There is something magical about 3 year old imaginations… They are alive, fresh and new! I remember clearly delighting in each of my children’s imaginations during this year and Treyton is no different.
We are steamrolling through the summer with some of our more ‘formal schooling’ for Xander and Keegan has just started his kindergarten math 2 weeks ago in preparation for our month or so of ‘unschooling’ after the baby arrives early this fall. Of course, this leaves Trey definitely wanting some mommy time too. His preferred way to get this is through, “Mommy, come play with me.”
So I’m entering the world of 3 year old imagination once again and savoring the moments of shared play with my little guy! And I’m reminded how essential play is to a child’s development. According to the American Acadamy of Pediatrics, “Play is essential to development because it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and youth…” In other words, play is foundational when wanting to raise our children in a holistic way that promotes growth in every aspect of their lives.
While I always try to incorporate play into all of our learning (kids just learn better that way), there is something very special and necessary about child-led, open-ended play. It is to be highly valued and encouraged!
This recent time of play with my youngest son reminded me of all of the articles and resources I had collected in my Cultivating Play page at the top of this page. If you haven’t had a chance to peruse those articles, research and resources, I would encourage you to check it out!
Have fun just playing with your children this summer!
Love the quote about play!
My girls have a bunch of these figures and they are their favorites to play with at the moment. They call them “Wooden People” (because they don’t move) even though the girls realize they’re made of plastic!
Looks like lots of fun and learning are taking place!
Free play is SUCH an important part of childhood.
Adults need it too! Or at least I do : )
Fondly,
pink and green mama
MaryLea
What a beautiful, cultivated environment for your little daughter to enter, Heather!
Ohhh…I love that quote by Plato! Writing it down as we speak!
This has nothing to do with the subject of this post, but your pictures are always so beautiful!
You said “there is something magical about a 3 year old’s imagination.” I think that’s true about any age kid. Today the kids were pretending to be horses. They were making pillows be saddles and trying to figure out a way to make stirrups and a bridle. I love the power of an imagination!
You are correct. Childhood imagination in general is very magical. I’m just cracking up as I imagine your kids playing ‘horses’. Talk about developing some serious problem solving skills… My mind is busy at work trying to think of what they could have used for stirrups and a bridle. 🙂
I think what is so special about the 3 year olds imagination is that this is the age when they really start to go crazy with it and it is so new. It is probably the newness of it that delights me so much.