When kids play, theyโre not just pretending. Theyโre learning.
The toys and tools we give them help inspire that โ whether itโs markers and crayons, building blocks, dolls or kitchen play sets.
โThings like a set of dollhouse people has them creating different scenarios,โ said Autumn Ruhe, owner of Mildred and Dildred toy store. โThey start learning about problem solving. Theyโre working on relationships between people, acting out things they see in real life and making sense of the world through play. When kids are playing, theyโre always learning.โ
Providing children with the proper tools is one sure way to keep kids playing creatively, says Retha Davis who owns The Kidโs Center with her husband Jim.
โMy philosophy is to keep feeding them different things to explore and be creative with and not sit in front of DVD movies and electronic keyboards,โ Davis said. โThey can learn some things in front of electronic keyboards, but to explore the real world around us they need to interact with the world.โ
For parents looking for more ways to encourage creative play, Ruhe and Davis shared three tips:
1. Get basic, open-ended toys that can be used in different ways.
โI think the really important thing is keeping things open ended so kids can ask their own questions and answer those questions,โ Ruhe said. She recommends toys that donโt have specific instructions โwhere (kids) can infuse their own imaginations into it.โ
Davis recommends basic building blocks, art supplies or basic Legos, rather than the sets with a specific design.
โMake sure they are age appropriate and allow them to take the next step in discovering what they want to create,โ Davis said. โAs parents, reinforcing that it doesnโt matter what they build. But, if a child says itโs a house, itโs a house, even though it may not look like a house to you.โ
2. Play with your children
โI always say โitโs not just for kids,โ โ Davis said. โWe find customers coming in and they want blocks for their child so they donโt have to worry about them for an hour. But thatโs not how it works. If you buy blocks, get on the floor with your child and play with the blocks. Thatโs how they explore and really learn about being creative.โ
3. Let them lead
While playing with the kids, let them do the playing and donโt direct them, Ruhe suggests.
โStay back and maybe ask questions about what theyโre doing,โ Ruhe said. โA lot of times itโs easier to say โlet me do this real quick,โ but sometimes they have a totally different way of what they think...Itโs cool to see what they come up with and see what their interpretations of things are.โ
Watching them play at their own pace gives you a peek inside of their head and into their world and what theyโre thinking, Ruhe added.
