Out at the shopping centre, I discovered I didn’t have any toys in the nappy bag for my daughter. I normally bring one or two, for her enjoyment and to keep her hands busy. But this particularly day I’d left in a bit of a hurry, and only had the basics with me. Was it time to panic and dash through the shops before she had time to get too upset, or time to run into the nearest store and buy a new toy, or maybe even forget the shopping all together and come back out the next day… Not at all!
It is true that children need to play, and toys help children become in tune with the world around them, but once I’d had another look in my nappy bag, I knew I had plenty of things for bub to play with. Children and babies can be encouraged to have access to everyday objects and materials to play with. They also have their own bodies, and they have their carers to provide interaction. This means with a few simple items babies and children can display how they are becoming competent learners.
When a child plays with everyday objects they not only get to explore what things are, but what things do, and as they get older, into what things can become. In my nappy bag I found the following things; a water bottle, a face washer, and a metal spoon. Disappointed with the lack of variety I gave this collection of bits and pieces to my baby in her pram. Let me tell you, she had so much fun with those three little items!
At first she did the usual, biting on the washcloth, sucking on the lidded edge of the bottle and putting the spoon in her mouth and turning it over in her hands. It was after this however that she started to explore what these simple objects could do. First she picked up the spoon and started banging it against the side of her pram, bang bang bang. Enjoying the sound the spoon made she banged it against different areas of the pram producing different noises. She noticed that when she hit the spoon against fabric, such as the washcloth it didn’t make a sound, and from this information was able to make sense of this, and throw down the washcloth, choosing instead to continue her game with the spoon and sides of the pram.
At lunch we sat and as I normally allow her to do when we eat out, she sat in the middle of the table between my husband and me. It was going to be a bit of time before our food would be brought out, and so she then played some more. She is learning at the moment about object permanence, where an object doesn’t disappear just because she can no longer see it, so we used the washcloth to play her ‘latest game’. Think of it as a ‘peak-a-boo’ of toys she finds amusing. “Where is the…” as it is hidden under the washer.
She had so much fun on this shopping trip, and learned a lot about her world. It also reminded me that play doesn’t need to be expensive, or the latest and greatest gadgets, in order to be beneficial for bub. This was something I thought I had always known, and perhaps had, but had put aside somewhere between bright colours, loud noises, and ‘easy babysitters’.
Communities for Children encourage authentic learning with everyday objects with programs such as ‘treasure baskets’ and ‘heuristic play’. These programs are offered at most of the playgroups supported by C4C. You can find out more about treasure baskets, heuristic play, and other authentic methods of play by contacting communities for children, following the links on our website.
What every day objects do your children like to play with? Comment below so we can share in your stories.
The theory based content of this article can be traced back to the Foundations For Families framework used for 0-3's. "A competent learner" is one of the components, and some of its relevent aspects utilised in this framework. Please ask Communities for Children for more information on the Foundations for Families program.
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