Playing with Preschoolers

Playing with your Preschooler: Learning the skills of child-led play

“A child’s natural language is not words, it’s play. It’s not until children are about ten-years-old that they can accurately tell us how they feel. Until then they will show it.” -Gary Landreth, PhD

How do preschoolers play? 

• 24 months to 30 months- Young preschoolers start to show more of an interest in other children but have difficulty initiating play and have lots of trouble sharing. Young preschoolers use toys symbolically, often imitating what they’ve seen you do. With an increase in language, pretend play begins
  
• 30 months to 3 years- As children turn three, they develop even more interest in other children. Language allows them to communicate with each other. Kids, at this age, make a big jump in their ability to pretend play because they can now use objects to represent something else. A whole new world of fantasy opens up
  
•  3 years to 4 years- Cooperative play begins. Kids can make friends and start to play with each other. Dramatic play begins. Kids try on different social roles and pretend to be other people. This leads to the ability to see things for other people’s point of view, resulting in increased social skills and empathy.

How can you play with your preschooler to support her development?

CHILD-LED PLAY: is 20- 30 minutes of focused attention on your child’s play in which you get down on your child’s level and follow his/her lead. During child-led play, you refrain from asking questions, making suggestions and taking over for your child. Instead you provide a running commentary of what the child is doing and only become directly involved in your child’s play when you are invited.

Benefits: Child-led play strengthens the emotional bond between parents and kids. Kids then, become much more compliant in following parents directions and power struggles are less likely to occur. During child-led play, kids receive psychological messages from their parents that their ideas are valuable and that they can make worthwhile things happen, which boosts self-esteem.

UNSTRUCTURED PLAY: is time that you allow your child to explore his/her physical world independently. Your role in providing unstructured playtime for your child is to simply ensure that he/she has access to a variety of stimulating and SAFE objects.

Benefits: Helps children to learn about the physical world, helps them to relax, and leads to greater independence, creativity and self-initiative.

Story by GTA Contributer: M.E Picher, MA

Co-Founder and Creative Director of  Wholeplay

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You're Almost There Girl! Inspiration for Achieving Your Goals

How To Make The Leap From Where You Are To Where You Want To Be.

Evening in partnership with Girl's Night In (In Support of the Canadian Cancer Society) 

Presented by: Esther Bartkiw (see bio below)

When: January 25, 2011

Where: Banana Republic - 80 Bloor Street West, Toronto

Time: 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm

What's Included: Wine, Appetizers, Workshop, Prize Draw, Banana Republic is open to our work only for this event. Attendees are able to shop after the workshop & receive 25% all purchases including clearance items when they purchase over $100.

Cost & Registration: $20.00 (a portion of ticket sales will be donated to the Canadian Cancer Society). Click here to register.

Workshop Description:

The “I’m Almost There Girl,” is a girl who has achieved success in one or more areas of her life but in others a gap exists between where she stands and where she aches to be. What she wants appears to be just out of her reach.

In this fascinating session of personal story and tips for success, Esther will offer to you the information and techniques she used to bridge the gaps in many areas of her life.

• the power in making a decision 
• how clarity is key 
• you have to believe it to achieve it 
• take massive action 
• dream big for we dream too small 
• faith and perseverance during shaky times 
• celebrating your success is mandatory 

These tips will help you get unstuck and moving forward creating the life, the business, you want; on your terms.

Learning Outcomes:

• where in your life are you "almost there" and what it takes to make the leap from where you are to where you want to be 
• why making a decision is perhaps the single most important mental move you can make 
• the power and importance of your beliefs and why you have to believe it to create it 
• why taking action within 48 hours of making a decision is crucial to your success 
• what to do when you hit a bump in the road 
• the importance of celebrating your successes big and small

Leave this seminar feeling inspired, confident and back on track; ready to shed your, "I'm Almost There Girl" status. You'll move forward hearing the voice of Esther whispering to you "You're Almost There Girl, it's time to take the leap."

About Esther

Esther Bartkiw is a Certified Core Belief Engineering Psychotherapist, Personal Growth and Transformation Specialist, Seminar Leader, Speaker, Author and Successful Entrepreneur.

People describe Esther as a passionate and inspiring speaker. Her energy is infectious; her message is stirring. She encourages her audience to take back their power, exercise choice and reach for their goals and dreams. Esther is most passionate about delivering a message of hope, inspiration and encouragement that change is possible; it's never too late. It's as simple as changing a thought or belief.

Esther Bartkiw speaks regularly in front of networking and entrepreneurial groups; educational institutes, national companies and associations. With a degree in Communications from McGill University and a journalism background, she got her start as a presenter working as a radio talk show host and newscaster.

Esther is a featured guest on various television and radio programs such as the Steven and Chris Show, CH Morning Live and was recently featured in a full page spread in Hamilton Magazine.For more information visit her web site Change from Within.

This Event supports:

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Recommended Parenting Books

1. How to Talk so Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk, by Faber & Mazlish.

If you are only ever going to read one parenting book, this is the one to read. It teaches respectful, effective parenting skills that concurrently help you build a good relationship with your child. The skills and information is most applicable from toddler hood to the pre-teen years. This is a must read for not only parents, but also anyone who works with children.

2. Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, by Marc Weissbluth.

This book provides detailed information about sleep patterns and provides specific advice to help parents adjust nap and sleep times, tailored to the child's age. The book does include a small amount of information about older children, but is most useful for parents of infants and toddlers.

3. Raising Your Spirited Child, by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka.

Focusing on temperament, this book helps parents to understand, accept, and work with their child's unique qualities. The book also focuses on the effects of matching and mismatching of temperament styles between parent and child, which is key for developing positive parent-child relationships.

4. Mom's House, Dad's House, by Isolina Ricci.

This is a comprehensive book for parents who are separated or divorced, with a collaborative, modern perspective.

5. Boy Smarts, by Barry Macdonald.

Written by a School Counsellor, and father of 3 boys, Barry Macdonald focuses on qualities unique to boys, and illustrates how we can help boys learn, socialize, and become more confident. In my view, parents of boys will benefit from reading this book, as well schoolteachers and administrators.

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Getting Goofy at The Goof in The Beaches

It was a shock to see how much it had changed. The last time I was at The Goof  (Aka The Garden Gate Restaurant) was when I was in my early twenties.  At the time it was grungy but weirdly charming. There were high booths, individual jute boxes and if memory serves me correctly a lot of dark paneling. Now it is light, funky, open and airy with a few pictures on the walls of what it once looked like. The menu today contains the history of how it opened for business in the early fifties. The goofy nick name comes from a light malfunction on the sign which caused the letters to read GOOD FOO and locals thought it would be funny to affectionately refer to it as THE GOOF. 

What has not changed after all those years is the menu. It still offers a bit of everything at a good price. 

Last night we took the kids for an early New Year`s Eve dinner. I had such a yummy meal. 

Fillet of soul, mash potatoes, veggies, cranberry juice and red jello. Comfort food for the last night of 2010. 

What sent me down memory lane was a table full of young teens who were joking with the waiter and enjoying an early start to their night. It made me remember times that I had done the same when I came to visit my cousins who lived in the Beach (I lived in Mississauga at the time). We often landed there and I remember giggles and plates of chicken fried rice. ( I could afford only that). 

So when I left The Goof last night and headed to my cousin`s place for New Year`s Eve Celebrations I could not help but laugh when Jason, now in his thirties talked about his memories of late nights at The Goof where after parties he and his cheap teenage friends would order egg rolls and water right when the restaurant was trying to close up. 

So if you have a special memory from THE GOOF - please feel free to share it here in the comments. Hopefully The GOOF will leave you feeling giggly.  

The Goof - Garden Gate Restaurant is online at thegoof.ca 

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