Stories of Play

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Archives for April 2017

My TOP TIPS for Choosing Children’s Books

My TOP TIPS for Choosing Children’s Books

Book Recommendations

I’m as fussy about the books I buy as I am about the toys we get for our children. The…
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The School of Life

The School of Life

Musings on Play

One of my biggest beliefs about children’s learning is that there’s so much natural learning that happens from just doing…
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Stories of Play – 10 Min Setup for a 2 Sec Play. Is it Worth It?

Stories of Play – 10 Min Setup for a 2 Sec Play. Is it Worth It?

Musings on Play· Stories of Play

  Introduced goop/oobleck to Miss 15mo for the first time today. It’s just 2 parts cornflour, 1 part water and…
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The Value of Exposing Children to Experiences

The Value of Exposing Children to Experiences

Musings on Play

A beautiful morning of getting up close and personal feeding these kanga friends at Caversham Wildlife Park, just 20 min…
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The Process of Play – What Happens When They Play

The Process of Play – What Happens When They Play

Musings on Play

“What Is She Making?” I sent these couple of pictures from today’s sensory play with Miss 15mo to my family…
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Hello there!

I’m Jules, a preschool teacher turned SAHM mum to two beautiful girls under 2, on our way towards a homeschooling journey and a childhood filled with love and play. So lovely to have you here and thank you for stopping by. Read more…

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Instagram post 2181256147896782711_3576889275 Hands up if you feel like you often have to “force” your children to learn?

Well maybe that’s not true for you. But how about the fact that your children can’t focus for more than 5 minutes on an activity that you’ve set up, even if it totally screams FUN?

This video here is a snapshot of my 3yo engaged in some playful learning about flags all from her own initiative. It went on for more than 20min and this is not something uncommon in our household, with topics ranging from the age-appropriate to the downright crazy, like sewage pipes crazy and “how does our food become poo” crazy #ToiletHumourIsBigHere

The key to authentic, child-led learning is exactly that - AUTHENTIC and CHILD-LED. 
Our role as a parent in encouraging our children to learn is to
1) Be present
2) Listen to their questions
3) Show them where to find answers (not tell them the answers so don’t worry if you don’t know the answers)

We’ve just come back from holidays in Singapore where my 3yo saw the 🇸🇬 everywhere and so she drew that, before deciding she wanted to draw the Perth flag next. Sorry no such thing darling but there’s the 🇦🇺 flag if you want. Except I didn’t know how to draw it and so we looked at a book together. And then she fully took over. And went on to work on Argentina and Algeria. And decided to write the countries initials next to the flags to identify them.

Authentic learning at its best :)
Instagram post 2180623807512102364_3576889275 Got a baby or taby who’s pulling up to stand/ cruising/ learning to walk? SAVE this simple activity to try with your little one!

This was an easy fine-motor/ vertical surface activity I did with all 3 children when they were between 8 months to a year old, when they were either confidently pulling up to stand, cruising or just beginning to walk.

Post-its on any vertical surface you can find in your home, a bedroom door, wall or even the fridge, surely can’t get any easier to set up than that!

I started with the usual big square pieces of post-its then graduated to the smaller tab pieces you see here to present her with more of a challenge and encourage her to work on strengthening her pincer grip. Swipe to see a close up of that in action.

Besides being a quick and easy set up, working on a vertical surface also has so many benefits - it develops good hand-eye coordination, builds core strength, upper body strength and posture while working on developing both fine-motor and gross motor skills. The leg and calf muscles are strengthened, the wrist, elbows and shoulders all get a good workout as the entire arm is extended out, crossing the body midline and working against gravity to reach those post-its.

p.s. This simple baby/taby play idea is brought to you by my newly minted, crazy-cute, makes-my-overies-cry 1yo 😭, so proud of her persistence in reaching for them :)
Instagram post 2177693784371280552_3576889275 My baby turned 1 yesterday 😭 and in the style and tradition of our family, we celebrated with extra doses of connection and quality time.

Instead of a party, we had a 3d2n mini hotel staycation whilst still on holiday in Singapore (we’ve been staying with my parents)

Instead of presents and new toys, we hung out in the hotel’s pool and the kids played with a bath bomb in the hotel’s bathtub.

Instead of cake, we had ... Just kidding, there’s always cake 😆

Another birthday tradition we have, especially for us as a family with multiple kids, is we always have a day where we spend 2 on 1 quality time with the birthday child. So in this particular instance, I’m grateful that we happen to be in Singapore at this time and my parents could bring the two older girls home with them after the first night so we could have an extra day alone with bubs.

It was truly so special to have that 2 on 1 time with her, to give her both our undivided attention, especially because on a daily basis it’s easy for her as the baby to be overshadowed by her louder and more vocal older sisters.

It was a simple low-key birthday celebration but in my humble opinion, it’s the simple things in life done with great love that make the biggest impact.

Have you got a special birthday tradition in place for your family? Share them down below and let’s create a bank of ideas for establishing more connection and prioritising BEING in our families ❤️
Instagram post 2159528067738238552_3576889275 Can I tell you a secret? 🙊

I hardly set up activities for my children these days, and when I say hardly, I mean I probably set up a quick invitation to create (because that’s my jam!) about once a fortnight 😄

No structured activity with specific learning outcomes or goals here.

No printables.

No fancy or elaborate invitation to play that takes me even 10 minutes to set up.

It’s unstructured self-directed play all day everyday.

That said, I don’t just sit back and do nothing.

Heck no!

I sit back and observe them in play. I listen in on their conversations. I become so attuned to their current interests. I ask them open-ended questions to help them to extend on their play and engage deeper in play.

When it comes to my children’s play, one of the roles that I often take on is that of being like a stage manager, in that I set the stage for amazing play processes to unfold through setting up the environment.

What an amazing privilege and opportunity for us as present parents, to know that we have the ability to impact and enhance their play and consequently their learning just by providing the right tools and materials for play and presenting it in an inviting way.

In this photo for instance, I knew from observations that my children had been showing interest in sorting animals according to their habitats. So all I did here was to add a bowl of mini animal figurines to their playdough play and that led to almost 2 hours of engaged play with so much authentic and meaningful learning that accompanied their play.

What’s your take on unstructured play? Love it? Unsure about how to facilitate it? Not convinced about the value of it? 🤷🏻‍♀️👇🏼
Instagram post 2153512808435141875_3576889275 After my previous post went viral, there were so many comments on the original post and in my DMs that I’m unable to respond to each one. But one comment stood out to me in particular so I’m choosing to respond to it here.
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“This is the kind of thinking typical of individualistic cultures. Self interest and the concept of “rights” generally take precedence over the collective interests of the group. In collectivistic cultures, peace and harmony is more important than personal goals, interests and feelings. So while empathy and the value of sharing may be self-determined in individualistic cultures, they must necessarily be enforced in collectivistic cultures.”
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Firstly I understand where this is coming from. Because I’ve been brought up in a so-called collectivistic culture. I get the need for peace and harmony. But my question is why must it be one or the other?

Taking care of the individual doesn’t have to come at the sacrifice of the group. Making sure each of my children feel respected, seen and heard doesn’t have to come at the cost of peace and harmony in the home. If anything, I believe that enforcing sharing for the sake of peace and harmony leads to underlying resentment amongst my children and that’s just not something I’m willing to have for the sake of surface peace and harmony.

It’s hard to find the balance but it’s not impossible. And it is because we KNOW this balance is possible even in our collectivistic culture that @happytotshelf , @ourlittleplaynest and myself are so passionate about sharing our knowledge in a siblings workshop next month. It’s really not about choosing one over the other!

Registrations close tonight! For more info, check out the link in bio. We hope to see you there :) ❤️
Instagram post 2150784908057189616_3576889275 So this might make some people uncomfortable, but it’s the honest truth. I don’t make my kids share 😱

And yes, this holds true even if one child appears to be hoarding a particular toy (or even a lot of it) for an extended period of time.

Here’s an example of a scenario that often plays out in our home. My 3yo might be deeply engaged in her play and building with what seems like ALL of the magnetic tiles for a long time and along comes her sister throwing a tantrum, demanding and perhaps even snatching some of the pieces. I do not tell my 3yo she needs to share with her sister. I do not tell her she’s been using the toys for a very long time and so it’s now her sister’s turn. I especially do not tell her that as the oldest sibling, she needs to share with her younger siblings.

Because what will that tell/teach them? It tells my 3yo that we don’t respect her play. Instead of empowering her to be kind and considerate, I will be disempowering her to make those acts of kindness of her own accord. It tells my 3yo that younger siblings are more important than her creation and her needs. It teaches my 2yo that tantrums are the way to get what she wants and that there is power in being the younger sibling (I actually think that’s how seeds of sibling rivalry gets sown). It tells them that mummy is more interested in keeping the peace of the house than THEM. The individual them.

Of course I want to raise children who are kind, considerate and have empathy for others. But in my opinion, true empathy comes from the heart and isn’t forced or insisted upon.

So I will model kindness. I will talk about kindness. I will choose great books and read to my children stories with characters who display kindness. I will comment on their kind behaviour and the kind behaviour of others including strangers when I see it in action. I do teach them about sharing.

But nope, I don’t and will not ever MAKE my kids share. Do you agree? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

p.s. If you haven’t already heard, I will be running an in-person siblings workshop in SG in Nov with my fellow teacher mama friends @ourlittleplaynest @happytotshelf. Doors are now open for rego! DM for info 😊
Instagram post 2148666061120437362_3576889275 Navigating sibling conflicts during play is a question that I often get. I don’t have all the answers and a magic strategy that stops all fights. I wish I did.

But this is a very common occurrence, so common & developmentally appropriate that it happens every single day without fail in my household.

Children below the age of 5 are very ego-centric (focused on self) and are still learning to relate to others in a social situation ie turn-taking, sharing, patience etc and the best place to learn all the wonderful skills for social interaction is through play.

Toddlers don't have the ability to rationalise. They don't have the language ability to express themselves and communicate their needs & wants and so what happens is they snatch, scream and cry, even if they are the snatcher haha.

It is not our responsibility as parents to remove the problems, the frustration and all the other negative emotions that surface in the process, rather it’s our job to support them in navigating those problems, frustrations & emotions.

So in instances like these, I’ll be there to SUPPORT them in finding solutions to the conflicts they experience.

One of the ways in which I do that is I'll model the words they can use to communicate their needs & wants. I'll give them the words that they use, literally put words in their mouth.
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"Can you ask ___ if you can have a turn after she’s finished?" "It seems like you're not finished with this toy yet. But ___ has asked for a turn after you're done, do you think you can let her know after you're done?" "I know you really want to have a turn now, but ____ is playing with it now so you will have to wait til she's finished. I know waiting is hard but snatching is not kind. Would you like to play with something else in the meantime?" "Would you like to find another toy and see if ____ would like to swap with you?"
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Press on mamas! These take time but your efforts will eventually bear fruit. Hope this helps!

p.s @ourlittleplaynest @happytotshelf & myself are coming together for the first time with a workshop to share our best tips for supporting multi-aged kids in the home. Link in bio to get on the waitlist 😊 Exclusive bonuses included!
Instagram post 2145746271921823301_3576889275 10 Things I Learnt as a SAHM/ WAHM 
Recently someone asked me to share my best tips and advice about being a SAHM. I shared some of my thoughts in my stories then but I thought I’d immortalize it here in a post.

1) It’s not about you but it is really about you. You can’t pour from an empty cup so always take time to look after your own needs, even if it means breakfast at 1030am.

2) There are always good days and bad days. Be thankful for the good days and don’t take the bad days as a reflection of you as a parent.

3) You can do hard things but you cannot do ALL the hard things.

4) There is no such thing as balancing it all. Some days your children will need more of you. And that’s ok. Some days your business if you are a WAHM will need more of you and that’s ok. Some days you just need to focus on YOU and that’s more than ok.

5) Know that every little unseen and repetitive thing you do for your children is a seed that will reap a harvest in the future.

6) More BEING less DOING.

7) Time is your most precious resource because time is non-renewable. You can’t get it back.

8) There is no shame in asking for and receiving help.

9) Do often what makes YOU happy. This is not the same as point 1. This is not about looking after your needs. This is doing something that lights you up, not for the mom you, but the YOU you. Your interests and your dreams matter. You matter.

10) Being a SAHM is not a season that you need to “hang in there” and “this too shall pass”. It’s hard, it’s challenging, make no doubt about that, but it can and should be abundant life and life to the full.

Cheering you on my fellow mama friends! Tag or share this with a mama friend who needs to hear this today ❤️ #storiesofplay_motherhoodtales
Instagram post 2138560679572358453_3576889275 Creativity vs Independence. Which comes first?

Do you think creative children are more likely to be independent?
Or do you think independent children are more likely to be creative?

I’d love to know your thoughts 👇🏼 but if you ask me, I believe it's BOTH!

Creativity and independence in children go together like peanut butter and jelly and it's almost impossible to tell where one starts and where the other begins.

The more creative children are, the more likely they can play independently as they are able to problem-solve, explore, experiment, figure out new ways of playing and engaging with materials. They are passionate about their ideas and are confident about following through on their interests in varied tangents.

Which leads to more play

And more play leads to the development of more skills like creativity!

Do you see the beauty in this?! It's simply the most wondrous endless cycle of creative and independent play.

Encourage children to be creative and they’ll play more independently. Help them develop their independence and they’ll play more creatively!

And this is why I’m so passionate about raising my kids to be both creative and independent!

And also why I’m GIVING YOU 3 bonuses that will specifically help you to raise creative children if you join me inside of Playful Parent Academy today.

Because it's the PERFECT accompaniment to the material and content I teach inside of PPA.

Because developing creativity in children is honestly a GAME-CHANGER and I believe in it so much!

Doors to PPA close Mon 23 Sep 10.30am AWST! Check out the link in bio to find out more!
#PlayfulParentAcademy
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