I'll start with my favourite play schema - transporting. In a busy nursery setting this was the one I dreaded. Transporters like to gather up objects and take them elsewhere, so when a piece of jigsaw is suddenly missing, or another child's shoe (just one!), the transporter may need to be questioned, not that they'll remember because they will have been busy transporting things all morning, quietly creating mayhem. Sometimes they have impressive abilities to hold several unrelated objects in their hands. Their pockets bulge with their stash of bits and bobs. Often the object is of little importance although later on it can have symbolic meaning e.g. a wooden brick may be a loaf of bread (preferably in a...
We have a new baby arriving this autumn so this is a topical subject in our house. Here are a few ideas to help an older child to be able to adjust to a new sibling
Consider the timing of when you tell them about the baby. For younger children 9 months is an incredibly long time to wait etc
New baby books - age and stage appropriate
Play more with dolls, premmie nappies, discuss
Meet some babies etc
Plan nursery together
Emphasise big brother sister importance
Prepare box of little activities
When we were on holiday recently I finally felt like I had a bit of a chance to relax finally. With a 3 and a half year old and 19 monther and a third due in October this is rare. By the end of the holiday I felt a little like my old pre-child self which was fabulous and a feeling I thought I'd probably lost forever. One of the main things I found restful about being on holiday was how little stuff the kids had, and therefore how little tidying I ended up doing. The weird thing was that if anything, the children played better on holiday that at home. And they played together a lot more. Having fewer toys...
