Teaching to Play?

**countrymom** · 09-05-2013, 07:25 AM

because adults play with kids and kids expect to be entertained. My 5 yr old neice came last week for a visit. She wouldn't leave my ydd (she's 9) alone. She wanted ydd to play nonstop. And when ydd went and sat on the couch for quiet time, niece threw a fit and kept pestering her till I told her to stop. then she started in on her mother, so her mother had to go and play with her.

I would take the cars away and wouldn't let them play with them.

**Blackcat31** · 09-05-2013, 07:40 AM

Originally posted by daycarediva

The new school year has started, I lost 2 to kindy and replaced them both (which is miraculous in this area at the time).

But.... one is an advanced 2.5, the other is an on track 3 but they DO NOT know how to PLAY. They literally just crash cars during indoor free play, and outside free play is spent attempting to crash ride on cars.

They don't even attempt to join in the elaborate imaginative play that my other kids do.

As we speak my dcg's are playing queen and king and dcb's are playing farm and these two are staring at them and sitting on ride on cars since I keep stopping the 'crashing'.

What is with kids today and lack of imagination?

Any advice?

Buddy up! I take ALL new kids and assign them a "buddy". During the day I try to role model expected behavior as well as give lots of verbal reminders but I also have the older "buddy" be a companion to the newbie for the first two weeks, showing them the ropes, telling them what is and isn't ok and generally just being a pint sized role model to them. I think kids take much better cues from their peers than they do from adults.

I do NOT allow kids to crash anything here. It's destructive and dangerous. If they get "caught" doing it, they are not allowed to play with those toys for the rest of the day. Rinse and repeat until they "get it".

**cheerfuldom** · 09-05-2013, 09:09 AM

I would take away the ride on cars until they find something else to do. Even sitting and watching the other kids is going to be more productive than what they are doing now.

**daycarediva** · 09-05-2013, 09:31 AM

I tried to buddy them! ACK! They are SWEET boys, both coming from centers and man oh man! My 'best' dck told me "I quit being buddys wif him because HE DOESN"T PLAY!" She kept asking him to play, "Would you like to be this guy? that guy? Do that? play this?" and he kept shaking his head. Other kid refused to stick by his buddy so I let the buddy off the hook because he was just following him around watching him wheel cars around.

I did take away the cars after a warning. I don't allow crashing either. After removing the ride on toys, they just SAT and watched. After removing cars from inside they at least attempted to play with trains.

I have my work cut out for me.

I think it comes down to them being in a VERY structured environment. Dcm gave me a copy of one of their former schedules. They get Z E R O free choice time, so I don't think they know WHAT to do with time, choices, themselves! The first question dcb1 asked me after circle time was "What do you want me to play with?" um, whaaaaaaaa? I asked him "What do YOU want to play with?" and he said "I DON'T KNOW!" eeek!

Giving it time, since we are mostly play based with a loose schedule and it's very child led. They did get interested in plastic rain gutters, but only observed.

This is day 3, I am off tomorrow so I will have to think of super fun things to do to engage them next week.

**Familycare71** · 09-05-2013, 09:46 AM

That's why I personally won't work in a center... It has to be so structured because of the number of kids and space. They will get it- let them sit and watch- they are learning. I would occasionally prompt them but mostly let them soak it in- and it sounds like you have great kids so it shouldn't take long

Teaching to Play?

Teaching to Play?

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