This is a Guest Post: I wanted to officially introduce my dear friend Darla, as our new guest writer! She has been a tremendous source of inspiration, strength and wisdom for me and I am so happy she accepted my invitation to be apart of this blog. Please take a minute to view her bio.
I often feel trapped in a technological world that is lacking in inspiration and sensory stimulation. I can recognize this statement as a gross generalization, but there is some truth in it.
Our bodies are made up of multiple systems. Each system is designed for a specific purpose, yet all are interconnected. It is my understanding that the stimulation of the nerve endings located all over our body (and in large concentration in the fingertips) helps to develop the protective layer for the nervous system. This layer (the myelin sheath) also acts as an energy conductor, allowing the body to send and receive messages all over the body.
So what is my point? A large part of our time is spent in temperature controlled rooms, touching hard, cold surfaces and experiencing things digitally. This does not provide the complete physical and sensory experience that our bodies need. I’m not saying we should burn the technological world and grow a new green tech free world (although green anything is nice) because I would be lost without the internet, my luxurious appliances and the many other things that our generation has come to consider necessities.
I do however, feel a very strong urge to limit my exposure to the “cold” world. I must admit that too much time in front of the computer or cooking and cleaning in the kitchen at a stretch and I notice my anxiety level rising and my patience growing thin. So limiting mine and my children’s time in this world is in part my effort to lead by example and for all of us to benefit from a more sensually stimulating environment.
In their preschool and kindergarten years, our children develop through imitative play. This basically means that they watch and do what we do and this is vital to proper development. As for how to implement these aspects into your day-to-day life, it couldn’t be easier! My solution is to simply allow your child to ‘help’ as much as possible.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind for sensory play:
- Miniature tools that they can easily handle and manipulate are important in avoiding frustration.
- They don’t have to do it properly, and they don’t have to complete the task. They will soon tire of the activity and you can finish up properly when they have moved on to something else.
- This will also give you plenty of opportunity for praise and appreciation. Praise is something all children need a lot of and we must be sure to give it appropriately or the message will be lost.
These are a few of the fun tasks children can “help” you with:
Washing Dishes. Get a stool big enough for your child to reach the sink with and give them a scrub brush. Smaller children may sit on the floor with a wash bin full of soapy warm water and a scrub brush. Keep and old bath towel handy. This can also work very well outside.
Baking. Give your child a 9×13 baking pan, a plastic dish of flour and a plastic dish of water. Let them get messy and be prepared for clean up. Older children can shape their own bread loaves, help pour pancake batter into the pan and things like that.
Sweeping, Watering and Gardening. Be sure you have smaller tools and let them help. Children seem to especially love watering, sweeping, digging and raking. Allow them to help you sweep up and then make a mess of the dirt pile.
Other Ideas. Picking rocks and sticks off the lawn, moving leaves and sorting grass clippings. Sticks can go on the fire pit with the promise of a fire later, or save them for later and break out the paints the way these children did!
The key to any helpful play is that as parents we are armed with patience, a sense of fun and a willingness to deal with the mess later. This is all for the good of our children and truth be told, there’s a lot of good in it for parents as well. Let’s all make the effort to see, smell, feel, taste and hear as much as we can in our day-to-day lives and in our natural world.
What kind of helpful play activities do you find happening in your home? Please share your ideas with us!
These are my thoughts on living a healthy and simple life. I'm a modern mom with some traditional ideas. At home, I try to clear the confusion from all the conflicting health and parenting advice with some common sense and a natural philosophy. This is the sanest way I know how to navigate the 21 century.
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Great post. When I’m in nature I feel much more grounded and connected with the world and sense things more freely. I’m a huge believer in that your environment plays a huge role in the way you feel. Being outdoors always opens my mind and I can think clearer. Remember the day when your teacher taught outside every once awhile to change the atmosphere of the classroom…??? I would love that and learn much more being outside. Environmetal psychology is important. I’m hoping one day to explore this field further and go to My son loves to be outdoors. I try to encourage as much unplugged time as possible. We try not to watch t.v. and instead play classical music, nature tones, children’s CD’s…etc. It’s hard to get away from all the stimulus but it’s very much needed to open the mind and allow for new things to enter. We hope our little guy remains to outdoorsy type.
Leslie- La Mama Naturale’s last blog post..Natural Care- Teething