Search results matching tag 'leeanne a'

Your son plays with dolls!

Anonymous — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 02:37:00 GMT

Boys play with dolls - some prefer to play with the dolls over trucks and dinosaurs – and that’s OK! In my opinion it makes boys more nurturing – gentler and compassionate towards others. They seem to have a better empathy for others, and they tend to be less aggressive during play. This does NOT mean they will be more feminine, nor have a different sexual preference when they reach maturity.

I understand that some may have a strong opinion against boys playing with dolls, however I see the developmental aspects of doll play, that transfer into everyday skill building. It’s not just the social / emotional facet of doll play that is a positive influence; it’s the practical life skills that are attained. Think about dressing skills. There is a lot of fine motor development in dressing and undressing dolls. There is a lot of role playing and dramatic play that goes with doll play. This takes a lot of cognitive ability to set the stage for pretending to be a Daddy. Speech and language skills are acquired and honed in. Dolls can be used to assist in expressing feelings. A sense of responsibility can also be reinforced through doll play. This is just a sampling of the positive facet doll play offers.

Doll play is a realistic way to introduce the world in an empirical manner, to any child who is at a perceptive developmental stage. Young children – especially toddlers are like sponges and want to acquire knowledge of all things – dolls are a part of that. So whether the child playing with the doll is male or female should not be significant.

Leeanne A

PLAY respected!

Anonymous — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 04:00:00 GMT

I think we can all agree that play is the fundamental way in which children learn. We have heard the quote, “Play is the true work of childhood.” Children will thrive intellectually, physically, and socially through play. Simultaneously, communication skills are enhanced through play. During play children will explore, experiment, develop friendships and share on many different levels. So play is definitely the quintessential element in early childhood development.

So where should that play take place? Some advocate mainly outdoor play – while others may suggest both outdoor and indoor play in balance is essential for the children in our charge. It is my belief that neither is right nor wrong, but simply a preference. I am sure there are many strong opinions on this, which opens a can of worms; however I believe we all have the same goals in mind – the positive, forward development of the child.

So respecting the differences in how play is implemented should be recognized.

Some questions that need answering when providing a quality childcare program may be:

What is your preferred manner of implementing your program to ensure play takes place?

What if you had no choice in the matter; how would you ensure play takes place?

What portion of your program is dedicated to play?

It can be said that play is innate; however there are those children that need a little encouragement to venture forth. So it is our job to provide the tools to ensure play takes place. This means we have to be astute in laying out the path to affirmative play. I recognize that the majority of Early Childhood Educators are very creative and have their finger on the pulse of what children want and require for developing during play. Some of us do this through music and drama, some through outdoor exploration, some through art and creative activities….. The list goes on, due to the fact that we are all essentially unique in who we are, where we live and the experiences we have had. There is no right and wrong when it comes down to the fact that children are indeed playing. They are indeed thriving and developing into the fully evolved little people we want them to be. The children are flourishing, happy and show us that what we are doing for them is fostering growth.

So why speak of play and how we implement play? Well it goes back to the fact that we know play is essential – play is implemented in many different ways. As long as we are providing an outlet for play and play is taking place on a daily basis – we respect the manner of how play is implemented, our children will benefit.

How to Tame a Toddler!

Anonymous — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 09:30:00 GMT

Who am I?

Leeanne A

I often get asked how I can deal with a room full of toddlers all day, and my response is, “With LOVE”!
I really enjoy toddlers – when they come to me they are still babies, some still on formula and in fact last year I had a little 16 month old boy who couldn’t even walk! Within a two week period I had him walking and interacting with the other children with great vigor. We are now ‘buddies’!

Success in the toddler room comes with a lot of hugs, sweat and tears, both theirs and mine! However we all pull through. J When the toddlers leave me they are little students ready to take on the world. That makes me very happy and proud!

Sometimes toddlers are extremely challenging, after all they are at the “it’s all about me stage of life”. Each child is vying for my attention for the entire time they are with me. I have learned to bounce four toddlers on my knee at one time. I can play cars with seven tots, all shooting cars down a ramp at me simultaneously. I can also put multiple toddlers to sleep at the same time; I have learned to rub backs with my feet (kidding – maybe – LOL).

All kidding aside there are little tricks to the trade when dividing my undivided attention with 15 toddlers at the same time. First on a rainy day I can whip up a mean batch of play dough and provide a multitude of tools to manipulate this squishy, much loved concoction. [Editor's note: click here for a play-dough recipe.] This keeps at least 10 of them occupied while I colour with the remainder of ‘friends’. Funny thing is though when they are finished colouring, I am still sitting at the table completing my work of art.

Second, I have learned to provide a room full of very interesting activities, which get rotated and added to on a regular basis. There is no such thing as getting bored in my classroom. Garage sales are my friend! I can get inexpensive resources to ensure there are objects to explore, that have not been explored before. If I can’t find any I create my own. Topping that, I network with other Early Childhood Educators who not only inspire me, but they ensure that I am on my best game.

Alongside these points you have to ‘believe’ in the fact that at the toddler stage of life, their brains are like sponges, and toddlers must be given credit for being far more intelligent and capable than people give them.

That is all well and good but, what about the times when I have some behavioural issues in the classroom? Well I have developed a manner of selecting when the ‘quiet voice’ is used and when the ‘serious voice’ is used. How does that work? Let’s just say you get more bees with honey than you do with vinegar. However I do admit the ‘grumpy voice’ has reared its ugly head from time to time. Hey I’m human! I have also realized that I will NEVER get Botox – facial expressions in a toddler room are gold! *smirk* :/

I could babble on with some other ‘stuff’ or jargon, but will it make sense to anyone but me? I don’t want to bore you!

So what does all this come down to? What am I saying here? Well nothing really! LOL

I just resort back to my first point – LOVE! Just love them! If you truly love the children – love your job and love the experiences you have each and every day – you will be a toddler expert.

What does any child need? LOVE! They need to feel secure – they need to know they are cared for and that they have meaning in your life! The children light up my day – I feel joy when I see them come into the classroom. We have a connection. We ‘get each other’.