How important is play in your child's world?
How important do you allow it to be?
Playing, after all, is just a way my children are learning. Everything they do in play has some sort of educational factor for them, even if it is practicing a long learnt skill.
So my children have a toy box full of cars, and trucks, and every other type of vehicle imaginable. They have a collection of puzzles varying in difficulty, including problem solving type of puzzles. They have cupboards crammed with various art and craft mediums. They have a backyard to explore and balls to kick, throw and juggle. They have bags and bags full of dress up clothing. They have a doll house, and even a kitchen where I am regularly served things like corn husk cakes, or coffee even if I don't drink the stuff.
I don't believe in there being a set of "boys toys" that are only for boys to play, just as I don't believe in there being a set of "girls toys" for only girls to play. I think boys benefit from playing with dolls just as girls benefit from pretending to build things.
I know my Mother and Nan will be happy to now have a choice from these flavours. The chamomile, honey and vanilla is my personal favourite.
And we sip our tea in the only way we know how. In style.
How do you feel about stereotypical play? Do you think it has it's place, or that children should be free to play in any (safe) way they like?
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Too's favourite toys were Batman and a toolbelt.
ReplyDeleteMoo loved Barbies.
Boo pretend food and tea parties.
Whatever floats their boats I say.
we don't do stereotypical anything!! While my older kids are older teens and past the point of 'play', my littlest daughter at 8 has a great collection of Dolls, Barbies and dolls house, along with a kick-arse train track, the best lego building skills and with her birthday money this year she bought a giant semi trailer truck with storage sections for 28 matchbox cars.. she's in heaven. We've never focused on any toy belonging to a specific gender, and she will be the first child scrambling up the trunk to a tree fort, just as quickly as she will spend an afternoon playing tea-parties or doing hair and makeup with her little friends. I love it!
ReplyDeleteI let Miss M lead me in what she wants to play with. So she has a mix of cars and trucks and also a pram with a baby in it. When she was really young I would always be very conscious about her things being too pink! Every toy I bought was the 'gender neutral' colouring so nice bright yellows, reds, blues and greens - I felt it was important she wasn't stereotyped in that way.
ReplyDeleteI would have a tea party with a son if I had one and I will be taking Miss M to a Thomas the Tank engine day out because she loves trains!
On the tea front though, when did you start giving herbal and fruit teas? I was thinking the other day Miss M may enjoy them and she is 20 months.
Okay, first of all, I HAVE to get me some of that lavender earl grey tea! Oh my, I never knew it existed!
ReplyDeleteAnd secondly, I will teach my kids that it's okay to play with both "boys and girls" toys. In fact, I won't even distinguish between the genders of them. My daughter plays with cars and trucks, and I'm sure my son will play in the little pink kitchen that currently resides in my daughters bedroom. It really doesn't matter, and does not affect their futures.
PS. I always love looking at your tea party photos, they look so fun! :)