Using real items in play

Children are amazing capable human beings. With love, respect, reverence and trust they will astound you every day with their care, intellect and ability to soak in the world around them.

I totally believe as a parent that we should allow children all the time they need to develop and take in this world, they need the freedom of play, and the freedom to imitate and learn with real objects.

In the play kitchen I have wooden play food, pots and pans. We also have a real tea pot, real jars where nature’s treasures become the ‘play food’, herbs to water, smell and use when cooking. The little one imitates mummy so it’s common sense she needs all the things what I have.

We use real plates and real cups to drink from, and it sometimes amazes people how gentle, careful and considerate she is with all these real objects. Yes we have had spillages and she has dropped things but these are not mistakes they are experiences and all part of learning processes she needs for fine motor development, gross motor development hand eye coordination etc. See how gentle she is here with the glass jar of conkers...bending her knees as she rests it down. Picking the leaves off the plant rather than pulling the whole thing.

Allow children the space and trust in their ability and they are able to really flourish!

K x

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