On today’s episode, my focus is all about play…
books I love
quotes I love
the social stages of play by Parten
How Play Helps Kids Grow and Develop!
Play matters, and it makes a difference for children as they grow and develop. Children learn best through play. One of my favorite books all about the impact play can have on social development is by Dr. Stuart Brown…
16 Different Types of Play
Play Matters
Play is the best way for children to learn. Play helps children figure out how to interact with one another. Play helps children figure out how to problem solve, make decisions, collaborate and work together as a team. Play is crucial for children to develop socially and cognitively. Play is a part of nature - even animals learn through play. Play should be a part of everyday life. Adults and children should take some time to play every day. It's the best way to learn plus it's fun.
5 Great Videos about The Importance of Play
Playful New Year's Resolutions for Families
It’s that time of year when people are making New Year’s Resolutions. I’ve been thinking about some of the basics (organize my house, clean up my eating habits, etc) but I’ve also been thinking about what I can do encourage playing and friendships in my own home. Here are some New Year’s Resolutions to make 2015 a great year!!
4 Ways to Promote Play!
I watched a really interesting TED talk by Peter Gray about the state of play today. I initially saw this video on Facebook with a caption reading “Kids today are more depressed than they were during the great depression”. As a therapist, that immediately got my attention, and I decided to watch it. What a great video! Here are a few key points I took away from the video:
TED Talk from Tim Brown
I was intrigued by this TED Talk by Tim Brown because of the title - Tales of creativity and play. Tim Brown is the CEO of a consultancy company, and you might be thinking - what the heck does a CEO of a company know about play??!? Quite a lot, it turns out. This is an interesting TED talk to watch because he has the audience actually do a few creative activities, including drawing and shooting little foam rockets around the room. What I love about this TED talk is that he connects play with how that helps the creative process in the work place and suggests that adults should use play more. Here’s what resonated with me from this TED talk:
Review of the Parent Backpack for Kindergarden through Grade 5
Brain Development and Play
I found this great resource for teens, families and educators on twitter, anniefox.com. I really enjoy her podcasts and I watched this one recently that is right in line with my thinking about the importance of play. She spoke with a brain development specialist and educator, Deborah McNelis. The highlights:
Temple Grandin - TED Talk
I finally got a chance to watch Temple Grandin’s TED talk from 2010. I first heard about Temple Grandin a few years ago when I watched the HBO movie about her life. I found it interesting and insightful and I’ve wanted to learn more about her. I haven’t had a chance to read any of her books yet although they are on my reading list. She has a lot of interesting things to say about children on the spectrum as they get older and enter the workforce. Here are some of my takeaways:
5 Strategies for Planning Play
Here are five strategies you can use to help set the stage for an enjoyable play experience:
1. Incorporate different types of play.
A child who plays well is comfortable with many forms of play. Some categories of play include gross motor, fine motor, pretend play, construction, sensory, etc. Gross motor activities include tag, obstacles courses and races. Activities like rainbow loom or stringing beads are more fine motor play. Some popular themes of pretend play include restaurant, school and space. Construction can be out of all kinds of different materials like blocks, play doh, or even recycling. Sensory can be using sand, rice or beans. Exposure to different types of play leads to valuable experiences.
