Cars and trucks and other things that go ’round, like duct tape, and a few other small toys, all connect to make a great kindergarten readiness play-of-the-day. This post is inspired by Jessie Wills Koller at www.playcreateexplore.org who has such fun, creative ideas for ways to play and thankfully shared on a FB group. Sometimes, ideas for blog posts seem to find me. Last weekend, I was at a family 50th wedding anniversary and wrote about how family celebrations can help kids explore making connections to others. When I saw this photo, I could see and hear more connecting.
This activity is another way that kids are also figuring out connections, this time by making a mini community on the floor. Not only are each of us a member of a family, we are a member of a community as well. These roads and spaces are also part of a whole. The cars and trucks do not just follow a road, they go places like the farm, the house, the field, the park. During play, the cars visit these places, and the little one begins creating a mental idea of how these make up a community. These connections are not seen with the eyes, but are felt by the heart.
As parents and caregivers, when we walk with kids we can talk about all the places around us. Kids experience these community connections with us as we go to the store, the gas station, the library, the bank, the mailbox, etc. They walk along the sidewalks and ride along the roads. During play, they recreate these same experiences and figure out the connections for themselves. Isn’t all that an amazing amount of fun and learning? And connecting?
Thank you again, Jessie, for sharing and for the great photo.