Posts tagged learn through play
Build in Time for Play with Alanna Gallo

Alanna: So, I am the founder of a brand called play, learn, and thrive. Well, I’m still a teacher so I’m a public school teacher I’ve been teaching for about 10 years and after I became a mom I sort of saw the issues that I was seeing in public school and realized that I wanted to do something about it. And so, I founded this brand this company to help educate parents and just to give them permission to step back and let their kids play, not push early academics and just kind of allow kids to really have a childhood.

Xo Playtime

Yay, we just finished another play podcast because I love learning through play. A quick reminder that you can join anytime our XO playtime membership where you can access all of my XO playtime learning plans. Each plan is centered around a theme and includes creative arts, reading, and writing, math and engineering, science sensory, dramatic play, social studies which is code for field trips and gross motor play along with some supplemental activities at the end some book ideas and some super fun engaging interactive learning through play activities to create your little problem solvers and engineers.

Go to XOLaurenPace.com/XOplaytime for more information or click the link in my show notes.

Find Alanna here

@playlearnthrivekids (FB, Insta, Pinterest, Twitter)

https://playlearnthrive.com

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Learn Through Play | How Kids Learn Series

Today we're going to jump in with an episode on, ‘how children learn and what we should value in our children's education’.

ACADEMIC VS. INTELLECTUAL GOALS

So, we're going to talk about two different types of learning and specifically, I’m talking about for under kindergarten age level right now, but this will apply for all age levels. So, there are two different goals in learning that I want to talk to you about. The first is academic and the second is intellectual.

  • So, academic goals focus on the mastery of facts. So, memorizing the alphabet, practicing drills, worksheets, and other kinds of exercises that prepare children for the next level of numeracy and learning. So, in older grades, this would be you know, the things that we have to know the facts for to memorize for a test history information that kind of stuff.

  • Okay intellectual goals, emphasize reasoning, hypothesizing, posing questions, predicting answers to questions, developing and analyzing ideas, and then trying to understand something.

So, we need both goals when it comes to learning. However, much of the early curriculum in non-accredited programs focus on the academic goals before the intellectual goals. Academic learning will happen without a doubt in kindergarten first grade and second grade, but research argues that preschoolers and toddlers actually will do better academically if they have the executive functioning skills which include self-regulation, organizing and planning, and flexible thinking before those academic goals come.

XO PLAYTIME

check out xo playtime here: xolaurenpace.com/xoplaytime

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Reframe Behavior

I presented this graphic at the beginning of the parenting challenge on my instagram

 

Do you notice anything change with your relationship, or with your child's behavior when you are more purposeful in your toys, play and time together?

Behavior is a fascinating topic to study.

We usually look at behavior to notice WHAT is happening.

Are they hitting? Talking back? Fighting with siblings? Tattle-telling? Whining? Refusing to play independently?

When really the WHAT is just the tip of the iceberg.

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Make ROUTINES into PLAY

I also like to give him FULL ACCESS to all my safe cleaning supplies. Today I shared some “clean“ cleaning recipes above, but mostly I use a spray bottle of water and Norwex Microfiber clothes. I have a kids set that includes on for windows/mirrors, one for dusting and one for all surfaces. It hangs on his art shelf downstairs right next to his mop and broom from Melissa and Doug.

This boy clears his spot every night after dinner. Wipes his table and chair and then continues to empty the bottle by spraying and cleaning the cupboards, floor and dogs.

I love including him in the routines because even if I didn’t have the change to build a castle with him, I spent the day involving him and sharing my world with him.

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Rethink Your Toys

Not all stuffed animals are made the same. Some kids have a collection of stuffed animals. And I want to talk to you about what I look for in a good stuffed animal… and how they can be used for many different types of place.

  1. Stuffed animals are GREAT comfort items. Neither of my kids have attached to a stuffed animal, but when I was a teacher many children would have a stuffed animal that gave them consistency, comfort and a feeling over safety as they laid down for nap or left their parents to come to school. If a stuffed animal is serving your child in this way… it is something to celebrate, not condone. They are using this animal to be BRAVE with change and discomfort. This is a healthy way they are choosing to regulate. If they get older and are sucking on this animal or bringing it everywhere and you’re concerned about hygiene…. make a carrier or a bed. And have them place the animal in site, but not always in their arms.

  2. Buy stuffed animals that can be machine washed!

  3. If you have a collection of stuffed animals, you can use them in a toy rotation. Pull them out to be a zoo with blocks for a fence. Pull them out to be a pet shop, use cardboard boxes to make kennels. Use them with dramatic play.

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