November 2018 - Stories of Play

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Open Ended Toys

Top 10 Must Have Open-Ended Toys in Our House

Following on from the previous blog post where I talked about the “No 1 toy in our house“, I’m finally putting together a post for

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November 4, 2018 6 Comments

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To tell you the truth... I used to spend nap tim

To tell you the truth...

I used to spend nap times and any free time I had planning, preparing and setting up activities for my child as a first time mum (swipe to see)

Then about 4 years ago, after giving birth to my second, I decided to take maternity leave from doing planned activities and give myself grace to ease into my new role as a mum of 2 under 16 months.

I told myself I would take a break from planned activities for a couple of months and then I’ll go back to it when I was ready

In that couple of months, I decided to stop DOING..

And be more intentional about BEING in the moment…

We lingered over books and conversations during mealtimes, play and everything in between

And whenever I breastfed my infant from the couch, I took the time to REALLY observe and pay attention to what my toddler was doing, the things she was saying and the questions she was asking

That’s when I realised…

Even without me planning for learning, the learning and self-discovery never stops!

Their desire to explore, discover, experiment and to “figure things out” never stops

I just needed to be more attuned to what they were doing
Pay close attention
Not make assumptions
See the value behind what they were engaged in (which I know can be hard)
And if necessary, support them in the moment (swipe to see)

I share with you this story for two big reasons :)

#1 - Children ALL have a desire to learn
Learning just has to be meaningful to them.

#2 - Helping your child play and learn can feel fun and easeful.. for the both of you!

Learning doesn’t have to be pre-planned or happen during a scheduled time.

It doesn’t have to look like you spending all your free time preparing activities to engage them.

O the joy and freedom you can have from having your children engage in play on their own and knowing that their learning can and will happen spontaneously even without you planning and preparing in advance for it 🎉

What do you think?
Do you believe that children’s learning can happen spontaneously even without you planning for it?

#authenticlearning

ARE YOU MAKING THESE MISTAKES WHEN IT COMES TO PLA

ARE YOU MAKING THESE MISTAKES WHEN IT COMES TO PLAY?

1) Overcomplicating play

The way play is often portrayed on social media these days has become ONE MORE THING that we as parents have to do

To entertain our child
To occupy them
To help them learn via fun “learn through play” activities

When in reality...

True play is spontaneous, self-chosen, unstructured and meaningful to the child

2) Undervaluing play

On the other spectrum, parents tell me their kids are always “just playing” and they’re not spending enough time learning their letters and numbers, or they’re behind, or they’re not interested in reading or writing.

It’s common to think that “good” play needs a purpose, and that if it’s not educational, there’s no benefit.

Truth: All play is valuable because play IS learning.

p.s I’ll be sharing more about UNcomplicating play, and showing you the TRUE VALUE of play in a workshop I’m teaching tomorrow hosted by Sam @realmumscry.

Come learn “How to Support Independent Play During Lockdown & Beyond”. Sign up via the link over @realmumscry bio ☺️ Doors close tonight!

WHAT ARE YOUR CHILDREN LEARNING WHEN THEY PLAY?! S

WHAT ARE YOUR CHILDREN LEARNING WHEN THEY PLAY?! Swipe to see and SAVE this so you can refer to it later!

One of the biggest myths about play is there are good and valuable play and then there are “just play”

The problem with this myth is that we tend to attach a positive/ negative or neutral value to different “types” of play.

So we end up thinking play involving beautiful open-ended toys, or play that has a purposeful intention behind it in the form of a DIY “learning through play” activity with a visible learning outcome like sorting or counting is GOOD.

And then those are “just play”?
Not that they are bad, but they just have no value

It’s common to think that “good” play needs a purpose, and that if it’s not educational, there’s no benefit.

Truth: All play is valuable because play IS learning. #MicDrop 🎤

Just because the child may not be specifically learning to read or write letters and numbers from their play does not mean that they are not developing social skills, language, hand eye coordination, fine-motor skills, concentration, perseverance and other skills that will help them to set the foundation for advanced learning and for life in general.

To further understand this concept of the value of all types of play, swipe across to see 3 infographics I’ve created for the members inside of @theauthenticlearningexperience about the different skills that children are developing when they play, in order to prepare them for eventually learning how to read, write and to know their numbers.

Make sure you save this, print it out and stick it up on your wall so you can be reminded of this on challenging days when you think your kids are “just playing” 🙌🏼

#authenticlearning

It was one of those days 🤯 Where even as a pla

It was one of those days 🤯

Where even as a play parenting coach who so clearly knows and teaches hundreds of parents about the value of play and authentic learning, I’m still in awe of all that children are capable of, specifically my 3.5yo and 5yo 🤯

I mean I honestly have no words so I’ll leave the pictures and the last video to tell you the story of all the incredible learning that happened during a spontaneous library dramatic role play

Context: Miss 5 has randomly decided that she wanted to create a pretend library with her sister and roleplay borrowing books

1) Girls creating some library cards and librarian name tags in our art area

2) Setting up and creating the library space invitingly with blankets, cushions, front-facing books, spine-facing books and stacking blocks to create the walls

3) Creating the library open sign with fancy scissors for a beautiful border

4) Writing the library closed sign

5) Picture of their library card, with a self-portrait and name included, brilliantly and creatively stuck onto a magnetic tile

6&7) Pictures of their role play, with magnetic tiles and blocks as a scanning station for borrowing library books

8) Writing a receipt for when they need to return their borrowed books, copying the titles of the books borrowed and writing 27 Feb as the date of return (idea inspired by a homeschooling friend who did this when they recently borrowed some books from said friend)

9) Video snapshot of their role play, sound effects of the book scanning included

Seriously, the thought, the planning, the creativity, the intentionality, the independence, the level of engagement, the literacy, the language, the focus, the concentration, the role development, the social interactions and collaborative effort...

🤯🤯🤯

The richness of their play
The authentic learning

This is the magic of childled play and childled learning at its best and I cannot ask for a better childhood and homeschooling experience for my girls

😭😭😭

p.s Can’t wait to share more about independent play and authentic learning during this Sat’s workshop hosted by @realmumscry. Details in her bio :)

#authenticlearning

What are your must-have open-ended toys Jules? If

What are your must-have open-ended toys Jules?

If only I had a dollar for everytime I got asked this question 😂😅

Well firstly, let me just make it clear that there are no must-have toys when it comes to encouraging open-ended play in your home.

The secret to a home with children who can play creatively and independently is having a parent who recognises the value of play and is invested in encouraging play.

Now having said that, whilst I don’t believe in any must-haves, I do believe in intentionally adding to the toy collection in your home

So that you are only adding toys that will cater for different developmental stages, stimulate creativity and encourage heaps of open-ended play

Instead of getting a bunch of hype toys that might only capture your little one’s interest for a hot minute and do nothing for their development or creativity

Now I know it can be overwhelming when you’re trying to get started with open-ended play and there’s just...

So. Many. Options. Out. There! (am I right??)

So I’ve curated a list here of 9 open-ended toys (and resources because toys aren’t the only option) that I’d consider to be a great starting point

To be completely honest, this could easily be an ending point as anything else you want to add to this list would simply be icing on a cake

If these toys should teach you anything, it’s that learning can be fun and effortless and happen spontaneously in play!

Swipe to check out my 9 and I’d love to know if there are any that aren’t here that are on YOUR list :)

p.s. If you’d like to pick my brain for my other recommendations for open-ended toys and resources, you can grab my free comprehensive resource from the link in my bio :)

***PDA ALERT***🙈🙈🙈 Most days, I’m stil

***PDA ALERT***🙈🙈🙈

Most days, I’m still in disbelief that we are living the life that we have

Parenting 3 kids under 5
Homeschooling
Running a business
Doing life together 24/7

To be completely honest, it is hard

And I truly believe it is more so for him than for me

I’m used to being with the kids 24/7, not him
I’m a trained teacher, not him
I’m used to the noise, the crying, the whining, the fighting and the mess, not him

Our current income is less than half of what his used to be (but it’s a sacrifice we’ve decided to make for this season as we build the business and create our life by design)

And even though we have our own individual roles and make business decisions together, it is a fact that I’m the face of Stories of Play and to people who aren’t privy to the workings of online business, it can seem like he’s joining MY business and coming onboard to assist me #FarFromIt

His ability to think critically and strategically, his level-headedness and attention to detail perfectly complements my ability to connect, to empathize and to dream up big ideas

The truth is, there wouldnt be Stories of Play without him.

I would have thrown in the towel a long time ago and said business is not for me 😂

So whilst we aren’t people who celebrate vday, not in the last 9 years of being together (6 of them married), I’ll never pass up on a chance to honour him publicly and shout from the rooftops about how amazing he is

I mean he settles the kids 90% of the time when they wake up at night

When I’m feeling sad, he buys me ice cream and recently, he brought it to the next level by calling a mama friend to drop her kids at our place so she can take me out and he would watch 5 kids. ALONE! 😭

Thank you for choosing to do life with me
Thank you for choosing to do life with us 24/7 every single day

We love you, honour you and are so so grateful for you ❤️

#MrStoriesofplay

<GIVEAWAY CLOSED! Winner will be announced within

<GIVEAWAY CLOSED! Winner will be announced within 48 hours>🎉 A TWIST ON THE TRADITIONAL DOLLHOUSE GIVEAWAY! 🎉

It’s no secret that I’m a huge advocate for raising creative kids through open-ended play and #authenticlearning.

Recently we had the opportunity to test and review Story Stacks, @heydoodle_ ‘s unique take on the traditional dollhouse and an invitation for children to create their own playscape.

I’m so stoked to say we absolutely love them and would highly recommend them. For the full review, you can check out our story highlights under the Story Stacks tab.

But now, the amazing team @heydoodle_ has kindly offered to give THREE of you a chance to win a set for hours of wonderful creative open-ended play with plenty of opportunities for authentic learning.

To enter:
1) FOLLOW me @storiesofplay and @heydoodle_
2) LIKE this post
3) TAG a friend or two who loves creative and open-ended play, one friend in each comment (You can tag as many friends as you like, each an additional entry).
4) OPTIONAL: For 5 extra entries, repost this image with the hashtag #storiesofplaygiveaway and tag @storiesofplay & @heydoodle_ either on your feed or in insta stories

This giveaway is open to Australian residents only and runs to Tuesday 9 Feb, 11pm AEDT. Winner will be chosen at random and announced within 24hours after giveaway closes

Disclaimer: This competition is in no way endorsed, sponsored or administered by Instagram.

Which of these 3 statements below best describes y

Which of these 3 statements below best describes your thoughts when it comes to your child/ren’s learning?

1) I agree SOME children are capable of directing their own learning, just not mine 🤣

2) I agree ALL children are capable of directing their own learning, including mine, but to a certain extent.

3) I agree children are capable of directing their own learning. Period.

Or maybe you’re a 4th

4) I want to believe that they can direct their own learning. But I just don’t see it Jules!

Well friend, regardless of which statement resonates with you, here’s your Tuesday reminder from me that your child is definitely, absolutely, without-a-doubt MORE THAN CAPABLE of directing their own learning.

And if you need some help to recognise the learning, keep your eyes peeled because planning for my next workshop is in full swing! 😉

Let’s just say it’s got something to do with blocks, and something to do with math 🙊 Swipe to see more :)

#authenticlearning

*EDITED TO ADD* I just discovered I have a spelling error on my graphic. And whilst the perfectionist, linguist and teacher in me is slowly dying, I have decided to leave this post up because you know, perfection is a unicorn 🤣😂🙈 But ughhhh definitely dying 😭😭😭😂

HOW TO GET YOUR CHILD TO PLAY MORE, BUILD MORE, CR

HOW TO GET YOUR CHILD TO PLAY MORE, BUILD MORE, CREATE MORE? (SWIPE! 👉🏼)

If you were after a magic pill, I’m sorry to disappoint you because there is none 🙃

The good news is, there is a tried and tested system, a system that works every single time, and it works no matter which child you apply it to

But you have to be willing to put in the hard yards

And by that I mean you have to understand the law of sowing and reaping

There are 5 lessons regarding this law you should understand

Swipe to read them (SAVE this if you want to come back to revisit it later) and let me know in the comments below which one resonates the most with you :)

#authenticlearning

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