Surprise! My favorite of all the emotions this week!!

Favorite photo of the week goes to this crew right here!  "Surprise" day has been my absolute favorite of all the emotions we have studied, and by the looks on these little faces, it's theirs too!

I love this image from Mother Goose Time! They incorporate children of all abilities and cultures in their displays. It creates wonderful opportunities for conversations!

Surprise!

Surprise!

Our sweet Creative Arts Surprise faces supplies by Mother Goose Time!

Each child choose for themselves what emotion to give their face.

My favorite was the "disgusted" clown! HA!!!

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The Emotions Game!

Sounds like a sitcom...I know!  But this cute little game was PERFECT fit for our Emotions, Feelings, and Friends Study.  It is a simple little turn based game from Mother Goose Time that we quickly learned to play.  Each side of the cube had a cute little face displaying an emotion; from bored, to surprised, to happy, to sad...they were covered.  My little preschoolers took turns rolling the cube and acting out the emotion.  They rolled and rolled, excited to try the next feeling on for size! My favorite part about this game was that it was easy for all my children to play it.  Even my little 18 month old got into the play!  (unfortunately I didn't get a pic of him!) 

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When it looks like all we do is play....

"Play offers more than cherished memories of growing up, it allows children to develop creativity and imagination while developing physical, cognitive, and emotional strengths. A previous manuscript described the benefits of play in fuller detail.7

Play enhances physical health by building active, healthy bodies. Physical activity beginning in early childhood prevents obesity.13 In fact, play may be an exceptional way to increase physical activity levels in children and, therefore, may be included as an important strategy in addressing the obesity epidemic.14,15

Play contributes to healthy brain development.16–18 Children engage and interact with the world around them through play from a very early age. Even in the academic environment, play helps children adjust to the school setting, thereby fostering school engagement, and enhances children’s learning readiness, learning behaviors, and problem-solving skills.19–31 In addition, play and recess may increase children’s capacity to store new information, as their cognitive capacity is enhanced when they are offered a drastic change in activity.19,20

Play is essential to developing social and emotional ties. First, play helps to build bonds within the family. Children’s healthy development is mediated by appropriate nurturing relationships with consistent caregivers.16 Play allows for a different quality of interaction between parent* and child, one that allows parents to “listen” in a very different, but productive, way. When parents observe their children playing or join them in child-driven play, they can view the world through their child’s eyes and, therefore, may learn to communicate or offer guidance more effectively. Less-verbal children may be able to express themselves, including their frustrations, through play, allowing their parents an opportunity to better understand their needs. Above all, the intensive engagement and relaxed interactions that occur while playing tell children that their parents are fully paying attention to them and, thereby, contribute to a strong connection.17,32,33 Play also helps forge connections between children. It allows them to learn how to share, to negotiate and resolve conflicts, and to learn self-advocacy skills when necessary.34,35 It teaches them leadership as well as group skills that may be useful in adult life. "

Guess who wrote the above.....(hint...not a preschool teacher)  It was a group of physicians writing for "Pediatrics" The Official Journal For The American Association For Pediatrics.  

Play is a powerful force in the lives of young children

So, as always, I wish you well and I hope you get to play today.

-L