Let's PLAY Kitchen

 Before

After

For Christmas my husband constructed a play kitchen for our children!  I mentioned this project in the, "Term Two" post and have been wanting to post our before and after pictures!  This has added a wonderful learning through play activity in our home!

Ideas of how to learn through play using a play kitchen...

1. Sort pretend food into food groups (fruits, bread, meat, goodies, etc.)
2. Name the pretend food
3. Sort pretend food by color
4. Practice using manners, "May I have an apple please? Thank you... Your Welcome."
5. Set a timer to cook food, review the numbers on the timer
6. Practice opposites such as open/close, top/bottom, on/off
7. Use cooking words like stir, measure, mix, or pour
8. Involve sensory play with water by washing the dishes then drying
9. Play dress-up by using a chef's hat or apron
10. Teach your child how to set a table with pretend dishes and silverware
11. Invite other children over to play with the kitchen and teach taking turns/sharing
12. Allow independent uninterrupted play!

Happy Learning through PLAY!

No Need for a Water Table!!

 My toddler (19 months) LOVES water!  With the cold weather moving in our time outdoors is limited.  I miss our time outdoors but that gives us the opportunity to explore more indoor play!

For this activity all you need is a kitchen sink, a chair, some fun things to play in the water with, and lots of patience to deal with a water mess!  My toddler was so engaged in this activity that she spent 30-40 intense play minutes!!  I love when she is engaged (and in ONE spot!!).

We started with filling up a bowl of water with soap (for bubbles) and a large stirring spoon. She loved stirring the water in the bowl and occasionally eating a spoon full of bubbles.  I encouraged her not to eat the bubbles by saying, "Not for your mouth, you're going to have bubbles in your belly!"  She didn't care and ate the bubbles anyway!

After stirring the bubbles wore off I filled up the entire sink and placed items around the sink that she could choose to play with.  These items included bowls, cups, spoons, and forks.  Some of the items were out of her reach.  If she saw something she wanted she would begin to grunt, "un-un."  This is an area we have been working on, using words, instead of a grunt.  When she would grunt for something I would help her by giving her the words to say, such as, "Do you want the cup? Say cup please."  If it was a word in her vocabulary she would say it, if not she would just say please.  So we strategicially put some oral language learning into our play time.

Lastly, I pulled some bath toys out that float.  We talked about the floating animals/items.  We had so much fun, made a mess, and had to change all our clothes, but it was worth it!

This activity is appropriate for many ages.  When I taught kindergarten I used a sand/water table in my classroom.  If you have more then one child at home I would encourage you to pull up two chairs so the children can interact.  This will encourage social interaction/learning, and SHARING!

This activity is done with parental supervision at all times due to a child standing on a chair and the risks that water include.  Please supervise your child while they play (plus its so much fun to see what they do and say....you might just want to join the fun too!)

For more reading about the benefits of a water table please see the informational PDF below!

Benefits of Sand and Water Table PDF

Christmas Window Cling Play & Oral Language

I am always looking for ways to involve my daughter (18 months) in everything we are doing.  We started our Christmas decorating and it was my desire for her to join the fun!  I purchased some Christmas/Nativity window clings ($1), pulled up a small ottoman by the window so she could kneel on it to reach, and I let her place them anywhere she wanted, pull them off and do it again and again!  We also have a door wall in our home that would allow her to play without the assistance of a stool or ottoman.  Either area is a great spot for this activity!

I would suggest that this be done with supervision if you are using it with little ones that might want to taste the pretty plastic pictures.  If this is the case simply allow your child to play, with you watching, until interest is lost then collect all the pieces into a bag for future play. 

Oral Language:

While she is playing we talk about the pictures.  I might say, "There is baby Jesus, can you say baby?" I may also create conversation about what she is doing such as, "I see you putting the sheep on the window.  Good job baby, that looks nice."  I also comment about what she is playing with such as, "I like the bright yellow star on top of the stable.  Point to the star."  As she responds either with words or pretend language I make sure I listen, wait until she is done then, add some more language to the conversation.  

Play:

It is fun to watch her go to the window and choose to play with this activity.  Sometimes I allow her to play without my interaction.  This gives her the opportunity to develop some independent play without mama's help.  When she does this by herself I often hear her say "oh-no" when the window cling won't stick and falls to the floor.  She usually picks the fallen piece up and tries again.  If I see signs of frustration I decide if this is something she can work through or I might suggest to her, "Do you need help?"  I use this phase a lot when I see any frustration that is leading up to a temper tantrum.  I would like to see her develop the skill of asking for help when a task is too difficult or frustrating for her.  If she begins to have a temper,shout, or throw pieces I might say, "baby...say, help mama."  Then I assist her to bring the frustration level down.  

I take such delight in having my daughter explore new things.  This is a great activity that can be changed each season.  As long as you don't mind finger prints and window clings that are not in the perfect place your toddler will have a great learning activity to engage in!  Have fun!!