Playful Learning

I have often heard (and been known to utter myself) how hard it is to teach a child something at home. My daughter would often ignore my pleas to do her ABC's while happily doing all the activities at school. Playful Learning by Mariah Bruehl is a book that is full of ideas and activities to promote reading, writing, math, science and social skills for children 4-8 years of age. Mariah Bruehl has worked in education for over a decade. She has taught in a classroom, trained teachers and implemented programs across grade levels. You can read more about her experiences and her advice at http://playfullearning.net/blog/. Playful Learning has been enormously helpful to our family interaction as we help our daughter learn and grow.

While children have an inherent drive to make sense of their reality, parents have a unique opportunity to harness their children’s curiosity and channel it into a love of learning.

Playful learning is the magic that takes place when we meld a child’s sense of joy and wonder with thoughtfully planned learning experiences. Through easy-to-implement, hands-on projects you can engage your child in fun and creative ways that encourage learning and impart the joy of discovery. With a little bit of information and forethought, you can play a pivotal role in the cognitive and creative development of your child

we started with the activity of my daughter making a "Map of the Heart." She got to draw then paint whatever was in her heart. Because she is so young, she may not be able to express herself with written words in a journal quite yet, but this painting was her way of showing how she feels and what she loves. I was delighted by what she came up with. Her abstract depictions of her beloved doll, her grandmother, father, cousin and myself were heartwarming. Playful Learning also gives you tips on what kinds of books you can use to develop understanding of language, writing and math skills. I have purchased many of these titles and watched the delight and fun we share as we learn. One of my other favorite suggestions from Playful Learning is the Alphabet Search. My daughter is on the cusp of reading and I hand her a random letter of the alphabet and she searches around our house for an object that begins with that word. We sincerely look forward to adding more of Playful Learning into our home. I have seen how immediate the response was to this lovely way of making learning fun and inspiring wonder in my child.