Do you wonder if maybe kids are stringing us along? They have lots of toys but play with anything! This post is about child’s play with string. When it comes to play with string, even if there are no sharp edges, we still need to monitor the situation so play isn’t too risky.
How can string be so exciting for play? Finding a piece of unclaimed string is like finding treasure for kids. Yarn, shoelaces, twine, and ribbon all count as string and are used for play activities. With string, kids can pull behind them a toy, a cardboard box, a shoe, even an empty water bottle. Looking at it from a child’s point-of-view, it’s pretty astonishing that all it takes is a thin piece of string. A string also lifts objects, like these cookie cutters. This time the empty water bottle is used for winding the string and as it turns, up come the cookie cutters. Kids also like to twirl items around and around in the air at the end of a string. We need to explain about making sure there is enough space and nothing is in the way.
A string or small rope doubles the fun of running down the street or riding a wheeled toy. Bigger objects can get towed behind, including a lawn chair. Needless to say, there is no photo for this play activity and the chair was returned to the deck. A wagon was much quieter.
String may appear during imaginary play. Yarn wrapped around a stick turns it into a special kind of magic wand. Used as a line on the ground or floor, string makes a special boundary that only some can cross.
Dipped into paint, a string can be a sort of paint brush. Attached to wood, string makes a guitar. These are only some of the ways kids play with string. Could it be child’s play with string that gave rise to string theory?