Tools of the Mind play
- Turn off the TV! Television is a big distraction for children and keeps them from engaging with each other in a sustained and meaningful way.
- If you have children of similar ages in your playgroup, consider inviting older or younger children to join. Older children with good play skills can act as “play mentors” to younger children. Toddlers in the group give preschoolers a chance to try out their fledging play skills on someone who will listen.
- Bring out toys that require imagination, such as wooden blocks and old dresses. Children can build and pretend with each other.
- Have a theme!
- Play themes can be taken from everyday life: a birthday party for dolls, pretending to go shopping at the grocery store, opening a bakery, taking care of pets (grooming and shopping), running a bicycle or car repair shop.
- Play themes can be taken from stories and books: pretending Peter Rabbit or Goldilocks and the Three Bears, or books about astronauts and outer space.
- Use simple props that everyone has: old clothes and shoes for dress-up, baby dolls, stuffed animals, pots and pans from the kitchen. Help children use their imaginations to make that old shirt a space suit.
- Consider giving up adult-directed “crafts” and other activities during playgroup. Children need time to talk with each other and learn to negotiate the rules and roles of play without being under the constant direction of adults.
- If you have a very active group, consider playing games that require physical self- regulation such as Greg and Steve’s Listen and Move, or the Freeze on their music CDs. Play games such as Simon Says. Let children jump to the beat of a drum. Having children stop and start motor actions on cue provides important practice in building self-regulation.
- Give children enough time to play. Often we over-schedule our children’s time. Sometimes it takes them a while to get the hang of the play scenario. Too often we think children are bored and interrupt them with an adult-directed activity when all they need is more time or perhaps a nudge in the right direction.
- If a child seems unable to take on a role in the play of the group, encourage him or her to put on a costume (such as a stethoscope for the doctor or a purse for the mommy) and help him or her remember what a person in this role might say. Often immature players benefit from taking on a more passive role in make-believe play (such as the patient rather than the nurse or doctor). This way they can be part of the play without having to keep it going themselves.
We hope you find these tips helpful and wish you many happy and productive playgroups to come!