activities:

1. Taping markers to the backs of toy cars and driving them on paper.

2. Putting balls in tray or bucket with paper and paint, then rolling balls around in the paint.

3. Bubble wrap on rolling pin and rolling in paint.

4. Stamping circle shapes (paper towel rolls, lids, cups, corks).

Montessori Practical Life Activities for this Schema: Rolling dough, washing machine, clocks, mixing/stirring, salad spinner, screwdrivers, locks, and keys.

See also our list of rotation schema toys.

What is a Trajectory Schema?

Interest in moving objects by throwing, dropping, or rolling. May include the trajectory of own body by jumping off things or bumping into things.

Interacting with things that are already moving, like putting hands under running water.

What Are They Learning? Cause and effect, gross motor skills, visual tracking, body awareness, observing, and predicting.

Real-life Example: Like most infants and toddlers, my daughter experiments with throwing food and dishes off the table.

She will also do it with toys we have given her while she is standing in her learning tower.

With those things, she will watch how it lands.

Trajectory Schema Activities

You may also be interested in reading about throwing toys for toddlers.

Dropping or Rolling Experiment: Experiment by safely dropping items from different heights.

You can use different-sized balls, seeing how they bounce differently. Or just a mix of hard/soft, heavy/light objects to see how things fall at different speeds.

You can do a similar experiment with a ramp and things that roll (cars, balls, bottles, round toys).
Paint Activities:
1. Throw water balloons filled with paint on a canvas or large poster paper (best to do outside).

2. Splatter paint by snapping paintbrushes or rubber bands over a tray.

3. Spray bottle filled with watered-down paint.

4. Fill eggshells with paint and throw at a canvas or larger poster paper.

5. Drop paint as part of your experiment above.

DIY Tube and Ball Drop: Use paper towel rolls for tubes and tape them on walls at different heights and lengths.

Montessori Practical Life Activities for this Schema: Hammering nails, chopping food.

See also our list of trajectory schema toys.

What is a Transforming Schema?

Combining or changing materials. They may experiment with mixing all their food and water at meals or enjoy mixing all the paint colors during art activities.

What Are They Learning?: Cause and effect, fine motor skills, pre-science skills such as observing and predicting.

Real-life Example: My daughter loves mixing all her food together in her water cup.

She adds things and looks at them, mixes them with her utensil, and adds more.

We've started having her help with cooking more, specifically mixing ingredients, and I've noticed she mixes her meals less and less.

She also now pretends to mix things in any cup or bowl she can find.

Transforming Schema Activities

Coffee Filter Art:

1. Using waterproof markers, the child draws on the coffee filter.

2. Child sprays water on the coffee filter with a spray bottle or squirts water on using pipettes.

3. Watch colors run and change.

Sensory Bottles: Have the child join you in creating different sensory bottles. One of my favorites is water and oil.

Use food coloring to color water, and oil-based/candy dye for the oil.

When the bottle is shaken, the colors will combine, but then will separate again once settled.

They can continually see how the contents are transformed.

Montessori Practical Life Activities for this Schema: Dough/baking, tie-dye, making juice.

What is a Transporting Schema?

Carrying objects in pockets, hands, bags. May also enjoy transporting oneself.

What Are They Learning?: Object permanence, fine and gross motor skills, spatial awareness, planning, and measuring (how much will fit?).

Real-life Example: Several months ago, my daughter started carrying small items around the house in her hands.

When she discovered that things can go inside of other things, she started carrying things around that way.

She would use anything she could find including the drawer of her coin dropbox, a gift bag that was laying around, and containers from the kitchen cabinet.

I started leaving a reusable shopping bag around for her and an old purse.

Since then we have bought her a toy shopping cart which she loves.

Heavy work can be a big help for a child in this play schema. Read about what it is and its benefits here.

Transporting Schema Activities

Diggers and trucks to transport dirt/sand

Chalk map outside for trucks, etc.

Pipettes to fill and transfer water

Transferring activities - like the marble activity here

Wagons to transport friends or toys

Cooking: Taking ingredients out for recipes/putting in oven

Toy shopping cart

Reusable shopping bags

Levers and pulleys

Baskets

Purses

Helpful Activity: Have them help you carry anything around the house! They can carry laundry baskets, groceries in from the car, or supplies for arts and crafts to the table.

Gardening: Gardening is a great opportunity for transporting things! You can start by planting seeds in pots, where the dirt will be transported into the pot.

Once you have seedlings, have the child transport supplies to the garden and help plant them. Use a child-sized wheelbarrow to transport dirt to the garden area.

Montessori Practical Life Activities for this Schema: cooking, gardening, groceries.

See also transporting schema toys.

Children learn best when they're able to experiment, make mistakes and problem solve. With play schemas, they have a natural urge to do these things.

By freely allowing them to explore their early childhood schemas of play, you're supporting their cognitive development.

I hope you can now easily recognize play schemas in your child and are able to fully support their schema behaviors.

Do you have any fun activities to add to any of these play schemas? How does your child exhibit their schemas?

References and further reading:

England, L. (2018). Schemas: a practical handbook. London, UK: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

McLeod, S. A. (2018, June 06). Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development. Simply psychology [Blog post] Retrieved from: https://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.html

Arnold, C. (2005, October 19). Early years pioneers: Chris Athey. Nursery World [Blog post]. Retrieved from: https://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/features/article/early-years-pioneers-chris-athey

Cherry, K. (2019, September 23). The role of schema in psychology [Blog post]. Retrieved from: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-schema-2795873

Unknown. Learning Theory, Schema Theory [Blog post]. Retrieved from: https://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2175/Learning-Theory-SCHEMA-THEORY.html
*Correction: In the original post, regrettably we mistakenly referred to Psychologist Jean Piaget as British, but he was in fact, Swiss. We have updated the post as of 3/2/21.
Frequently asked questions

What are play schemas?

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What are Play Schemas? The Answer and 150+ Fun Schema Activities

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Learn about play schemas and get activity ideas for each of the 9 play schemas. Transporting, positioning, connection, transforming...

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https://www.goodplayguide.com/blog/what-are-schemas-in-childrens-play/
This page had a lot of good information about schemas in child play. It's helpful to get some idea of what to look for to help can schemas.

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Schemas are patterns of repeated behaviour that allow children to explore and develop their play through their thoughts and ideas.

As an adult, you can learn about your children's interests by observing their play.

By stepping back and watching, you may notice how apparent some of these schemas are.

Some children clearly display schematic play; however, it may be more difficult to recognise the schemas other children are exploring.

In the next section, we'll look at eight of the most common schemas, and I'll suggest how you can support your children to develop these further.

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What are Schemas in Children's Play? - The Good Play Guide

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Schemas are patterns of repeated behaviour that allow children to explore and develop their play through their thoughts and ideas. As an adult, you can learn about your children's interests by observing their play. By stepping back and watching, you may notice how apparent some of these schemas are.

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25 Best Sensory Activities For Toddlers In 2022 (findyourmomtribe.com)
This was a wonderful page for moms and teachers. Making colored ice was a cute idea for summer fun! My favorite ideas will always be sensory play with nature.

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Sensory activities for toddlers are some of the most important activities that little ones need to engage in to properly develop the skills necessary for proper mental and physical growth.
These sensory activities for toddlers usually involve finding different materials that provide an interesting feeling when being interacted with, whether it's a light brush, or a weird squish, or even just the popping of bubble wrap, as long as it's something that'll keep your kids entertained.
​​​​These things usually aren't hard to find and many of your household items are sure to work out just as well. You don't need to go out and buy extra special items just to make a sensory bin.

Cooked spaghetti, rice, and some food coloring can be just as magical for young children and their sensory play as store-bought play dough and Amazon listed, pre-packaged sensory bins.

Plus, it not only allows your child to improve on his gross motor skills and fine motor skills, but when you're presented with the challenge of creating something entertaining and new for your kids to interact with by using what you have, it provides you with a sort of creative outlet as well.

So, what ends up making the best sensory play activities? Let's find out together, shall we?

25 DIY Sensory Play Ideas For Toddlers And Preschoolers

1. Using paper as a sensory activity

That's right, just some printable paper and a little bit of water - it's that simple.

Have the water in a bowl or a plastic tub and have a stack of papers of varying thickness on the other side. Let your child feel the paper before they put it in the water and then watch them realize what happens when it comes into contact with water.

While it sounds silly for us adults, it's a whole new experience for kids and something they'll find extremely entertaining.

Plus, it's a perfect way to teach kids about the different forms and states of materials like wet, soggy and mushy, and dry and sturdy.

2. Water beads

These are the little things that fill up with water that you place either in an aquarium as decoration or in a see-through vase to help add some extra color to a floral arrangement.

Trying to put one of those in your hand and squeezing it is a weirdly alien, but oddly satisfying, sensation.

Your kids are likely to think the same so if you don't mind getting some and filling a Ziploc plastic bag with them, you'll find that this weird pillowy object will occupy the attention of your kiddos for a good chunk of time as they press their hands into it and feel the small balls skitter around their little hands.

The reason why you make it into a sensory bag to start with, minus the whole water issue, is because they're still small objects and putting them into a kiddie pool is probably not going to be the smartest idea with a small child.

They're definitely still considered to be a choking hazard.

3. Colored ice

A simple and almost free sensory activity is to make a bunch of ice mixed with harmless food coloring, fill a kiddie pool or a tub with water and then let the ice loose onto the surface.

Not only will the way the coloring interacts with the ice be fascinating to your kid, but as it melts, the trail the food coloring will leave in the body of water itself will leave them astounded just as much.

Plus, handling an ice cube will teach them about differences in temperature in a relatively harmless way. Just make sure to remain alert at all times as they play with the ice in case your little one keeps his hand on it for a bit too long.

4. Shaving cream

Another surprisingly efficient and fun way to do sensory activities for toddlers is to fill a small tray with shaving cream and let your 2 year old child squeeze it around in his hands.

The consistency of the shaving cream, again, is something that your kids aren't likely to experience in everyday life and they'll find it entertaining enough to keep exploring the various possibilities that it provides.

The one issue is that your child may want to try putting the shaving cream in his mouth which isn't exactly a healthy plan, so he'll need supervision.

It is also a bit of messy play, but it's worth it especially since, again, you can use your best friend (food coloring) for any sensory activity such as to color the shaving cream in case you want to get a bit more creative and turn your sensory bin into a neat little display feature.

Just don't forget to clean up after they're done as shaving cream can leave a real sticky mess all over the place.

5. Using wool and cotton

Even something as simple as a cotton ball can help entertain the young ones for hours while helping them learn about the various interactions it can have with the environment. This is why wool and cotton are great sensory ideas for toddlers.

Whether it's a bit of sticky paper that they're flinging it onto or simply pulling the wool or cotton apart just to see and feel how differently their fibers tear away from anything else they've experienced thus far, this is going to end up being fun for them.

6. Bubble wrap

The time-honored tradition of popping bubble wrap is a favorite sensory experience among kids and adults alike.
It's one of those evergreen activities that helps calm people down and listen to that satisfying pop sound as the air escapes the little pockets.

It's a sensory exploration of both one's sense of touch and sense of hearing.
And all you need to do is give it to your little one and watch him try and pop it.

If you're feeling a bit more creative and want to make it a more memorable experience, then I suggest grabbing a few toy cars or something similar and making the bubble wrap into a makeshift road that the kids can drive the cars over.

7. Using finger paint

Finger painting is yet another time-honored tradition of kids everywhere and many moms and dads have nightmares from having to deal with their kids splattering paint on their walls so there's no doubt that this is going to be fun for them.

The best way to facilitate this is to give them a canvas to paint on that isn't your nice, clean wall. Instead, use a giant sheet or something more expendable, or at least machine-washable for your kids to have fun on.

Also, make sure to get some form of child-friendly and edible finger paint since, again, if it's brightly colored and feels nice under their fingers, kids will try to put it in their mouth to satisfy their sense of taste's curiosity as well.

Without a doubt, your precious toddler is going to have a blast watching all the colors mix and match while making new colors for him to feast his eyes on.

The activity will teach him about the weird texture of paint and the possibility of creating something new by mixing two different colors together - cause and effect.

8. Making garden soup

This is one of those weird but fun sensory activities. It's essentially making a sensory tub for your child by filling it with water and working with him to gather up all sorts of different flowers, herbs, leaves and plants and placing them in this 'cauldron' before stirring it all up.

This is a great way for your child to experience the stirring motion as well as providing a visual experience as all of the ingredients that he's collected swirl in the sensory tub.

It's also a great bit of entertainment for his sense of touch if he wants to feel all of the items swirl around in the 'broth'.

This is a neat learning activity involving a bit of water play and some garden shenanigans, just don't let him get into your good plants if you're bothered by that, but I'm sure sacrificing a rose or two is worth it for that jovial smile on your kid's face.

9. Rainbow rice

Another simple bit of sensory excitement and one that's easy to come by.

It uses the same principle as the shaving cream and other related toddler activities - get a bit of food coloring, mix it in with the object (the rice in this case), pour it into a sensory bin or make it part of a display on a sensory table, and watch your kid play with it.

That odd feeling of passing a finger through the weird texture of a whole bunch of rice is going to have a positive effect on your child and might even get them to calm down as they busy themselves with it after a fussy episode or something similar.

The food coloring itself isn't really necessary, but it's definitely an added bonus and it's a super easy way of making this activity even more fun.

10. A sensory board

It's exactly what the name implies, a pinboard or similar with a bunch of texture patches lined up on it for your child to touch and feel his way through. And these patches can be literally anything you can find around the house that fits onto a small space.

Some pom poms, an old carpet, or a jacket, even just a curtain can work as well as any other sensory toys you've prepared or bought before that may initiate some form of sensory processing for your intrepid little explorer.

Another neat way of doing it is to lay the sensory board flat on the ground and to use lids from old margarine packs or something similar to create a surprise sensory board.

One where you hide the sensory material under the lid and indulge your child by allowing them discover what is hidden under each lid.

This way your darling child gets to develop his fine motor skills by becoming slightly more dexterous in handling smaller objects.

11. Using a pasta

Yes, even pasta can work in the same way as rice and shaving cream do. Simply cook it up so it's not hard and dry and mix some food coloring in with it to create a neat little macaroni and spaghetti rainbow.

The lanky, somewhat stretchy and sometimes rubbery feel of the pasta will provide your kids with a unique experience, one that's a welcome addition to any sensory bin and is always one of the more easily accessible sensory activities for toddlers.

12. Sensory blocks

This idea is similar to that of a sensory bin except it is a bit more engaging in a sense. Your best friends here are going to be wooden blocks, taste safe glue, and anything you can find that makes a great sensory object.

Simply stick the objects to the sides of the cubes to create a unique experience for each one. You could even take it a step further by making each side a unique ecosystem to teach your child about which sensory objects go together.

Make about half a dozen of these and your little one will have oodles of fun interacting with them.

13. A nature sensory bin

If you are looking for something to do with leftover orange peels or the pinecones and other nature products you may find out in the wild, why not make a sensory bin out of that too?

Just take a woven basket, lay down some cotton or rice to simulate a bit of snow, add a few sticks, sprinkle in some odd fruit peels or pinecones for added effect as well as some colorful stones, and you have yourself a nature bin.

A bin your child is likely to adore if he fancies the outdoors, even just a little.

14. Sensory bottles

While this is a somewhat strange concept, sensory bottles are a neat idea to stimulate your child's sense of hearing and his gross motor skills.

All you need is an empty bottle, preferably one with a wide neck if you're going to be using sticks and other larger objects, and... well, something to place inside of it, some sort of noisemaker.

I personally suggest either small sticks, pebbles, rice (uncooked this time though) or anything similar.

Just make sure it's not too heavy as you ideally want your preschooler to be the one shaking the bottle around to make a sound and entertain himself with what is essentially a DIY rattle toy.

15. Jello

Jello makes for one of the most fun sensory activities for toddlers especially because it's colorful and edible. Its weird jiggly density will always make your child laugh his little heart out as he toys around with it.

16. Slime

A bunch of gooey sticky slime is also a neat addition to any sensory bins. The squishy oobleck can be made from just a mix of water, food coloring and liquid cornstarch, though there are plenty of other slime recipes out there that can make for more intricate slime.

Once done, just pour it into a container and watch your child handle the slime going between his fingers as it stretches and droops around lazily.

It's one of the recommended sensory activities for toddlers with autism given its unusual structure that is capable of captivating even the most unique minds.

17. Play dough

The mainstay of every single sensory activity for toddlers and preschoolers alike is play dough.

This weird, squishy yet sturdy substance is a delight to weave one's fingers through, to mold, shape and create all manner of interesting shapes.

18. Cloud dough

If you're not inclined to get the store-bought stuff, you can make cloud dough as a fluffier alternative by mixing a bit of liquid cornstarch and lotion together.

19. A Halloween sensory bin

The fun with sensory activities can also be a seasonal affair and Halloween can be just the event for it. Mixing a bag of candy corn with some autumn leaves and chestnuts will make for a lovely display.

20. A Christmas sensory bin

Christmas is yet another seasonal sensory activity that allows for a bit of creativity. The best idea I've seen is to make a sticky tree and lay out bowls of glitter, paper balls, and so forth and to then let your child go wild on it to decorate their very own tree.

You can use it later as a display piece and make your child feel proud of his creation.

21. Footstep sensory play

One neat way of entertaining your kids is to make a few mats of items with different textures and have them walk on it.

Anything from fur rugs to even packing peanuts works and your kids are going to have a blast when they feel the material under their feet.

22. Buttons

Another easily accessible form of sensory play is a simple jar of buttons. Most of them share unique patterns that will undoubtedly captivate your child's mind and will keep him glued to the activity on hand.

You can also just lay them out on a tray or use them as part of a sensory bin display as running one's hand through them is also an experience, though supervision is necessary due to potential choking hazards.

23. Christmas lights

Light can also play a favorable role in promoting sensory recognition in toddlers.
The best way of doing that is by grabbing some old Christmas lights and plugging them in.

Then hand them over to your child to mess around with and be entertained with the odd and erratic patterns.
Just make sure to be around to supervise them to avoid any plug-related issues and safety hazards.

24. Soap jars

Detergent soap can make for a very intriguing sensory activity. All you need is a see-through jar, some dishwasher soap, and water to dilute it in.

Mix them together to get that enticing, vibrant color that all of these detergents have and let your child shake the contents and watch the foam bubble up.

Just make sure to seal the lid tight as you don't want any accidental spills.

25. Sand

And finally, sand is the ultimate sensory activity for toddlers.

Whether it's a little sandbox that you make for your child in your yard, a bit of it in the sensory bin or simply going for a day on the beach, both wet and dry sand make for a wholly different sensory experience and will always keep your child exploring in a fun way.

In Conclusion

There are countless sensory activities for toddlers to enjoy and experience; it would take me a whole week to get through all of them.

That's because nearly every slightly random item in the house is going to be a whole new world of experiences for your little one as he delves into the wide world to further develop all of his senses.

There's no actual science to it, just grab a bunch of stuff, even if it's only mildly interesting, piece it together and present it to your child.

I can guarantee that they'll give it a try regardless of whether or not you made it yourself.
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25 Best Sensory Activities For Toddlers In 2022

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Sensory activities for toddlers are some of the most important activities that little ones need to engage in to properly develop the skills necessary for proper mental and physical growth.

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21 Sensory Activities for Toddlers that Improve Development! (yourkidstable.com)
This has a wonderful list of sensory activities for children. My daughter is a toddler so these are some great ideas of things I can do with her. I love letting the kids get messy with some of these sensory ideas.

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21 Sensory Activities for Toddlers that Improve Development!

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Get a cache of easy sensory activities for toddlers that aren’t just fun and keep your kiddo busy, but also help them develop and learn!

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10 Benefits of Sensory Play in Early Childhood - Empowered Parents
So many items are available for sensory play with children. The chance to explore different materials is important and can be so much fun.

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10 Reasons Children Need Sensory Play - Empowered Parents

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Need more reasons to get your kids involved in some fun messy play? Here are 10 benefits of sensory play in early childhood.

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35 Ideas to Play on a Tray, Simple Invitations to Play, Create and Explore - Little Worlds (littleworldsbigadventures.com)
There is so many creations you can make when it comes to invitations. I found some really great themed designs on this page. I can't wait to make some of these for the kids with our curriculum.

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The idea to play on a tray was first introduced to me at our former Montessori preschool in New Zealand. The first time I entered the classroom I expected play corners but was greeted with neatly organised shelves with ... trays and ... things? How little did I know that first day and how much do I love trays today!

This article about ideas to play on a tray is hardly Montessori focused, but I do want to tell you about the many benefits about playing on a tray we've discovered over the years.

Here's what I've learned over the years:

1. On a tray, children can keep an oversight. Sometimes, when play is scattered all over the room, children lose focus and interest. Simplifying your activity so it fits on a tray may help certain children to focus and keep their heads wrapped around what they're doing.

2. On a tray, there is a better chance of containing the mess. Well, at least it's what I always hope for, but the odds are most definitely in your favour.

3. When working on a tray, the activity is organised or set up in a way that children can work it all out on their own. They have everything they need within reach and can solve (most of) their own problems. (This is a Montessori principle by the way, though they have a prettier way of explaining.)

4. When activities contain themselves to a tray, they are easier to put away and get back out at a later time. A lot of children will play with a sensory small world for instance, on and off over the course of a week. Sprawled out in the living room, it won't even last a day. And there will be tantrums.

5. Which leads me to mentioning that play on a tray is very sibling friendly. The boundaries are clear, it's easy to move out of reach of babies or take it to your room or the kitchen. Don't want to share? Fine, everyone gets their own tray. True story.

I could go on and on and tell you story after story of play tray successes and epic fails but let me just share with you the best play on a tray ideas I found to this date. I am confident there will be something for everyone. Enjoy.

1. Explore Dirt through Simple Play by Weaving Ideas

2. Invitation to Create with Craft Supplies by Mama Miss

3. Mini Magnetic Fishing Game by Little Worlds

4. Invitation to Cut Fresh Flowers by Crafty Kids at Home

5. Edible Farm Yard Small World Play by Messy Little Monster

6. Invitation to Create a Mini Ocean World by Little Worlds

7. Winter Wonderland Small World Play by Buggy and Buddy

8. Coin Sorting Montessori Inspired Sensory Activity by Rhythms of Play

9. Find the Gold in the Rainbow Sensory Play by Little Worlds

10. Edible Sensory Play Balls by Kids Craft Room

11. Sticky Cutting Tray Invitation to Play by Picklebums

12. Three Billy Goats Gruff Invitation to Tell the Story by Little Worlds

13. Diamond and Jewel Art by Emma Owl

14. Investigating Flowers Science and Art Activity by The Imagination Tree

15. Invitation to Build a Bird Nest by Little Worlds

16. Simple Craft Stick Activities for Kids by Powerful Mothering

17. Creating Art with Spring Colors by Buggy and Buddy

18. Helping Bambi Search for Food Sensory Tray by Little Worlds

19. Play Dough Jungle by Messy Little Monster

20. Australian Outback Small World by The Pinay Homeschooler

21. Invitation to Create a Mini Play Dough Flower Garden by Little Worlds

22. Numbered Nature Tray by Cutting Tiny Bites

23. Rainbow Rice Sensory Tray by Crafty Kids at Home

24. Loose Parts from random Toys 'n Things Small World by Little Worlds

25. Autumn Nature Tray by Messy Little Monster

26. Apple Color Mixing Science Experiment by Powerful Mothering

27. Invitation to Create a Mini Dinosaur World by Little Worlds

28. Make your own Nature Paint Brushes by Messy Little Monster

29. Using Loose Parts to make Pretend Play Cookies by Little Worlds

30. Easy Zoo Sensory Play by Simple at Home

31. Invitation to Create a Play Dough Fairy World by Little Worlds

32. Montessori Inspired Rhyming Fun by Living Montessori Now

33. Frozen Oobleck Sensory Play by Messy Little Monster

34. Day at the Beach Small World by Little Worlds

35. Flower Arranging Montessori Practical Life Activity by Rhythms of Play

Well, there's only one thing you need really: trays. I will admit today that I have way more than I actually use in real life but there's is something about a gorgeous tray at the dollar shop that I just can't refuse. So yes, I get most of my trays from the dollar shop or the thrift store but now and again I grab one at IKEA or come across a great bargain randomly. Be inspired but what's available around you.

Then you get playing. Try out a couple of ideas, see what works for your kids and most of all have fun.

Hope you enjoyed this bombshell of play on a tray ideas, feel free to click away for a while and you're always welcome to reach out and contact me with questions, feedback or share your own play on a tray stories.

Love,

Ann*
Want to pin this post? You can do that here.

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35 Ideas to Play on a Tray, Simple Invitations to Play, Create and Explore - Little Worlds

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The idea to play on a tray was first introduced to me at our former Montessori preschool in New Zealand. The first time I entered the classroom I expected play corners but was greeted with neatly organised shelves with ... trays and ... things?

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How to set up and create Invitations To Play for early learning! (theempowerededucatoronline.com)
This site had some great tips to help keep children interested and what you could do when setting up your invitations. I loved the stations full of fun materials.

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To simplify ... invitations to play are really just a collection of materials (or props if that helps you to visualise) set up together with some thought and creativity behind the process. The aim is as the name suggests...to invite children to explore, investigate, create PLAY. They might be set up with intent of children exploring and understanding basic learning concepts or they might be set up with no specific learning outcome in mind. They might encourage further exploration of a current interest using different mediums or they might simply be fun and interesting.

The invitation to play might be large or small, indoors or outdoors, use many props or just a few, use natural or man made materials -how you COMBINE AND SET UP those materials is the important part! The aim is to plan for and provide an invitation that offers opportunities for multiple learning outcomes depending on how the children approach the space and materials.

No matter the intent of the setup, both perspectives ultimately allow for the child to direct the play in the way that they want to -even if it differs from the educator or parents initial concept or planning.It is for this reason that invitations to play work very well with the Reggio philosophy of allowing children to direct their own play by giving them access to open ended materials that encourage investigation, further exploration of current interests, curiosity and imagination.

The key to setting up invitations to play that engage (not just look pretty) is not a big resource budget, always using new materials or spending days getting it 'just right' and then freaking out when the children actually touch it and 'mess it up'....in reality it is about being intentional in your teaching but keeping it simple, hands on, child led and above all FUN!

15 Tips for Creating & Setting Up Invitations to Play

1. Stop using the excuse that you don't have a big budget for natural and quality resources -look again at what you DO have and think about how you might present or use them in different ways.

2. Begin sourcing and organising a collection of simple but meaningful materials to use together in your invitations. Op shops, markets and garage sales are a treasure trove of old items waiting to be reused in playful ways!

3. Think differently - When your collection begins to build and you store the materials with some organisation and purpose you will find it easier to get creative and think about how the materials might work together.

4. Try to use as many open ended resources as possible (see my previous post on loose parts here for some ideas and a free printable) but there is also nothing 'wrong' with incorporating favourite toys and more generic play things - just keep them the minority not the majority (it's cheaper for you that way too!).

5. Observe the children at play, listen to their conversations, think about the questions they are asking then bring that information to your planning and setup of invitations.

6. Use clearly defined spaces to set up your materials - this doesn't have to be a table, it might be simply a small tray, a few tubs together on the ground, a mat, the sandpit, the water play tub, a large rock, a shady spot under the trees....what will work best for both your invitation materials and the ages and developmental stages of the children? Remember to change around the areas you use to help keep boredom at bay.

7. Rotate toys often to spark interest and combine those that have been left in the corner unloved for quite a while with some open ended resources from your collection to reignite engagement.

8. Natural and sensory materials - Collect and use them whenever possible - aim to stimulate the use of senses, not just creative thinking.

9. Keep it age appropriate! Consider the materials that you feel are safe and appropriate for the children you currently have in your care. Think about how you could modify if you are doing Family Day Care with a mixed age group. If you are concerned about using the materials inappropriately - throwing to hurt, swallowing etc make sure to model, supervise and provide other options close by that you can redirect to if needed.

10. Be flexible - just because you set up an invitation to play doesn't mean all the children will want to do it -ensure you still plan for other play opportunities as well and don't force a child to participate if they are not interested.

11. Add to the play. If you have the space try to leave the invitation out for a few days before packing away so the children have time to go back and forth adding their own elements and letting the play evolve in different ways as different children engage with the materials on different days. Remember - it's not about perfection or snapping a great pic to get on your Instagram feed!

12. Less is usually more - try not to go overboard with the number of props you use!

13. Plan ahead - think about ways you can use that invitation in different ways by adding or taking away certain materials. How are the children playing? Reflect and keep notes so you can easily extend the play and save yourself some work!

14. Decide on the intention behind your invitation to play and what you would like to see. Is there something you are extending on? An interest you want to help the children explore? A learning concept you want to help clarify? An investigation they want to lead? To explore with their senses? To problem solve? To express themselves creatively? Always be open to the children taking their learning in a different direction though!

15. Collections & Props- consider the combinations and experiment with your invitation. Start with your basic open ended materials and interest toys (I call them the stage) then build from there with your additional 'props'. Will you incorporate books related to the invitation, felt puppets, music, material, posters, photos, cards, drawing tools, sensory items? ...and the list goes on.

In my Empowered Educator Community on Facebook we have many hard working members who share their invitations and setups with us in our weekly share section and each month here on The Empowered Educator website we feature a collection of some of the wonderful ideas that have inspired us in the community - and I hope by sharing they also inspire you to perhaps try something different with your invitations to play or begin using them for the first time.

Please keep in mind that this collection of images is not meant to overwhelm you or make you feel as though you aren't as good - everyone has different environments, children, resources and levels of creativity so the aim is to just take an idea here and there and modify it to suit your individual style and preferences. I warn you ....there is so much dedication and commitment to early learning in our Empowered Ed group at the moment that there are a whole lot of photos to wander through...but who doesn't love to be inspired?

I've grouped them into categories to help you think about the different ways you can plan for and use your invitations to play. This is a collection of table top invitations but you can use any surface that works for you !

Enjoy and thank you to all of our talented community members for sharing their work with us each week!

Using invitations to play to invite creativity.

Using invitations to play to offer intentional teaching moments.

1. Renata's Family Day Care

2. Christine Walker

3. Renee Smith - Awabakal Preschool

4. Ronnie's Preschool

All 4 invitations in collages above and below shared by community member Renata's Family Day Care.

Taking invitations to play to lower levels creates interest and allows younger children to more easily engage.

1. Josie Sheehan

2. Jess Lawless

3. Julia Jeffs

4. Clare Louise - The Woodland Child

1. Renee Smith - Awabakal Preschool

2. Renata's Family Day Care.

3. Gail Fort (A Hairy Maclary invitation!)

4. Renata's Family Day Care.

Invitations to play can begin with a mud kitchen or sink!

1. Tennille Zammit from Little Ted Family Day Care

2. Candice Rivet

3. Marina Healey

4. Ronnie's Preschool

Invite the imagination in with small world play.

1. Helen Garland

2. Tennille Zammit from Little Ted Family Day Care

3. Ronnie's Preschool

4. Belinda Bryce

1. Tamara Miller

2. Tennille Zammit from Little Ted Family Day Care

3. Anna Grebenshikoff

4. Jessica Watts

Engaging opportunities to play with open ended materials.

Invitations to play that ignite the senses!

1. Renee Smith - Awabakal Preschool

2. Ronnie's Preschool

3. Belinda Bryce (fossil digging fun)

4. Renata's Family Day Care.

1. Jasmine Jones

2. Renata's Family Day Care.

3. Renee Smith - Awabakal Preschool

4. Emily Vogler (DIY Sensory Table)

All 4 sensory invitations in collages above shared by community member Veronica from Ronnie's Preschool

Love those salt trays!

All 4 sensory invitations in collages above shared by community member Renata's Family Day Care.

Invitations that help children explore nature, lifecycles and animals big and small.

1. Ronnie's Preschool

2. Narieta Tinaikulabu

3. Dolores Fitzpatrick

4. Kelly Marie

1. Christine Walker

2. Tennille Zammit from Little Ted Family Day Care

3. Leesa Maree

4. Kelly Marie

A fantastic nature-based invitation to play and create shared by community member Renata from Renata's Family Day Care.

Whew! That was a lot of photos! I certainly hope you have been inspired to begin collecting those materials, reusing what you already have and thinking about how you could set up your next invitation to play...and how the children might take the lead in their own learning.

Why not stop by and share your own invitation to play ideas and photos with other educators from around the world in The Empowered Ed Community!

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How to set up and create Invitations To Play for early learning!

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Setting up invitations to play doesn't need to be complicated, time consuming or use expensive resources. Find out how to create your own using simple materials and the reason why we use invitations for early learning. Includes a huge photo gallery of real ideas from educators.

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Nature Play and Loose Parts: Invitations to Create (artfulteachingjoyfullearning.com)
Creating invitations with loose parts was so exciting to do. You get to create these beautiful designs for kids with all kinds of things. It makes me want to play too!

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If you're looking for Reggio-inspired ideas and activities this fall, look no further than a nearby park, forest, creek or riverbank for this season's most inspiring Invitations to Create . There is so much inspiration to be found in nature, and so many learning connections to be made. As a big proponent of using loose parts (open-ended objects that can be re-purposed and re-imagined), we find so much inspiration in natural objects to bring home and use in new ways.

Unplugging and connecting with nature is so important for children of all ages. In fact, being outdoors supports development in so many areas: intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual and physical (Kellert, 2005).

In this post, I share some of our favourite ways to incorporate natural elements and loose parts into learning, in a Reggio-inspired way.

Nature is full of wonderful textures and colours!

Let's go on a scavenger hunt to see how many textures we can find in nature.

Once you've collected nature items from your nature walk or scavenger hunt, you're ready to create beautiful compositions!

Look at all of these beautiful objects you found on your texture scavenger hunt. Can we create a "mandala" with them? A mandala is a temporary picture (it disappears when we're finished), with radial symmetry. That means the design starts in the centre, and radiates outwards. See what kinds of designs you can make.

Driftwood is such a beautiful organic summer material, and can be found in abundance on river banks and beaches.

Create a wall hanging. Use coloured yarn to represent each of your gifts or strengths. (Examples: brave, strong, creative, inventive...)

Extensions: attach portraits or illustrations of family members.

Beach pebbles, smoothed by ripples and waves are a beautiful addition to your loose parts collection. Be sure to collect a variety: large, small, dark, medium and light. Store them in muffin tins for easy access.

Can you tell a story with pictures using only stones?

Next, write a sentence about it.

When a tree is removed, chances are the trunk and branches are cut down for easier removal. Why not save those slices as loose parts for this beautiful Kandinsky-Inspired project? These make for beautiful classroom decor, and add bright colour and texture to your learning environment.

Let's use concentric circles to paint these tree slices. Where else can you find concentric circles (archery, ripples in a pond, rings in an onion...)

If you enjoyed this article, please share it on Facebook!

And as a bonus, here is my list of "must-have" loose parts to collect now, before the snow flies! Just click it to download it.

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Nature Play and Loose Parts: Invitations to Create

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If you're looking for Reggio-inspired ideas and activities this fall, look no further than a nearby park, forest, creek or riverbank for this season's most inspiring Invitations to Create . There is so much inspiration to be found in nature, and so many learning connections to be made.

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25 Planting And Gardening Activies For Preschoolers (pre-kpages.com)
I've been wanting to start a garden with my toddlers so finding many ideas and materials I can use with them was very helpful. Some of these ideas will work great for them.

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Planting and gardening with preschoolers is a great way to learn about the natural world is through hands-on activities and experiences. They learn about science by practicing science. You can help your children learn about spring, plants (and their life cycle), and growth by planting and caring for flowers and vegetables. This collection of ideas can help you and your preschoolers plant a garden of learning possibilities.

Ideas For Gardening With Preschoolers

1. Sprouting Sweet Potatoes - (Pre-K Pages)- Have fun growing your own sweet potatoes by using one you pick up at the store or farmer's market! This is simple gardening activity the kids will love!

5. Planting Pumpkin Seeds in a Pumpkin - (Pre-K Pages) Have you ever planted pumpkin seeds with your class? Check out this awesome experiment Denise Hoefer did with her class. Pumpkin seeds are very easy to plant, just follow these simple steps below. Planting pumpkin seeds is a fun experiment your preschoolers will not forget.

6. Planting and Growing Beans (Pre-K Pages) - A quick and easy way to grow beans in a zip top plastic bag with cotton balls. Invite your students to make observations of the growth process over time.

7. Winter/Indoor Gardening (Tinkerlab) - Gardening doesn't have to be always done outdoors in the spring and summertime! Get some wheatgrass seeds and enjoy this indoor gardening activity any time of year!

8. Eggheads with Cress Hair (Nurture Store) - Your kids will be sure to giggle over this gardening activity. It's perfect for Easter time!

9. Sprouting Indian Corn (Gift of Curiosity) - Kids will be fascinated when they take an ear of corn and see it sprout!

10. Growing Beans on Cotton Balls (Imagination Tree) - This is a really easy, visual way to teach children about root systems and is something I used to do with my school children each Spring time. Plus it's very exciting to watch how FAST the plants grow!

11. Growing Romaine Lettuce from Kitchen Scraps (Educator's Spin On It) - Here is a simple, but extremely effective science project to do with your children:Growing Romaine Lettuce from Kitchen Scraps. Grab your since journals and record the results.

12. How to Regrow Celery (Housing a Forest) - Don't throw out those celery stems! Use them to regrow celery instead with this fun science gardening experiment you can do with your kids!

13. How to Grow Sprouts on a Sponge (Housing a Forest) - Grab a sponge and some seeds and watch them grow in this easy gardening experiment.

More Gardening Activities

14. Growing Vegetables from Scraps (What Do We Do All Day) - Observing how some vegetables magically regrow from scraps is a fascinating plant science project you can do at home with the kids even if you don't have a yard!

15. How to Grow a Carrot Top (Laughing Kids Learn) - Here are the instructions on how to grow a carrot top at home. This is a fabulous introduction to growing for children as it provides them with a basic form of responsibility to look after and help it grow.

16. Planting and Observing Bulbs (Buggy and Buddy) - In this science experiment for kids, children will be forcing bulbs into bloom and observing the changes that take place over time. This science exploration allows students the opportunity to observe parts of the plant up close and monitor its growth on a free printable recording sheet.

17. Planting Seeds Outside (Learning and Exploring Through Play) - Your toddler will have fun planting seeds outside with this simple gardening activity. And can be brought indoors once done!

18. Planting a Garden with Preschoolers (Teaching Mama) - Get a seed starter kit, and have some fun starting an indoor garden (that can later be transferred outside) in this gardening activity for preschoolers.

19. Organic Gardening: Planting Spring Flowers (Rhythms of Play) - Gardening with kids is a great way to spend time connecting with your children teaching them the basics of plant care. Learn how to get children in the garden helping and teach them how to plant flowers with the easy step by step spring flower organic gardening tutorial!

20. Planting Wildflowers (Lemon Lime Adventures) - Explore the ABC's of nature and plant some wildflowers in this gardening activity for kids.

21. Growing Potatoes with Kids (Kids Activities Blog) - Learn how easy it is to grow potatoes with kids in this fun science gardening activity.

22. Planting with Preschoolers: Grass Haircuts (Creekside Learning) - Use some plastic cups, and quick to grow grass seed and watch your preschooler have fun giving a grass haircut.

23. Sprouting Sweet Potatoes - (Pre-K Pages)- Have fun growing your own sweet potatoes by using one you pick up at the store or farmer's market! This is simple gardening activity the kids will love!

Use books to supplement your learning-
Physical Science Books for Preschool
Earth Science Books for Preschool
Life Science Books for Preschool
More Science Ideas

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25 Planting And Gardening Activies For Preschoolers

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Planting and gardening with preschoolers is a great way to learn about the natural world is through hands-on activities and experiences. They learn about science by practicing science. You can help your children learn about spring, plants (and their life cycle), and growth by planting and caring for flowers and vegetables.

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The Beauty of Natural Materials in Early Learning Classrooms — Bambini (bambinigroup.com)
There is a great list of outdoor materials to let children explore like rocks, dirt, flowers and many more. I really liked this site because it listed the different subjects that can be covered by using different natural materials.

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As a Reggio-inspired child care program, Bambini embraces the philosophy that the classroom environment serves as a "third teacher". Children learn from the items in their environment, which is why we pay careful attention to the materials we provide.

Today's children live in a busy world. Between vibrant colours, loud sounds, and exposure to screens, children's senses are often bombarded. Too much colour and sound overstimulates most children. However, natural materials tend to be calming and relaxing.

Children need more opportunities to interact with nature and the natural world. Bringing elements from the outdoors inside, helps to bridge their connection with nature.

Moreover, natural materials are often open-ended. When a child is given a toy car, that's what they usually use it for... its purpose is determined. But a pile of rocks can become cars, people, trains, roads, houses, and so much more!

What are some good natural materials to include in early childhood programs?

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The Beauty of Natural Materials in Early Learning Classrooms - Bambini

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As a Reggio-inspired child care program, Bambini embraces the philosophy that the classroom environment serves as a "third teacher". Children learn from the items in their environment, which is why we pay careful attention to the materials we provide. Today's children live in a busy world.

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20 Natural Materials for Children's Play | Petit Journey
This link had some really great ideas for natural materials. It even shows you how to make playdough. Also explains the importance of exposing children to nature.

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Natural materials should be an integral element of a child's play. Loose things such as twigs, leaves, shells and sand benefit a child's early years experiences by stimulating their creativity and imagination. Natural materials are easily accessible and encourage children to learn about nature.

The different textures, smells, sizes, colours, and sounds attributed to natural materials, make them ideal for sensory play. Natural materials are loose parts that can be combined, moved, lined up, taken apart and put back together again.

Natural resources encourage children to observe more closely and use all their senses. Natural materials are open-ended materials as they can be used by themselves or with other things. They can also be discovered in natural settings and encourage outdoor play and discovery.

Benefits of natural and open-ended materials.

Finding natural materials through natural play.

20 Natural materials for indoor and outdoor activities.

Natural play and exposure to nature

Associated with natural materials are natural-play environments which encourage children to explore bushland and connect with nature. The discovery of things in nature creates awe and wonder for young children where they can explore and collect natural materials.

Exposure to nature helps children regulate their behaviours and gives them opportunities to take risks, discover and explore new things, solve problems, unleash their creative sides and develop a sense of wonder.

While playing with natural materials, children are engaged in decision making and problem-solving opportunities. By exploring the materials, children become innovators, designers, explorers, artists and collaborators as they build, sort, design, manipulate, arrange and stack in a variety of different ways.

You can easily find many of the natural materials that we've listed below in natural settings waiting for you and your child to explore.

20 natural materials to add to your child's sensory play

You can bring natural materials indoors to play, although you may want to keep some of the elements in a bucket or tub for sensory and messy play. Combine natural materials with open-ended resources and recycled materials for art and craft activities.

Lead the way when collecting natural materials outdoors. It's an excellent opportunity to show children what they can touch and what they should avoid and why. While it's important to allow your child to take some risks, there are many benefits to outdoor play.

Natural materials that children can discover in your backyard:

1. Twigs.
2. Leaves.
3. Flowers.
4. Grass (long, short, green or dry).
5. Weeds.
6. Water.

Depending on your outdoor environment, you may also find:

7. Pebbles.
8. Bark.
9. Branches or logs. (You can cut these down to smaller sizes.)
10. Dirt or clay. (If clean you could turn this into mud.)
11. Vegetables and fruits.
12. Nuts and seeds.

Be mindful of picking up things from the ground if you have a cat or other pets that share the environment with your family.

A walk in the park or a nature reserve may also uncover similar items such as rocks and leaves to those in your back yard, but they may have different textures, colours, shapes and smells. You may also discover:

13. Feathers.
14. Pine cones.
15. Fallen bird nests.

Beaches are a great outdoor space for collecting natural materials. On a beach, you might find:

16. Sand (that you can clean).
17. Shells and shell grit.
18. Driftwood.
19. Cuttlefish bone.
20. Seaweed.

Using natural resources for kids, safely and responsibly

When collecting natural materials for use in your child's sensory play, make sure you choose parts that are not too small to become choking hazards. Always carefully select the pieces you take home. When assessing the health and safety of natural materials, ask:

What is the object's purpose?

How old is the child/are the children who will be using it?

Can the item be cleaned and disinfected?

Regular health and safety inspections of natural materials should check for broken pieces, dirtiness, and visible wear and tear. If it doesn't pass your safety test, then put it back. You can always collect more natural materials during your next natural-play experience.

Children should also regularly wash their hands after collecting and playing with natural materials. At Petit Early Learning Journey, children wash their hands regularly after indoor and outdoor activities.

Nature art and craft for kids

There are many ways you can use natural materials in art and craft and other learning activities. Toddlers and preschoolers love to combine nature with art and craft:

Create an indoor rock world for various animals and their habitats out of natural materials.

Create a sensory treasure tray for younger children to begin exploring their senses while developing their motor skills.

Make an outdoor or indoor fairy garden where children combine imaginative play with natural materials.

Paint with flower petals, vegetables and fruit.

Explore more natural materials with Petit Early Learning Journey

At Petit ELJ, we believe in supporting your child's future through regularly refreshed outdoor environments, as well as a continued emphasis on natural materials and open-ended loose parts to provoke curiosity and influence continuous learning.

Make your child's early years count with Petit ELJ and our holistic play-based learning environment. Our centres' indoor and outdoor play spaces inspire child-led experiences and learning. Book a tour now and talk to us about your child's learning journey.

Book a tour now.

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20 Natural Materials for Children's Creative and Sensory Play

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Natural materials should be an integral element of a child's play. Loose things such as twigs, leaves, shells and sand benefit a child's early years experiences by stimulating their creativity and imagination. Natural materials are easily accessible and encourage children to learn about nature.

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10 Ways Teachers Can Create a Positive Learning Environment | Free Spirit Publishing Blog
It's important to create a positive learning environment. Development thrives in a good learning environment, a sense of order and bonding with the child will be helpful.

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By Jonathan C. Erwin, M.A., author of The SEL Solution: Integrate Social and Emotional Learning into Your Curriculum and Build a Caring Climate for All

There is a direct relationship between the kind of learning environment teachers create in their classrooms and student achievement. Here are 10 specific strategies for developing the optimal classroom climate and culture.

1. Address Student Needs
Remember that students, like adults, have not only physical needs but also important psychological needs for security and order, love and belonging, personal power and competence, freedom and novelty, and fun. Students are driven to meet all of these needs all the time, not just two or three of them. When teachers intentionally address these needs in the classroom, students are happier to be there, behavior incidents occur far less frequently, and student engagement and learning increases.

2. Create a Sense of Order
All students need structure and want to know that their teacher not only knows his content area, but also knows how to manage his classroom. It is the teacher's responsibility to provide clear behavioral and academic expectations right from the beginning-students should know what is expected of them all the time. Another important way to create a sense of order is by teaching students effective procedures for the many practical tasks that are performed in the classroom. For example, teach students how to:

Enter the classroom and become immediately engaged in a learning activity

Distribute and collect materials

Find out about missed assignments due to absence and how to make them up

Get the teacher's attention without disrupting the class

Arrange their desks quickly and quietly for various purposes: in rows facing the front for direct instruction, in pairs for collaborative learning, in groups of four for cooperative learning, and in a large circle for class discussions

3. Greet Students at the Door Every Day
As students enter your classroom, greet each one at the door. Explain that you want students to make eye contact with you, give you a verbal greeting, and-depending on the age of the students-a high five, fist bump, or handshake. This way, every student has had positive human contact at least once that day. It also shows students that you care about them as individuals. If a student was disruptive or uncooperative the day before, it gives you an opportunity to check in, explain your "every day is a clean slate" philosophy, and express optimism for that class ("Let's have a great day today").

4. Let Students Get to Know You
Students come in to the classroom with preconceived perceptions of teachers. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it can be an obstacle. I wanted my students to perceive me as a trustworthy, three-dimensional human being rather than as the two-dimensional perception of an "English teacher" that they may already have. Since the only way to impact people's perceptions is to provide them with new information or new experiences, I would give students a quiz about me during the first week of school. (Of course, it didn't count.) I'd have them take out a piece of paper, number it from 1 to 10, and answer questions about me. Things like: Do I have children of my own? Where did I grow up? What is something I value? What is something I do for fun? What other jobs have I had besides teaching?

After the quiz, we would go over the answers as a class while I shared a slideshow of pictures of my children, my hometown, and representations of things that are important to me, like family, education, a strong work ethic, fairness, and so on. (I would even get a laugh out of some of their answers.) Students enjoy learning about their teachers, and the quiz gave me an opportunity to share who I am, what I value, and what experiences I bring to teaching.

If the "first week quiz" isn't something you're comfortable with, think of other ways you can share with your students:

Who you are

What you stand for

What you will do for students and what you won't do for them

What you will ask of your students and what you won't ask of them

5. Get to Know Your Students
The more you know about your students' cultures, interests, extracurricular activities, personalities, learning styles, goals, and mindsets, the better you can reach them and teach them. Some ways of getting to know your students:

Educate yourself about their cultures

Talk to them

Assign journal prompts and read and respond to them

Attend extracurricular events

Have students complete interest inventories or surveys

Have students complete learning style and personality assessments

Hold regular class meetings

Play team-building games with students

6. Avoid Rewarding to Control
Over 50 years of research has shown that incentives, gold stars, stickers, monetary rewards, A's, and other bribes only serve to undermine students' intrinsic motivation, create relationship problems, and lead to students doing nothing without a promised reward. The human brain has its own rewards system. When students succeed at a challenging task, whether it's academic (a class presentation) or behavioral (getting through a class without blurting out), their brains get a shot of endorphins. Instead of devaluing their successes with stickers or tokens, talk to students about how it feels to achieve proficiency and praise the effort, strategies, and processes that led them to those successes. Then talk about what they learned this time that will help them achieve their next successes.

7. Avoid Judging
When students feel like they are being judged, pigeonholed, and/or labeled, they distrust the person judging them. It's hard not to judge a student who just sits there doing no schoolwork after you've done everything you can to motivate her. It's easy to see how we might call such students lazy. And it's easy to label the student who is constantly provoking and threatening peers as a bully. But judging and labeling students is not only a way of shirking our responsibility to teach them ("There's nothing I can do with Jonny. He's simply incorrigible."), but it also completely avoids the underlying problem. Instead of judging students, be curious. Ask why. (Where is this fear or hostility coming from?) Once you uncover the underlying reason for the behavior, that issue can be dealt with directly, avoiding all the time and energy it takes to cajole, coerce, and give consequences to students.

8. Employ Class-Building Games and Activities
It's important to develop positive relationships with your students; it's equally important to develop positive relationships among them. One of the best ways to break down the cliques within a classroom and help shy or new students feel a sense of belonging is to engage students in noncompetitive games and cooperative learning structures. There are hundreds of resources online and in books that provide thousands of appropriate choices for your grade level. Another benefit of bringing play into the classroom is that it gives your students a very powerful reason to come to your class-it's fun.

9. Be Vulnerable
Being vulnerable develops trust faster than any other approach. Admitting your mistakes shows that you are human and makes you more approachable. It also sends the message that it's okay to make mistakes in this classroom. That's how we learn. Vulnerability and public self-evaluation also help develop a growth mindset culture: We embrace mistakes rather than try to avoid them at all costs. We learn from those mistakes and grow. Make a simple mistake, like spilling a glass of water or misspelling a word on the board, and instead of making excuses, talk about how you're glad you made that mistake, because it taught you something.

10. Celebrate Success
At first this may seem to contradict strategy six about avoiding rewards. It doesn't. A celebration is a spontaneous event meant to recognize an achievement. It is not hinted at or promised ahead of time like an "if-you-do-this-then-you-get-that" reward. Instead, you might set a class goal, such as the whole class achieving 80 percent or higher on an assessment. Chart students' progress on a wall chart (percentages, not individual names). After each assessment, discuss the strategies, processes, or study habits that students used to be successful and what they learned and might do to improve on the next assessment.

Once the class has achieved the goal, hold a celebration. It doesn't need to be a three-ring circus. Showing some funny or interesting (appropriate) online videos, bringing in cupcakes, or playing some noncompetitive games would suffice. The next time you set a class goal and students ask if you're going to celebrate again, tell them not necessarily. It really isn't about the cupcakes, it's about the effort and learning.

Jonathan C. Erwin, M.A., has been a secondary English teacher, a professional development specialist, a college professor, and the director of training and curriculum for a federally funded character education program. His previous books include The Classroom of Choice (ASCD, 2004) and Inspiring the Best in Students (ASCD, 2010). Jon is currently an independent educational consultant, a senior faculty member at the William Glasser Institute, and a trained HealthRhythms facilitator. Jon's work focuses on providing research-based approaches to teaching, managing, counseling, and training that appeal to people's intrinsic motivations and help children, adolescents, and adults develop physically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially. A musician and martial arts enthusiast, Jon has earned a second degree black belt in karate and a first degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He lives in western New York.

Jonathan Erwin is the author of The SEL Solution: Integrate Social and Emotional Learning into Your Curriculum and Build a Caring Climate for All.

We welcome your comments and suggestions. Share your comments, stories, and ideas below, or All comments will be approved before posting, and are subject to our comment and privacy policies.

© 2016 by Free Spirit Publishing. All rights reserved.

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10 Ways Teachers Can Create a Positive Learning Environment

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By Jonathan C. Erwin, M.A., author of The SEL Solution: Integrate Social and Emotional Learning into Your Curriculum and Build a Caring Climate for All There is a direct relationship between the kind of learning environment teachers create in their classrooms and student achievement. Here are 10 specific strategies for developing the optimal classroom climate...

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What is the Role of Environment in Child Development? (firstcry.com)
Both Nature and Nurture play an important role in a child's development. Many factors come into play when it comes to a child's development. Family also plays a very important role in growth.

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Last Updated on

A child's development is influenced by a wide range of factors that are governed by both nature and nurture. Understanding some of these factors can help parents address their child's needs. The environment your child grows up in , attention, affection given by parents, acceptance by parents in daily life, overall diet can be a major influence on his/her life. Below mentioned information can help you learn more about the role of the environment in child development and how you can provide the right kind.

Factors Affecting Child Development

Some of the factors that affect child development are:

1. Family and Bonding

One of the most important influencing factor on your child's development is his/her family. Irrespective of who is your child's primary caregiver - you and your spouse, older siblings, or relatives - the bonding provided within a family home helps nurture and protect your child physically and emotionally. Parents who spend quality time with their children create a secure bond with their children and hence the child grows with secure attachment and confidence. The time you invest in nurturing your child will show in his/her positive development and growth. There are several things you can do to bond better with your child. You can make it a point to read to him regularly, thus establishing a routine and helping both of you bond with each other. Playing with your child is important as well, both in establishing a close relationship as well as in helping him develop their motor skills. You can also simply talk to your child, be it about your day or theirs, showing them that his/her inputs and opinions are valuable to you.

In contrast, children who are abused or neglected by their families suffer in terms of their mental and emotional well being. These things include corporal punishment and verbal insults, and also indifference. Leaving a child to watch TV the whole day without the opportunities for genuine human interaction will prevent him from getting the required experience required to develop and prevent early speech development in children.

Finally, it is important to know that maintaining a good relationship with your child is important but not enough. The entire family needs to be cohesive and protective of each other. For instance, children raised by parents who argue or fight consistently grow up having problems building friendships and relationships. Also, caring for all your children equally and paying them the same amount of attention will make them develop a sense of fairness and camaraderie.

2. Physical Environment

The effect of the environment on child development cannot be understated, and this includes the physical surroundings they are raised in. If your living environment is cramped, noisy and filled with aggression, your child's personality can be affected. If you have too many people living at home and if the attention towards him is divided, he may seek out alternative forms of attention which can lead to an emotional distance between him/her and you. Similarly, unpleasant surroundings often cause children to block out or bury negativity, making them more introverted.

School is an important part of a child's life considering how much time he spends there every day. As a parent, it is your responsibility to identify which school is most suited to your child's needs. Further, keeping yourself updated with your child's school activities, meeting his teachers regularly and interacting with his peers and their parents is the mark of a good, concerned parent.

You can also enrol your child in enrichment courses like martial arts programmes, meditation, music classes, and so on, depending on your budget. Many community-specific organisations offer these programmes at affordable rates. This is even more important in today's time owing to the dependence on technology and the internet.

3. Financial Situation

It's not a surprise that money is a deciding factor when it comes to living comfortably. It has been well established that the privilege of wealth is real and that it has a greater impact on childhood development than education. For instance, rich parents can afford to spend more time with their children and poorer parents are too caught up in making ends meet to have the privilege of quality time. Wealth also helps secure better academic training, opportunities for travel, extra classes, and so on.

It's easy to forget that money is not sufficient to provide for a child; you have to be deeply involved in his life. You can start by explaining to your child how money and budgets work in a way he can understand. Tell your child that he will always be taken care of, even if things are rough.

Children can thrive in a less well-to-do family as long as they are loved and wanted. Remember that children are more influenced by the quality of time you spend with them and not the quantity. Your child may not remember how much money you spent on his education, but he will remember if you turned up to his annual school functions or supported him when he won a prize or celebrated when he came first in class. You don't have to do much to show your child you care; simply sharing a meal with him every night is enough for your little one to feel secure and happy.

4. Health and Nutrition

Nutrition is crucial for the physical and mental growth of a child. A balanced diet is also required by pregnant women as malnutrition can lead to problems like low birth weight, miscarriages, stillbirths, slowed development, and so on. In children, habits like unhealthy or excessive eating can lead to weight gain, obesity, diabetes, stunted growth, lethargy, and a host of other complications.

Infants thrive on breast milk - the ideal food consisting of carbs, fats, proteins, minerals, vitamins, antibodies, and everything else a growing newborn needs. Breastfed babies are less likely to become obese, have low levels of cholesterol, and improved cognition. After the first six months, you can complement your child's diet with solid foods. Ensure that your child is getting micronutrients such as vitamin A, iodine, and iron, as the lack of these can cause serious problems like vision defects, goitre, cretinism, anaemia, and so on. These problems have been linked with reduced motor skills and social development of toddlers and young children.

5. Learning

In addition to learning at school, make sure that your home environment also stimulates your child's mental development. This includes cognitive, linguistic, emotional, and motor skills. The best environment for this is a calm and loving home that allows your child to focus on improving his abilities. The absence of such a stimulating environment can have a negative impact on your child's language and speech development. Not having a positive environment for learning can cause anxiety, absence of stimulation, not wanting to stay in one place for too long, and so on.

You should make the effort of creating opportunities for your child to explore his interests, especially at home. Instil a sense of curiosity in your child, encourage him to question everything, and teach him to find solutions by himself.

Some important ways you can create a positive atmosphere for your child are:

1. Use positive words of affirmation.

2. Go for critique instead of criticism.

3. Always apologise for your mistakes, and allow your child to do the same.

4. Solve the problem at hand immediately, and don't let it fester.

5. Show affection and warmth.

6. Limit electronics at least for an hour each day and spend quality time.

7. Practice what you preach, and your child will follow.

As a parent, it is your duty to expose your child to the right kind of environment as that will have a direct impact on his behaviour, learning, and personality. There is no manual of parenting which can tell you about the perfect set of opportunities you can provide for your child, but you must try as much as possible to be there for him/her. The key thing to remember is to keep your home environment peaceful and loving, bond with your children, provide them with the love, affection, attention and acceptance which they need to grow and thrive.
Also Read: Child Growth and Development Stages
Social and Emotional Development in Children
Early Childhood Physical Development

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What is the Role of Environment in Child Development?

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Last Updated on A child's development is influenced by a wide range of factors that are governed by both nature and nurture. Understanding some of these factors can help parents address their child's needs. The environment your child grows up in , attention, affection given by parents, acceptance by parents in daily life, overall diet can be a major influence on his/her life.

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IRIS | Page 1: Early Childhood Environments (vanderbilt.edu)
It's important to understand the different early childhood environments whether it be social, physical or temporal. Safe, responsive, and nurturing environments are an important part of supporting development.

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Page 1: Early Childhood Environments

Safe, responsive, and nurturing environments are an important part of supporting the learning and development of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Such environments also help to prevent challenging behaviors and serve as a core component of interventions for infants and young children with identified disabilities. According to the Division for Early Childhood Recommended Practices (DEC-RP):

"Environmental practices refer to aspects of the space, materials, equipment, routines, and activities that practitioners and families can intentionally alter to support each child's learning across developmental domains."

Unfortunately, many practitioners are unsure how to create environments that support their children's learning across different age groups (e.g., infants, toddlers, preschoolers) and developmental domains (e.g., social, communication, cognitive, motor). Well-designed classroom* environments:

Support responsive caregiving

Foster independence and feelings of competence in young children

Encourage staff efficiency

Promote children's engagement

Decrease challenging behavior

Facilitate appropriate social interactions among children

Provide structure and predictability

Research Shows

Changes in classroom environmental arrangement, such as rearranging furniture, implementing activity schedules, and altering ways of providing instructions around routines, have been found to increase the probability of appropriate behaviors and effectively decrease the probability of challenging behaviors.

(Chandler et al., 1999; Dooley, Wilczenski, & Torem, 2001; Martens, Eckert, Bradley, & Ardoin, 1999)

The table below describes three interdependent components of early childhood environments.

Physical environment
The overall design and layout of a room, including its learning centers, materials, and furnishings

Social environment
The interactions that occur within the classroom between peers, teachers, and family members

Temporal environment
The timing, sequence, and length of routines and activities that take place throughout the day

In order to create an environment conducive to the learning and development of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, these three components must be carefully designed and implemented. Indeed, every aspect of a classroom environment's design should reflect its program's priorities and philosophy. For example, a program that concentrates on improving children's math skills is likely to emphasize the availability of materials related to numeracy, as well as to learning shapes and patterns. Additionally, if this program's philosophy was Montessori-inspired-that is, it helped students to learn concepts through hands-on work with materials, rather than by traditional direct instruction-you might expect to see bead chains to support the teaching of mathematical concepts.

The following pages address these physical, social, and temporal components in more detail.

Listen as Ilene Schwartz discusses how the three components of the environment are intertwined to help children succeed (time: 2:47).

Transcript: Ilene Schwartz, PhD

The environment both sets children up for success and supports that success when it occurs. Children learn by doing, and so they need environments that have the appropriate kinds of materials available for them to demonstrate the wonderful skills that they have, and to learn the skills that they need to learn to be successful in future environments. Environments consist of the things in the environments, the people in the environment, and the tone of the environment. So we can have an environment that is supportive because children feel safe to explore and to try things that they're not sure of because they know there's going to be a supportive adult there to help them if they need the help.

The three discrete components of a well-designed early childhood environment-the temporal, social, and physical environments-really do not stand alone. They're like ingredients in a well-designed recipe. You don't want too much of one, but the absence of another could potentially ruin the whole recipe. You want to make sure that children have access to a well-designed and challenging physical environment. Things are in the environment that the child with the most challenges in your classroom can do independently, and your highest-achieving child is still challenged by something in the environment. But at the same time, that environment without the warm support of a teacher is limited. You want a social environment in which children have positive regard from their teacher and high-quality interactions with their peers. But that in isolation is also not enough. The same goes for a well-designed temporal environment. You want to make sure that children have the opportunity every day to play outside, to be active, and at the same time to have opportunities to practice skills such as writing and coloring and cutting that will help them be successful in future environments.

These three kinds of environments are intertwined in a way that you really can't take apart. And you don't want to take apart. They complement each other and they help children learn to explore and to achieve and to succeed. And that's really all we can ask from any high-quality early learning environment.

Including Children with Disabilities

A well-designed, safe, and responsive environment is an essential first step in including young children with disabilities in early childhood settings such as inclusive preschool, Head Start, and childcare programs. If, however, the learning environment does not provide the support necessary to help children with disabilities to succeed, teachers must make changes to maximize their participation in planned activities, interactions, and routines. These intentional changes can be small and are often easy to implement, yet they can yield immediate improvement in the level of child participation and learning.

*In this module, the term "classroom" refers to any out-of-home setting in which group care is provided to infants, toddlers, or preschoolers.

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IRIS | Page 1: Early Childhood Environments

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Safe, responsive, and nurturing environments are an important part of supporting the learning and development of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Such environments also help to prevent challenging behaviors and serve as a core component of interventions for infants and young children with identified disabilities.

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Explain It Routines and Schedules - Bing video
Learning the difference between routines and schedules is important. Routines bring us comfort. Schedules are nice because we often like to know what to expect throughout the day.

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https://gostudent.org

AdBoost your child's confidence & motivation. Book a free trial lesson with the ideal tutor.. Priva…

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daily routines for early childhood importance - Bing video

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10 Reasons A Daily Routine is Important for Your Child (and How to Set One) - Petit Journey
I started to wonder how daily routines have affected my child. It was important for me to create stability for my daughter so one of those ways includes daily routines.

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All families need some type of routine to establish normalcy, a way to get things done and a sense of security.

Children often fear the unknown - whether it's the broccoli on their plate - or a big life change like moving to a different house or gaining a new sibling.

While change is a learning opportunity, it can also be stressful for children. A normal routine brings comfort and consistency to a child's life.

Daily routines might include:

The time to get ready in the morning

Bath times, mealtimes, naptimes and bedtimes

Housework, cooking and cleaning schedules

Play time, family time and outdoor play

When you include meaningful and important elements into your family life, you're letting your child know what's important.

While daily routines look different across neighbourhoods, Australia and the entire globe, the most important aspect is creating a routine that works for you and your family.

Here are 10 reasons a daily routine is important for your child:

1. Helps your child get on a schedule

Consistent routine will help your child and their "body clocks" with many day-to-day basics such as:

Ability to take naps and sleep well at night

Ability to eat healthy, full meals

Regular bowel movements

Healthy play and outdoor time

Calm, relaxed behaviour at "down times" during the day

For example, because your child and their body know it's time to sleep, they are more easily able to wind down and rest.

2. Bonds the family together

When a child knows what to expect and notices regular family activities, they begin to understand what's important. This strengthens shared values, beliefs and interests.

The child, for example, might notice that eating breakfast together on Saturday mornings is important. They can see that family time together is special. Even if your child is young, they will pick up on these traditions. The family bonds together by doing regular, important things together.

3. Establishes expectations

Rather than having a power struggle about picking up toys at the end of the day or taking a bath, a child becomes accustomed to knowing when "pick up time" and "bath time" are.

Children begin to expect and complete activities without issue. As the parent, you become a partner in that routine, rather than the person who is telling the child to "do this" and "not do this."

4. Creates a calmer household

Because the child, and other family members, know what to expect, stress and anxiety are reduced.

The child will know what comes next. They will feel valued because they are included in the plans and don't feel as if they're being forced to do something.

5. Gives your child confidence and independence

With a routine, a child will learn over time when it's time to brush their teeth or put on their pajamas. They will take pride in knowing what they are supposed to do - and doing it by themselves.

Rather than always being told what needs to happen, your child will feel confident to go ahead and be in charge of themselves. When children feel empowered and independent, they are less likely to rebel or retaliate.

6. Establishes healthy, constructive habits

From brushing teeth regularly to completing homework every afternoon, routines help establish constructive habits.

Children who practice these skills will be able to better manage their time. As they age, they'll have more self-discipline in terms of healthy grooming and eating habits, along with studying and cleaning their rooms.

7. Helps you (the parent) remember important things

Whether it's ensuring your child takes their medicine every day or remembering to pay the bills every month, a routine helps you stay on track.

In the midst of busy family life, you'll be able to keep track of the important details - allowing for a more stress free household and quality time together as a family.

8. Offers your child an opportunity to get excited about what's ahead

If your child knows what's on the schedule, they anticipate and look forward to future events - such as going to the park on Friday afternoons or spending time with Dad on Sunday mornings.

When these activities are established, your child feels like a loved part of the family and the world.

9. Provides opportunity for special "daily rituals"

When you build something into your day, like snuggling and reading to your child before bed, you instill special moments or "daily rituals."

These dedicated times create increased bonding and connection with your child every day. Rather than just moving from one activity to the next, you have quality, relaxing time built into each day.

10. Offers stability during times of change or stress

Changes and stresses impact a child's life and sense of security, such as a divorce, change in school system or addition of a new sibling.

When the family has an established a routine, normalcy is present in the child's life, no matter what is going on. A child finds calmness, stability and love through elements of routine, such as family dinners or regular Thursday trips to the playground.

The Importance of Flexibility

While establishing and maintaining routine has a wealth of benefits, it's vital to also remain flexible. Spontaneity and creativity are important factors in a child's life. For example, the breakfast dishes can wait if there is an exciting animal in the backyard or a special Saturday carnival happening in the city.

Remember to stay sensitive and adaptable to the needs of each child (and adult). When a schedule becomes too regimented or strict, the benefits will be reduced, and children may feel controlled by it rather than freed by it (which is the ultimate goal).

How to Set a Daily Routine for Your Child

As Susan Newman, a social psychologist from New Jersey shares, routines can begin from the first day of life. If you haven't started a routine from the early days, don't worry. They can be established and began at any point. The earlier you establish a routine, the better.

Step 1: Establish the important times such as meal times, snack times, naptimes and bedtime.

Because these affect how well your child is able to sleep and eat, these items should come first.

If you currently have no schedule, gradually move to a consistent routine. For example, you may wish to set up a regular naptime and bedtime first. Then, you can add in regular mealtimes and bath times.

Step 2: Practice patience.

Setting a schedule may be hard for your child at first, but they will become accustomed to it.

Try not to become impatient or frustrated if the routine takes time to become "regular" for your child.

Step 3: Add "helpful" elements to each part of the routine.

For instance, you may wish to add in a regular 10 minute reading and snuggling time with your child before bed. This helps them wind down and feel ready to sleep.

Step 4: Work toward consistency and make room for flexibility.

In order for a routine to stick, you'll need to make sure you keep it as regular as possible.

However, stay open to flexibility, especially for holidays and special events, so your child's mood doesn't become solely dependent on eating at a specific time, for example.

Step 5: Establish special times with your child.

Whether it's a regular trip to grandma's house or walking the dog together, create expectations and routine of family time.

As the months go on, you'll start to see what's working and not working for the family. A routine is meant to help the family, not hinder it. Be sure your routine is healthy and positive for your child and other family members.

To learn more about our daily routines at Petit and how we adapt to the needs of each child, book a tour today.

http://www.schoolsparks.com/blog/the-importance-of-routines-for-children

http://www.mommd.com/routines.shtml

http://examinedexistence.com/why-having-a-daily-routine-is-important/

http://www.familyconnect.org/info/browse-by-age/preschoolers/growth-and-development-preschoolers/the-importance-of-routines/1235

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/family-dynamics/Pages/The-Importance-of-Family-Routines.aspx

http://www.ahaparenting.com/parenting-tools/family-life/structure-routines

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
10 Reasons A Daily Routine is Important for Your Child (and How to Set One)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
All families need some type of routine to establish normalcy, a way to get things done and a sense of security. Children often fear the unknown - whether it's the broccoli on their plate - or a big life change like moving to a different house or gaining a new sibling.

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The Importance of Routines for Kids - Zero to Thrive
This is a great read for the importance of daily schedules for children. Gives you an idea about age-appropriate milestones. It's helpful to know what routines really matter.

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The Importance of Routines for Kids

Information developed by Dr. Erika Bocknek, Educational Psychology, Wayne State University

Research shows that routines support healthy social emotional development in early childhood. In particular, children with regular routines at home have self-regulation skills, the building blocks of good mental health. When children learn to regulate feelings and behaviors, it means they are able to identify their feelings and have skills to manage those feelings so that they don't feel overwhelmed. Young children who learn to do this well are better able to adapt to everyday challenges, stressors, and new expectations. Children do not learn to do this all at once. Just as when a child is learning other important skills, like reading and writing, self-regulation is a set of skills that build over time. Every stage includes age-appropriate milestones and important things parents can do to coach children from one stage into the next.

There are many parenting behaviors that are important. These include talking about feelings with your child and helping your child respond to his feelings in ways that feel right for your family-such as by taking deep breaths or getting hugs. Parents can also provide structure and support routines for children. When children live in organized and predictable environments, they learn to self-regulate in organized and predictable ways, leading to optimal mental health over time.

What about routines matter

Often parents hear the word routine and imagine it is a proxy for schedule or even more generally structure. Those constructs are similar, but routines require a particular set of characteristics for children to be most developmentally supportive: predictability and accessibility. Children benefit from relationships and environments that are predictable to them: this includes important caregivers who behave in predictable ways, and events that occur at predictable times. For example, many studies demonstrate the benefit of bedtime routines and dinnertime routines. Children can anchor their day according to these expected interactions with their families. Furthermore, these are routine moments that provide a high level of accessibility to children. Not only can children know easily when and how they will occur, but even young children can often participate in these routines in meaningful ways by helping to set the table at dinnertime or choose their own book to read with a parent at bedtime.

A special kind of a routine, a ritual, adds an additional layer to the significance of predictable family experiences. Rituals are routines that also impart a sense of family identity and promote connection among family members. Rituals give children a growing sense of themselves as a member of a greater whole which promotes positive developmental outcomes. In addition, the joy that families experience inside of rituals together can leave an "emotional residue" that children keep with them to cope during stressful times. When times are uncertain, and children experience worry or sadness, rituals provide the internal sense that they are not alone and have a balance in their lives of positive and negative experiences.

How parents can adapt routines during the current crisis

Many parents are struggling to adapt their children's routines in the current crisis. Without school, family, and regular activities, parents are aware their children still need structure. Here are some tips to incorporate the most significant features of routines into your children's current lives.

Routines and Rules

As described, children most need to know what to expect each day at home. One way to do that is by creating a schedule. However, for some children, overly defined schedules may increase anxiety, especially if the transitions between segments seem artificial. If you find a true schedule is not working for your family, try a morning meeting during which priorities are set for the day and general timeframes are created for blocks of activity. Keep in mind that doing just a couple of things each day in the same way to create anchors is the most important thing for young children. For example, make sure at least one meal, and preferably the same meal each day, occurs at about the same time and is a chance for all family members (as is possible) to sit together without distractions. Think carefully about household rules and while you may be temped at this time to relax expectations, be firm with rules that matter most in the long-term for your family. For example, you may decide to relax rules about how neat the house is or how much TV your children are allowed to watch, but rules about safety and kindness should never be unclear to children.

Relationships

Children don't need perfect parents to thrive, but they do need predictable parents. While you may be spending lots of time overall with your children right now, consider how predictable your focused attention is for them. Their development is best supported by fewer but more focused moments of positive interaction than attempts at sustaining distracted attention throughout the day. Likewise, managing your own worries in order to support their mental health does not mean suppressing your feelings. Rather, think about your own stress and coping as a complete loop. Show your children that they can count on you to feel what you feel and transparently adopt healthy coping strategies to manage those feelings when they come up.

Rituals

Many families already have rituals in place without realizing their power: Taco Tuesdays, Sunday church services, and Saturday movie nights. Rituals can occur daily or less frequently. If you have a good one in place, take this opportunity while at home to observe if it has an impact on your family. Do you notice a family connection occurring during this time? You may also take this time to invent new family rituals. It is key that they occur at the same time and place, that they involve all family members, and that they impart a positive emotional connection. Research shows that rituals buffer the impact of stress and trauma on mental health. Furthermore, rituals that connect children to previous generations may be particularly impactful. It's a great time to reinvent a special ritual from your own childhood with your children.

"Only the family, society's smallest unit, can change and yet maintain enough continuity to rear children who will not be 'strangers in a strange land,' who will be rooted firmly enough to grow and adapt."

Salvador Minuchin, a famous family therapy scholar

Each family has the capacity to support their children's adaptation with positive routines and powerful connections.

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The Importance of Routines for Kids - Zero to Thrive

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Mirror Transient Art with nature loose parts and Grapat Mandalas - Outdoor Activities for Kids - Bing video
A cute video of outdoor loose parts that helps me understand how simple outdoor things are great for kids to be able to explore with. Nature walks are defiantly going to be essential.

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Mirror Transient Art with nature loose parts and Grapat Mandalas - Outdoor Activities for Kids

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Loose Parts Play Ideas for Toddlers – Play of the Wild
This site was great for ideas for toddlers. I work with toddlers everyday so it's nice to have specific ideas for that age group.

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Loose Parts Play Ideas for Toddlers – Play of the Wild

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Discover loose parts play ideas for toddlers and how it will benefit children. See how they can learn in the outdoors and through play!

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Loose Parts: Inspiring Play in Young Children (communityplaythings.com)
I really liked this site because it talks about the ways loose parts can be educational. It also had a lot of great ideas for crafts and room design. A great website for purchasing materials as well.

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We have often marveled at the long hours children can spend playing with simple materials like boxes, rocks, shells, sand, or water. Our observations have led us to question the conventional wisdom of providing children with sophisticated toys. As you've probably noted yourself, children are often more interested in the packaging than in the toys themselves.

Children usually prefer play that stimulates their curiosity and gives free reign to their imaginations and creativity. We believe that one of the best ways to enhance their natural curiosity is to introduce a wide variety of the materials we call "loose parts" into their play settings.

What Are Loose Parts?

In early childhood education settings, loose parts mean alluring, beautiful, found objects and materials that children can move, manipulate, control, and change while they play. Children can carry, combine, redesign, line up, take apart, and put loose parts back together in almost endless ways. The materials come with no specific set of directions, and they can be used alone or combined with other materials. Children can turn them into whatever they desire: a stone can become a character in a story; an acorn can become an ingredient in an imaginary soup. These objects invite conversations and interactions, and they encourage collaboration and cooperation. Put another way, loose parts promote social competence because they support creativity and innovation. All of these are highly valued skills in adult life today.

Loose parts possess infinite play possibilities. They offer multiple rather than single outcomes: no specific set of directions accompanies them; no single result is inevitable. Unlike a jigsaw puzzle, whose pieces are meant to be fitted together in a specific way to make a single picture, loose parts can be joined in many ways. A scarf, for example, can become a blanket to swaddle a baby, a platform for a picnic, a fishing pond, a cover for a fort, or a veil covering the face of a bride.

Origin of Loose Parts

Children for generations have used found materials in their play from rocks and sticks to tin cans and wire. In his article "How NOT to Cheat Children: the Theory of Loose Parts," the British architect Simon Nicholson coined the term "loose parts" to describe open-ended materials that can be used and manipulated in many ways (1971). Nicholson saw people of every age as potentially creative. Environments, he believed, offer many ways for children to interact with variables such as gravity, sounds, chemical reactions, concepts, words, and people. For Nicholson, the richness of an environment depended on the opportunities it provided for making connections. "In any environment," he writes, "both the degree of inventiveness and creativity, and the possibility of discovery, are directly proportional to the number and kind of variables in it" (30). Take, for example, a beach: it is filled with loose parts-rocks, shells, beach glass, plants, feathers. When children play in such a setting, they can move around, making use of any or all of the found objects, devising spaces and structures that can entertain them for hours. This isn't only fun but it also helps them develop higher levels of critical thinking and creativity.

When an environment is rich in loose parts, children are likely to discover multiple ways to manipulate them and new ways of thinking or processing the knowledge learned by playing with the materials.Children can use flat tree cookies to serve as a sturdy base for a tall tower, stepping stones to lead them safely across an imaginary river filled with hungry alligators, a steering wheel for their race car, or a lily pad to shelter frogs. They become more creative and flexible in their thinking while satisfying their ever-growing curiosity and love for learning.

The Value of Loose Parts

Children prefer loose parts. Anyone who has watched children play with toys or playground equipment knows that they quickly tire of things with a sole purpose. Once they've mastered the key function of an object-pushing the button to make a figure pop up or climbing a ladder, for example-they are ready to move on. The intrigue and the challenge are gone. In other words, children make their play choices based on how much variability those materials offer. A stick is a richer choice than a slide because it can become a fishing pole, a spoon for stirring a concoction, a magic wand, or a balance beam for snails. Loose parts offer almost numberless variables, prompting children to create their own stories.

With so many materials available for ECE classrooms, you need to make choices that maximize children's development and make sense financially. Today, teachers are often expected to provide classroom materials out of their own pockets. Happily, loose parts can often be had for free, and they offer a bonus: they encourage you, and the children's parents, to reuse, renew, and recycle. Write a note to the children's families asking them to collect potentially rich materials around their homes to add to the classroom. Provide a list of suggested items (small boxes, jar lids, buttons, fabric). Also, post your list in the classroom or distribute it at school events.

Loose Parts Support the Curriculum

Loose parts offer many possibilities for open-ended learning. Especially in ECE programs where standards and ditto sheets are threatening to take over, advocate for loose parts as they support the acquisition of skills that children are required to demonstrate when they enter kindergarten.
Math
Children acquire their first math skills and numerical concepts when they manipulate small loose parts, like blocks and bottle caps, by sorting and classifying, and combining and separating them. They learn one-to-one correspondence when they make connections among loose parts. Once they begin integrating loose parts into their games, you commonly hear them start to count and see them arranging the parts in specific sequences, patterns, and categories by color, type, number, and class. Loose parts lend themselves to classification. The concept of measurement becomes clear when children play with tools like cups, sticks, funnels, and sifters. Measurement, equivalency, balance, spatial awareness, conservation, and logical classification are precursors to higher mathematical skills that loose parts readily support.
Physical Science
Loose parts help children investigate and actively construct ideas and explanations about physical properties of the nonliving world. Children gain deeper knowledge of how things work when they can experiment with stacking boxes, tubes, and bottles. They can also test multiple hypotheses involving gravity, force, weight, distance, and height with these materials. Children learn that things move in many various ways (motion) through playing with loose parts that can be pulled and pushed to start, stop, or change their movement. Wooden boards, gutters, and balls help them investigate inclines and gravity. Prisms and open-ended materials that are transparent, translucent, or opaque on a light table or overhead projector help children experiment with color, shadows, and reflected or refracted light.
Language and Literacy
Loose parts promote language development when children use them as props to engage in rich conversations and storytelling with peers and adults. Describing the items they manipulate, children can test new, complex words and engage in productive arguments that increase their critical-thinking skills. They make connections between loose parts, the books they have read, and the stories they have heard. They use loose parts to plan and draw their ideas and interactions. Ample, continuous use of loose parts helps children improve their memories, vocabularies, and literacy.
Art
Children often express their ideas and feelings through art. An open art studio offers them tools and materials for telling their stories. Adding loose parts to the art area can enhance their creativity and help them extend their ideas and questions. When loose parts are added to your art center, they offer children invitations to draw, sculpt, collage, explore, and extend their ideas. Such opportunities shouldn't be confined to the art area though. Fill your indoor and outdoor settings with open-ended resources to encourage creative expression everywhere. Children's sense of beauty can be as easily seen in their arrangements of sticks lined up side by side, wooden planks propped symmetrically against a lodge, rock mosaics laid in sand, and pinecones arranged in spirals.
Movement and Music
Music and movement captures children's attention and hearts. Movement for children mostly takes place through self-directed, self-initiated play as they freely move their bodies. Movement possibilities with loose parts such as scarves, hoops, and ribbons are endless, and provide opportunity for children to improvise. Musical play often means hitting items as hard as possible to see how they sound, and loose parts offer almost limitless opportunities to explore sounds that can be exuberant, random, noisy, and chaotic or quiet, gentle, and focused. Almost all children will naturally have the ability to interact with music.

We hope that you are inspired by this book to add more loose parts to children's play. When you provide loose parts and have an open mind about how they may be used, the children will surprise and delight you with what they create and learn.

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Loose Parts: Inspiring Play in Young Children

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We have often marveled at the long hours children can spend playing with simple materials like boxes, rocks, shells, sand, or water. Our observations have led us to question the conventional wisdom of providing children with sophisticated toys. As you've probably noted yourself, children are often more interested in the packaging than in the toys themselves.