A couple of weeks ago I shared an article from one of my favorite blogs, on Heuristic Play. Basically, Heuristic Play is a fun way of saying "kids like to investigate the objects around them using their senses[" What amazed me was all the friends that shared their photos and comments about their babies playing with a whisk for hours.
Since we celebrate the "Winter Trifecta" in my household (Chanukah, Christmas, Birthdays), I am frequently asked "What does Chuck want?" First of all, Chuck has no idea what she wants. She's two. Aside from that, she literally has fun playing with a paper bag. This got me thinking . . .
Since this is the season, these are some Simple Gifts that have been Chuck approved!
The Plastic Bottle
This has been a long time favorite of Chuck's. I noticed her affinity for an empty plastic bottle at a very young age. In fact, I remember being rather humbled by the fact that she pretty much ignored all those clip on toys I bought for her car seat/stroller. All she wanted was a plastic bottle. She wanted to nom on the top. She wanted to squish it and make it change shapes. She wanted to roll it on the floor.
Now that she's a bit older, I notice that she enjoys filling the bottles with items found around the house and makes them into shakers. Over the summer, we spent hours filling them with water and emptying them.
Simply said: Chuck loves herself a plastic bottle
The teacher part of me loves watching how she can spend hours exploring the plastic bottle. When she fills it with little things found around the house, she is working on her fine motor skills. When she's rolling it around, she's working on her gross motor skills. This is really a win/win toy for everyone!
The Cardboard Box
One day, last winter, I cut a hole in a cardboard box[,] and made it into a tunnel for Chuck. That box survived many, many snow days last year. For a while it was a tunnel. When it was turned over, it was a boat. Cardboard boxes are great for imaginative play -- because they let your child IMAGINE! Cardboard boxes give her a blank canvas to construct whatever she wants. Watching Chuck build and construct the world around her is amazing!
The Blankie
Now, this one's not a freebie. However, if you are anything like me, you were given a thousand blankets to welcome your little one into the world. The first couple of months, you probably wrapped up your baby burrito style. During the summer months, I would drape them over the stroller to protect Chuck from the sun.
While these suggestions may seem all too simple, we know them to be true. We have all seen our children, and everyone else's children, play with the box and ignore the fancy toy. Embrace your child's sense of imaginative play, and hand them everyday items that allow them to construct their own worlds. Of course, use your common sense and best judgement with regard to any item given to a child for play, and supervise when necessary. Take the caps off the bottles, make sure all the staples are out of the cardboard box. Most importantly, don't forget to jump in too, and have fun!
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