Play advocates often talk about the importance of open ended play, open ended play materials and having play be child led instead of adult led. There is a popular theory called Loose Parts was developed by Simon Nicholson in 1971.
Fun with Pipe cleaners!
You are a Social Detective Book Review and Group Activity Ideas
You Are a Social Detective is a great introduction to Michelle Garcia Winner’s Social Thinking, written especially for kids who struggle in social situations. The book is divided into 3 different sections. Whenever I use this book as a teaching tool, I read one section at a time.
The first section focuses on having different kinds of smarts, including school smarts and social smarts. It discusses how we use social smarts all the time, whenever we are around others. This is so important for kids to understand. You need to be using your social smarts anytime you’re around others. This section also focuses on expected behaviors and the consequences of those actions. If we do things that are expected, other people feel good and want to be around us more.
Cardboard Box Puppet Theater
One of the first more elaborate projects I remember doing with my daughter was making a puppet theater. We took a cardboard box (our favorite toy around here) and painted it and made curtains from scraps of cloth. She had a blast using her finger puppets for the show, and later setting up toy figures. However, the box got old and tattered, so we got rid of it.
Teaching Flexibility to Kids
Have you ever had one of those parenting moments where you realize you thought you had taught your kids something, but realized you actually never had?
I realized recently that my daughter doesn't know what being flexible means. I say it to her all the time and I always thought she understood what I meant. Today my son was a little cranky, so I asked her to be flexible. As I watched, she continued to be inflexible. I finally asked asked her “What do I mean when I say be flexible with your brother?” She said “be nice”. While I think it's good that she knows to be nice to her brother it's actually not what flexibility is all about.