Community Activities

Social and Emotional

What Makes Childhood Magical? Part 13: Community Events

Leave a comment

The Magic of Community Events

Magic comes in many shapes, sizes, colors, sounds, and tastes. One place to find a whole variety of these is at a community event or celebration. From clowns and candy floss, to parades and pony rides, and everything in between, kids remember special events and anticipate them from year to year. As grownups, we remember them too and can hardly wait to share them with our own children.

magic of childhood community eventsDo you have memories of some exciting events from your childhood? Growing up in a rural area, each spring and summer I got to go to a few rodeos and fairs. Some communities have been having these events for decades, and in a few cases, for more than 100 years! That is magic that endures.

Not only are events full of all kinds of stimulation for the senses, they also have lots of action and ways to move. Giant slides, bouncy castles, boat rides, and merry-go-rounds are a few of the exciting activities.

Unfortunately, some of these can be expensive, but there are often some that are affordable or even free. Packing a backpack of your own food and water and only buying a special treat is one way of saving money.

magic of childhood community eventsBeing part of a community is also important for social development. We all need to feel like we belong. Sharing community events and celebrations with others helps to promote this sense of belonging in kids and stretches their circle beyond the family. After a whole day of fun and magic, there might be fireworks to light up the night sky. Are community events and celebrations magic for your children–and you?

Current Events

Dreams, Communities, & MLK Day: Int’l Day of Giving

Leave a comment

mlk-ready-to-readMLK Day is spreading around the world, honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King asked everyone then, and his words remind each one of us now: Life’s most persistent and urgent question is ‘What are you doing for others?’ The mission and message has gone beyond borders. On one site, I counted 72 countries who celebrate this birthday with an International Day of Giving.

Not just for adults, this can be a meaningful day for young children too. We all live in community with others our entire lives. With children, supporting our communities starts with developing an awareness of where we live and all the other people who share our space. This could start with a walk around the block to notice other people, to look at the houses and buildings and even the ground around them. Perhaps, you and your child could smile at others and tell them hello.

Does it look like there is someone who could use some help? Amy Mascott at teachmama.com had some great ideas for service projects, links to more, plus here are some other ideas. Some take more time and some can be done quickly, such as:

  • helping clean up in local parks,
  • making a box of donated clothing for an emergency shelter for families,
  • dropping off some food at the food bank,
  • drawing pictures to send to armed forces personnel,
  • making some crafts to put on trays for Meals On Wheels,
  • collecting books and toys for an organization that supports kids,
  • taking bottles in for recycling and donating the money to a community group,
  • wash and repair some stuffies to donate to a firehouse for kids in emergencies,
  • planting a tree for all of us to enjoy…

These are just a few suggestions. Hopefully, this list will inspire you and you can add to it with your experiences and ideas. Wherever you live in the world, can you do something for others today?

Infant and Toddler, Social and Emotional

Kindergarten Readiness: Community Connections

Leave a comment

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.

photo by Jessie Wills Koller
photo by Jessie Wills Koller

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.

Holiday Activities

Playgrounds Are Fun For the Whole Community!

Leave a comment

Playgrounds are not just fun and learning for kids, but for the whole community. And kids can feel part of the community at the playground. Today, in our area, there was an outdoors event happening in two local parks, both of which have wonderful playgrounds. There were tables of displays, crafts, and yummy things to … Continue reading Playgrounds Are Fun For the Whole Community! →