Great Pretenders recently asked if I could write a guest post for their blog. I hadn’t come across them before but I was blown away by the wonderful play costumes that they create. So of course I said yes . Why Schools Need to Embrace Pretend Play? talks about my experience about a lack of pretend play in schools and why I think it is important that schools embrace it.
Most Pre-school teachers in the UK are experienced at teaching children aged 3-5. It is rare however, that graduates or teachers with Qualified Teacher Status are appointed to teach children of 2 or under. This may be set to change, as children from disadvantaged backgrounds are offered government-funded early education. There is lively debate as to the ‘best’ type of setting for these children but evidence shows that the quality of the setting is the most important factor. Graduate and teacher led settings have been shown to be the most effective at closing the achievement gap (Matters et al 2014).
‘Early Education’ have published an excellent briefing for school leaders considering offering provision to 2-year-olds. It also offers valuable advice to anyone considering teaching 2-year-olds. In the search for graduate teachers for this age group, it is possible that experienced and well qualified teachers will be asked to take on a new role of leading this provision. This may be daunting. It certainly was for me the first time I encountered this age group.
When I began working in a mixed age nursery environment for 2-5 year olds, I was used to teaching children who could sit on a carpet in a large group and listen, who could draw representational figures, talk and share ideas, were toilet trained and who played for the most part, cooperatively with their peers. Planning for the 2-year-olds terrified me at first but I soon learned that creating an environment in which they could freely explore and move around was the most important consideration.
Our mixed age setting was split into 3 rooms. Sometimes the 2-year-olds were in their own group (and always at small group time) but for a large chunk of time, they were mixed with 3 and 4-year-olds. Teaching in a mixed age setting comes with its own challenges.
Common Concerns About Teaching in Mixed Age Settings
If you are a parent of more than one child, begin by thinking about how you manage the challenges below at home. In a mixed age family unit, compromises have to be made but the youngest children’s experiences are enriched by the older siblings and the older children learn to nurture, guide and understand different needs.
How do you find activities that are appropriate for 2 year olds but also challenging enough for the older children?
Choose activities that are open-ended. Building blocks, small world play, painting, drawing, clay, water, sand and other sensory activities, imaginative play and recycled materials are perfect for all ages. Make sure there are times during the day when children are in a smaller group with same age peers. Build an engaging outdoor learning environment and allow the children to move freely between indoor and outdoors.
How can you ensure safety without denying the older children valuable experiences?
Tools can be kept out of reach of toddlers inquisitive hands but in a place where older children can reach or ask an adult to get it. It is important to me that my children have ready access to mark making materials but when my youngest was at the drawing on walls stage, these were pushed back on the shelf where she could not reach but her sisters could.
If younger children want to use scissors, clay tools or small loose parts don’t deny them the opportunity; simply ensure an adult is sat with them to support them. Keep the materials to one area which has adult supervision.
How do you stop the younger ones spoiling older children’s games by knocking down things they have built or taking toys they are playing with?
Learning to negotiate with younger children is important, learning that children of different ages have different needs and they do not mean to spoil things for the older children. Encourage older children to play at building and knocking things down with the younger children and allow the older children to place their completed models out of the younger children’s reach. Have special places for ongoing projects and ensure that there is some time with their own age group. Projects requiring a finished product or advanced skills are best for small group time.
Additional things I learned about teaching 2-year-olds
Below are a selection of activities for 2-year-olds or in mixed age settings.
Pretend Play
Do not limit this to a home corner, use your imagination to create familiar experiences like shopping, new ones such as a vets or pure fantasy with pirates or fairies.
Water Beads
These are great for a water or light table.
Painting on the Ground
With paint or with water. Decorating brushes are especially popular.
Water Play
Indoors, outdoors or even in the rain.
Exploring Sound
Create a music garden or sound wall
Clay
An essential material in any early years classroom.
Large Scale Projects
Paint on the ground, use large rolls of paper to print with feet, hands, leaves etc, paint large cardboard boxes, build with big bricks.
Treasure Hunt
Finding hidden objects, How many of a given object can they find, following a checklist, finding different coloured objects, searching for things of interest or excavation.
Loose Parts and Nature Play
Loose parts don’t have to be small and young children are fascinated by mud, sticks and other natural materials.
Potion Making
Potion Making is great for water tables or outdoors for sensory exploration and scientific experimentation.
Sensory Materials
Many sensory materials can be made with simple materials, for example, Goop. playdough, slime, or bubble mixture. A list of sensory recipes is available for downloadfrom TES Connect.
Stories and Songs
Bookfinder is an excellent resource for finding books suitable for a particular age groups as are the booklists provided by the National Literacy Trust.
Words for Life have an excellent list of songs for young children complete with lyrics and MP3’s. This list of songs for 2-year-olds from teaching 2 and 3 year olds is also worth consulting.
My youngest daughter (age 4) has recently started to draw detailed pictures. Mostly they are people. She always starts with the eyes, adds a nose and mouth and then draws the circle for a head. After adding hair, she draws a torso, arms, legs, hands and feet. The finishing touch is always a belly button. I found this fascinating. I don’t remember my older children doing this for any sustained period of time, if at all.
In the earliest stages of children’s drawings of people, there is no torso. At this stage they often draw a navel (or circle) between the legs to depict that there is a torso there. I’m not so familiar with children drawing belly buttons onto a torso however.
Clearly, children under the age of 5 do not generally draw clothes on their people. Seeing a navel on her sister’s drawing, immediately led my 6-year old to the assumption that it was naked. As they talked through the drawing together, the picture became one of a daddy and his little girl in the shower and anatomically correct details were added. These didn’t survive into later drawings when her sister was not present but the placement of the belly button continued.
My intrigue grew, when a friend with a child of a similar age shared her daughter’s drawing of the family. There was the belly button again.
I decided to ask an expert and consulted Ursula Kolbe author of Rapunzel’s Supermarket:All about Young Children and Their Art for help. She suggested that children are fascinated by belly buttons and the drawing of a simple round shape is often intensely satisfying. Perhaps then, it is the circles that she finds fascinating. The drawing sequence always begins with eyes made up of a circle within a circle. Kolbe also suggested that children often copy the ideas of other children but since my little one is yet to attend preschool and only has her sisters to influence her this is unlikely in her case.
Often what children include or don’t include in their drawings is determined by the sequence in which they draw. “If a child draws a torso and then legs they sometimes won’t go back up to include a navel even if they intended to do so” says Kolbe. I watched my daughter’s sequence with interest; she always drew the whole person and then went back to draw the navel as a finishing touch.
Sorting through boxes, I came across some old photographs of me as a child. In amongst them was this.
I must have been 4 or 5 years old when I drew this man, complete with belly button. What a magnificent and timely discovery to help solve my conundrum.
When it comes to Hallowe’en my repertoire of songs is not as large as some other seasonal favourites. Tweaking a few nursery songs and finding a few favourites online, I put together a small package of activities for a preschool music session.
5 Little Pumpkins ( A Popular Rhyme in the US)
5 Little Pumpkins Sitting on a Gate
The first one said “Oh my, it’s getting late”
The second one said “There are witches in the air”
The third one said “But we don’t care”
The fourth one said “Let’s run, Let’s run”
The fifth one said “Isn’t Hallowee’n fun?”
Then woooooo went the wind
And OUT went the lights.
And five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.
There’s a Spider on the Floor ( To the tune of ‘Put your Finger on your Head)
Move the spider up your body and make rhymes with different body parts eg There’s a spider on my tummy and I really want my mummy, there’s a spider on my knee and he’s very scary. Lyrics to the first verse are here.
If You’re a Monster and You Know It (Spooky Version of If You’re Happy and You Know It)
If you’re a monster and you know it then say ‘raaaaggh’
If you’re a witch and you know it say ‘HA HA’
If you’re a ghost and you know it then say ‘Oooooooo’
If you’re a dragon and you know it, breathe out fire.
If you love Hallowe’en then shout ‘BOO’
The Skeleton Dance
Doing the Skeleton Dance A slightly different version of the song ‘Dem Bones’
This is the Way we Carve a Pumpkin (to the tune ‘Here we go round the Mulberry Bush)
This is the way we carve pumpkin, carve a pumpkin, carve a pumpkin,
This is the way we carve a pumpkin on Hallowe’en.
This is the way we cut off the top….
This is the way we scoop out the seeds….
This is the way we cut out a face…..
This is the way we light it up….
The Jack o Lantern keeps monsters away….
Monsters away, monsters away
The Jack O lantern keeps Monsters away
On Hallowe’en
I Hear Thunder (Use a spring drum for atmospheric effect)
I hear thunder, I hear thunder
Hark don’t you? Hark don’t you?
Pitter-patter raindrops, pitter-patter raindrops
I’m wet through
So are you.
Bats are flying, bats are flying
In the night , in the night
Watch out for the witches! Watch out for the witches
What a fright, what a fright.
Trick or treating, trick or treating
Door to door, door to door
Gathering our goodies, gathering our goodies
More and more, more and more.
Instruments and Movement.
Turn off the lights and give each child a flashlight/torch.
Play spooky Music – We chose ‘Night on Bald Mountain’ by Mussorgsky .
Encourage the children to make their torchlight dance to the music.
Help the children to choose instruments that might add to the atmosphere. (Deep drums, a spring drum, rainmakers and penny whistles are especially good).
‘ Let’s just go camping for our Summer holiday this year’
Hold on a moment, did those words really come from my mouth? Until my mid twenties I recoiled in horror at the thought of camping. After I left girl guide camp half way through the week because I hated it so much, I convinced myself that camping wasn’t for me. In truth, I didn’t hate it at all. A rumour that newcomers would be pushed in the cesspit if they didn’t pass initiation had worried me so much that I begged to go home. My views changed after a few great camping trips as an adult but I’d never have considered a camping trip for my main holiday.
A yearning to explore the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, good weather and the children’s eagerness to go camping, convinced me it was a good idea. An eight hour car journey with a canoe on top of the car, three young children, a dog and a heatwave; perhaps I had lost my mind?
Amazingly, the car journey was fine. The first couple of hours were spent playing ‘would you rather….’ and guessing the names of characters from books or screen. The rest of the journey we listened to cd’s of musicals and admired the view.
Our destination Curlew Lake State Park, chosen for its beauty, a place for the children to swim and for my husband and the girls to go fishing. “Fishing!” I hear my 20- year-old self, with an irrational fear of fish exclaim, ” are you intent on sending me on the holiday from hell?” Strangely none of those sentiments cross my mind as we set up the tent in a quiet corner of the campsite on the shore of the Lake.
Without a shop or a playground in sight, would the children be happy? For now the excitement of sleeping in a sleeping bag, cooking outside and trying to catch their first fish fuelled their enthusiasm.
They were eager to go to the beach to swim. I was amazed that we were the only people on the beach. The ground wasn’t soft like the lake at home but filled with slippery algae. It didn’t put them off. They used the algae and stones to create patterns on the ground and then set up their own foot spa, spreading the algae over their feet and washing it off.
There was a child went forth everyday,
And the first object he look’d upon, that object he became.
And that object became part of him for the day or a certain part of the day, Or for many years or stretching cycles of years.WaltWhitman
They found magic in the simple things.
Look I think Eeyore has been here
Maybe it’s his barbecue?
Really! Do you think so?
It didn’t take us long to understand the rhythms of nature; the time of day that the deer would wander down the hill to visit, geese would fly across the lake, fish would start to bite or that darkness would fall.
Sometimes though, nature takes you by surprise. One night, as we were snuggled in the porch of the tent telling stories, the poles holding the porch open, fell down. As if from nowhere, the winds whipped up and tugged at the tent. Before we knew it dad and big sister had us zipped up inside while they battled against the wind and dust to secure the tent. I tried to drown out the rangers talk of trees blowing down, by telling the story of ‘My Favourite Things’ from the ‘Sound of Music’ and singing. Enraptured, the little ones soon forgot about the storm. They implored me to tell the story of ‘The Sound of Music’- the whole story, all 3 hours of it complete with every song. Thankfully the storm was short, the tent and trees survived and unlike my 11-year old self, I didn’t get the urge to run home.
One of the reasons for choosing Curlew Lake was the fishing, so in the early evenings we took the canoe out to explore the lake and try to catch fish. The girls had only ever caught small fish and were eager to catch one they could eat. Our family trips in the canoe lacked the quiet and patience needed to catch anything of note. However, on the last day their wish came true. Our neighbouring campers, who visit every year to fish, offered to take us out in their boat and help the girls to catch trout. The fish came one after the other.
They were so proud of their catch.
After the holiday, fishing has become a regular pastime. When dad goes out on his own, the girls greet him eagerly to see if he has caught anything we can eat. Other times, we all go to the lake together and mix up fishing with swimming and playing. On a recent trip, we explored the river bank , a place we probably would never have visited if it weren’t for fishing . Watching the girls excitement at their discoveries and creating with sticks and stones was magical. We returned home with a pile of sticks and ideas for making things with them. Moments like this are important for all of us. Resting our minds through daydreaming and play increases productivity and creativity says Daniel Levitin author of ‘The Organized Mind’. Without time for spontaneity, children lack the mental space to come up with new ideas and ways of doing things.
Look I think someone has been building fairy houses in the trees!
Do you believe in fairies? On a quiet walk around Beaver Lake Park, we discovered that they had taken up residence. Had the fairies crafted their own houses or had someone else built them to entice them in? Either option was equally magical to a 3-year-old. Having recently finished our own fairy garden, she was desperate to build a house herself and ran to fetch her sister. We carefully tiptoed around the trees, discovering at least a dozen fairy houses and rooms.
It took a while to find the perfect tree to build in, untouched but with interesting levels and holes.
Meanwhile on another tree, her sister was building a bridge to reach from one tree stump to the other. We searched for the right sized piece of wood.
They set to work making tables and benches, carefully scouring the area for the perfect materials.
They really wanted to stay but the night was drawing in and mummy was slowly being eaten alive by mosquitos. Every little girl knows that fairies come out at dusk and are afraid of humans. We needed to leave the woods quickly to give the fairies a chance to discover their new home. I wonder what type of fairy will choose to rest there?
In the hot sunshine the girls don’t really need a lot of encouragement to play with water. When I suggested we set up their pirate ship in the garden and make a plank that they could jump from into the paddling pool, they thought it was a great idea.
To make it truly authentic, we made pirate swords so they could push each other off the plank in true pirate fashion. They coloured them with chubbie paint markers before adding jewels.
We emptied the paddling pool to clean it, leaving water on the lawn. The girls decided that this should be a swamp where crocodiles lived. They collected branches to lay across it so that they could cross the swamp.
They then went on the lookout for something to use as a plank and decided on a large branch that had been pruned from our maple.
I had been changing the words to songs to fit a pirate themed music class. ‘If you’re a pirate and you know it say aaarh’, ‘1 little, 2 little, 3 little pirates’ and , ‘there were 10 in the ship and the pirate said walk the plank’. The girls made up songs of their own, counting down as the pirates walked the plank one-by-one.
Next they set out on a pirate treasure hunt. One of the girls hid the treasure and made an X from sticks to mark where it was. My eldest made a map and clues for the girls to follow.
More Pirate Play Ideas
Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. Some of the art materials were gifted for trial purposes.
Years ago, when my eldest was small, there was a tree stump at the bottom of our garden. I thought it would be magical to put a fairy door on it and pretend that fairies lived there. My daughter left notes for the fairies (some suitably spoiled by the great British weather) and they replied in tiny writing. The stump was soon forgotten as the winter set in and the bottom of the garden seemed such a long way to travel.
When we moved here we made a rudimentary attempt at creating a fairy garden in a planter. The little ones saw this as a perfect opportunity to smother it in glitter leaving my eldest a little disappointed with the messy results.
The moment I saw the garden in our new house, I knew that the cluster of trees would make the perfect fairy garden. When I suggested it to the girls they were very excited and we collected ideas, requested materials and made plans.
The fairy door was made from those mysterious small pieces of wood that come attached to a painting canvas. A lentil was chosen for the door knob.
Next we collected small stones to make a pathway to the door.
We made gates from the same pieces of wood as the door and placed small sticks around the edge of the path to create a barrier.
Many of the materials were gifted by the Buy Nothing Group including the little bells we hung across the entrance, glass beads to make the stream, jam jar lids for table tops and our very own fairy.
At a garage sale we found packs of miniature accessories for teddy bear collectors. We decided to use them to make a tea room for the fairies.
The tables were made from jam jar lids and cardboard cylinders.
Corks were painted with nail varnish to make toadstool seats.
The embellishments were added to make a perfect fairy tea room.
One of the girls wanted to make a pool for the fairies, we found a pot, dug it into the ground and she added glitter and sequins.
The girls decided to use a wicker ring as a fire pit and arranged twigs inside for the bonfire.
Next we added a stream made of glass beads and outlined the edges with pebbles.
Small flower pots created a boundary between the stream and the tea room and we sprinkled a few seeds on top.
During the winter we found a log in the firewood with a knot that looked like a door. My eldest saved it to make a fairy house. She carved windows with a pocket knife and stuck twigs along the edges with wood glue. The roof was made from moss.
As a finishing touch we added steps leading up to the house.
The fairies and elves seem very happy with their new habitat.
We recently acquired a set of water guns because the girls love a water fight. On a hot day a water fight is great fun but it isn’t always warm enough. When a water fight isn’t the best option, here are some other water gun activities you could try.
1. Ping-Pong Blast
Line up golf tees with ping-pong balls placed on top.
Ready, Steady, Blast…….
How many can you knock down?
2. Fireworks Display
“Come outside, we’ve got something to show you”, the girls called out one evening, shortly after July 4th. They treated us to a watery firework display, creating shapes with their water guns and giving each one a different name.
3. Skittles/Bowling
Using a set of garden skittles (or in our case bottles, tin cans and cups) line them up and see how many you can knock down by squirting water at them.
4. Ball push
Lay out different types of balls.
Which ones do you think you can move with the water gun?
5. Duck Race
Race ducks in the paddling pool, using the water gun to move them from one side to the other.
6. Ring the Bell
Hang a bell , saucepan lid or other metallic object from a bush and investigate the sound it makes if you squirt it. You could try a variety of objects and listen to the different sounds.
7. Trampoline Splash
My youngest decided to spray the trampoline and invited me to bounce. As we bounced the water splashed into the air like jumping in a puddle. Great for bouncing on a hot day.
8. Water the plants
If you are looking for little helpers, why not let them water the plants with their water gun?
9. I’ve challenged the older girls to design a water gun obstacle course and race against each other or a timer.
We have recently joined a wonderful group called Buy Nothing. The idea is that people in the local community share, via a Facebook group, the things they no longer need and offer them to others for free. It is a great way for an outsider like me to feel part of the community. Our group also has a central meeting point, where you can drop off and collect reserved items or look through the other items, to find little gems. Browsing the things people have offered has inspired lots of new play opportunities. Here are a few to share. You may be inspired to use some of the things you have stashed away or maybe even set up a Buy Nothing group of your own.
The Flower Shop
We were given a huge amount of fabric flowers from a member. I had often considered setting up a play flower shop at nursery but the flowers were so expensive and we needed a large quantity. I was very excited to finally have the chance to try it out. The girls have been making flower arrangements, taking telephone and internet orders and delivering the flowers in a little car. After posting photographs of the shop on the group page, we have been gifted even more flowers; such is the beauty of a community like this.
The girls have loved this so much and it looks really beautiful in the garden. They asked if there was such a thing as a real flower shop; so that’s next on the agenda.
Baby Bath – Water Beads and a Nail Salon
There was a poor, lonely baby bath, crying out for attention on one of our recent visits. A few water beads and hollow eggs later and we had an activity for my toddler class.
The girls had more great ideas when I brought it home. The water beads in the bath made a perfect foot spa for a nail salon.
Squeezy Bottles for Puffy Paint
Someone was giving away squeezy bottles, they were perfect for puffy paint.
My eldest was very impressed
Wow! What is this?
she remarked, when she spotted the dry pictures.
Mirror Play
I saw an image of a beautiful mirrored table recently, so when someone offered mirrors, I thought we could recreate something similar.
I am so lucky to be able to provide my children with these opportunities due to the generosity of others. Inspired? Why not create a Buy Nothing group in your locality?
Right from the Start 