Childhood101

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We Play: Because That’s What Kids (Should) Do

I have written before about how young children often have a strong preference for one type of play.  And Immy definitely loves her imaginative play!  So although this post is about how we have been enjoying our puzzles, I couldn’t help sharing how amused I was to see Immy pull out ‘Old MacDonald’ and incorporate her into the puzzle play.  As she completed each animal, Old MacDonald would ask the animal questions and talk to them, “Would you like some water, horse?” “Look chick, you must peck, peck the ground.”  It’s these little moments which make me smile 🙂

Do you have a child who definitely shows a preference for one type of play?

What have you been playing this week?



Join us at We Play to build a playful community. This post will tell you more about We Play if it is  your first time playing.  Remember to say hi and leave a comment for the great bloggers linked up this week.

Christie Burnett is an early childhood teacher, presenter, writer and the editor of Childhood 101. More importantly, she is a Mum who believes wholeheartedly in the value of children learning through play, the importance of quality early education, and the togetherness of family.

Read the comments or scroll down to add your own:

  1. Marita says

    My girls both enjoy their imaginary play too :) I so love it when a moment happens like Immy bringing Old McDonald into her puzzle play, brings such a smile and joy. We've been doing a little learning related play - all driven by Annie.

  2. Catherine says

    My eldest son loves constructive play. He was slow/late to get into imaginative play and even now his imaginative play is mostly constructing an elaborate scenario or rules. It makes it hard for me to play along sometimes because I can't remember all the rules.

  3. Kate says

    Hee hee, I had to laugh along with you Catherine. I think my little man is going to be exactly the same. He is only just starting to imagine (he's 22months) but mostly he loves cause and effect. Do something and see what happens.

  4. Candace @Naturally Educational says

    Very true! My daughter has always show a strong interest in artistic play & puzzles. My son loves social games (he wants to bake you "choco chip cookies" or "choco chip pancakes" in his kitchen or play dinosaurs or anything that involves someone else).

  5. Stacy of KSW says

    Whole heartedly agree! My oldest loves to build, create & invent. My middle child loves imaginary play & quiet activities like puzzles or putting her animals to bed. My youngest is still developing his taste but for now he's into books, blocks & balls. Typial 20 month old :)

  6. Rachelle says

    My 2.5 year old loves imaginative play too, and she's well-practiced at applying her imagination to anything "real world" like cooking, cleaning, helping, posting letters, etc. And, related to my attached post, I've been getting A LOT of mileage out of sensory experiences that I set up in a huge tub: playing with rice, beans, jello, cornstarch, water, mud, etc. ps. i accidentally titled my link with my name, rather than the site name. oh well :) i look forward to checking out the other blogs!

  8. Alice says

    Hi there. Thanks for today's blog post. I just wanted to ask where the puzzles in the photo come from. I find it difficult to find good puzzles for the 2-3 year age range. Most are pitched above or below and the ones photograph look to fit the bill.

  10. keepcatebusy (Cate) says

    My older two have always been obsessively into dressups. We have two of those really big plastic box thingys with wheels filled with my old dresses, hats, handbags, broken mobile phones and of course fairy wings and wands. And of course it's rubbing off on my little one - whose word for dress is actually 'pretty' (which I think is so sweet!!) xxxCate

  12. Natalie says

    How interesting. My daughter is a hunter/gatherer and a builder. Her pretend play is often about packing for the trip, hunting, and she also loves building with Lego and Magna Tiles.

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