She's not sick, she's a dancer
We would love to start 2023 sharing with you an inspiring story that reminds us of the many ways in which playing positively shapes children’s development. This tale was brought to our attention by Ken Robinson's excellent book "The Element," which we recommend to anyone interested in education.
Eight-year-old Gillian struggled at school. She often disrupted her class by constantly fidgeting and staring out the window---much to the frustration of her teachers. Gillian didn’t think she had a problem, but her school was greatly concerned about her.
The school director told her parents that she may have a learning disorder, and that she might be better placed in a special school for children with special needs.
Gillian's parents decided to take her to a psychologist. Gillian's stomach twisted with anxiety as she heard her mother explain the problem to the psychologist. She felt confused, starting to believe that perhaps there was something wrong with her.
Eventually, the psychologist and Gillian's mother stopped talking. The man rose from his desk, walked over to Gillian, and sat next to her on the huge leather sofa. "Gillian, you've been very patient," he said. "But I'm afraid you'll have to be patient for a little longer. I need to speak to your mother privately now. We're going to go out of the room for a few minutes. Don't worry; we won't be very long." Gillian nodded nervously, and the two adults left her sitting there on her own. But as he was leaving the room, the psychologist leaned across his desk and turned on the radio.
As soon as they were in the corridor outside the room, the doctor said to Gillian's mother, "Just stand here for a moment, and watch what she does." There was a window into the room, and they stood to one side of it, where Gillian couldn't see them. Almost immediately, Gillian was on her feet, moving around the room to the music.
The two adults watched quietly for a few minutes, mesmerized by Gillian's grace. Anyone paying attention would have noticed that there was something natural about Gillian's movements and the expression of pure joy on her face.
The psychologist was indeed paying attention. He turned to Gillian's mother and said, "You know, Mrs. Lynne, Gillian is not sick. She's a dancer. This little girl has a special talent, and she needs to be able to express herself through dance. I think it would be much better for her to be enrolled in dance classes instead of a special school." Gillian's mother was shocked by this observation. She knew that Gillian loved to dance, but it had never crossed her mind that this would have anything to do with her problems at school.
Gillian’s parents did exactly what the doctor suggested. The rest is history: Gillian Lynne became one of the most accomplished choreographers of her generation. As Ken Robinson concludes, "This happened because someone looked deep into her eyes. Someone else might have put her on medication and told her to calm down. But Gillian wasn't a problem child. She didn't need to go away to a special school. She just needed to be who she really was."
This tale inspires us to encourage children to play and engage in activities that allow them to express themselves and find their talents and passions. Also, rather than focusing on the symptoms of a child's struggles---whatever they may be---this tale inspires us to consider the child's overall well-being, and the various factors that may be impacting their ability to learn and thrive.
I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. Confucius
We had a great conversation with Nancy Boyd, educator with over 40 years of experience in International Education and retired Elementary School Principal at the American School of Barcelona. Take a look at the video where we talk about play and the importance of it for children development. #childrendevelopment #play #playtime #childrenswear
Let's talk about play
As a designer, educator, and creator of objects for play, Cas Holman’s work can be found in schools, museums, and playrooms around the globe. Holman’s award-winning "tools for imagination," as she describes them, are interactive, gender neutral, thoughtfully crafted, and place emphasis on unstructured play rather than coming with restrictive instructions. Take Rigamajig, a large-scale building kit that Holman first dreamed up for the High Line Park in New York City, which encourages imaginative, collaborative play with materials that have real heft.
Holman is also highlighted in the second season of Abstract: The Art of Design, a Netflix documentary series that re-launched on September 25.
In Abstract, you talk about finding inspiration in nature for a specific product. Where are you finding inspiration right now?
Holman: Mostly, watching kids play! We developed the Rigamajig Junior Spinning Tops Kit after seeing children make giant spinning tops with [Rigamajig]—so I came up with colors and shapes for them to experiment with. Now they’ll be able to play with and test patterns, inertia, optical illusions, and hopefully sound.
I also get a lot of inspiration listening to teachers and early childhood specialists about what children are struggling with based on the world we’ve built. I hear from many teachers and early childhood psychologists about children lacking conflict resolution skills. Playing with Rigamajig helps those skills—basic communication and cooperation. We need to help them develop those skills early, and that happens in play.
Much of what I designed Rigamajig for was "as a tool for children to create," so as I see what they do with it, I get to respond and give them more based on what I observe. It’s a dream. Like, I’m secretly collaborating remotely with hundreds of thousands of children. Each piece has something they’ll understand is for them: a detail in how two pieces fit together, or a weird shape they discover that no one else notices. It’s a wink to say, "Hey, I see you," or even better, "Hey, I understand you."
It seems as though children are increasingly playing with devices like tablets and cell phones from a very young age and spending more and more time indoors. Do you think that this will ultimately have an impact on future generations—possibly on their creativity, their interest in physical objects—or have other unanticipated consequences?
Digital tools will, and have already absolutely had, an impact on all the things you mentioned. I hear from early childhood psychologists, teachers, and parents about issues that are arising because of the amount of tech all our lives. I see our devices as tools that can be useful and also harmful. We haven’t—yet!—done a good job of creating boundaries for ourselves.
I also see a correlation between the way we educate and the options for play that surround kids. Kids are supposed to "learn to the test"—they are rewarded for right answers. There isn’t room for exploration or daydreaming in their learning. So when they play, they will seek a similar experience to feel successful, which is more easily found in a video game than drawing, pretending with friends, or staring at the clouds, or running around in the woods. In playing with digital technology, we’re giving them habits of extrinsic motivation and quick rewards.
You talk in Abstract about how dance is a release for you—almost a form of play for you as an adult. Do you think adults need more play?
Adults absolutely need more play! As adults, we often need to be given permission—courage which really comes from within—to play. I suspect we think we are supposed to act a certain way—"like an adult,"—so don’t let ourselves be present and inspired and behave outside the social contract of "adult." Or, we compartmentalize behaviors and activities in ways that aren’t helpful: we exercise at the gym, relax at yoga, connect with partners over dinner, and think play has to be a sport or playground or something. There are opportunities for play everywhere. Curiosity is playful; ideas can be playful; asking questions can be playful.
I use color very carefully. I’m glad the episode of Abstract touched on this somewhat. Color is loaded with meaning and symbolism, and I want the imagination to have more room. I always say, "The less I design, the more room the child has to design." And by that, I also mean that the object can support what the play needs it to be. But color can also be beautiful and inspire—not just limit—stories, so I run with it sometimes.
At PLAY we stand for the same values of minimal design where we leave a space for the children to explore, test and learn. Natural materials, minimal color and thoughtful design is what we share with Cas Holman’s work.
“Color is my day-long obsession, joy and torment.” ~Claude Monet
At PLAY, behind each detail, each post and photograph there is a message, an intention, a goal.
Today, we want to show you PLAY behind -the-scenes and talk about how do we get inspired to design PLAY’s collections. Today we are going to talk about color and what is the story behind the new released colors for the TERRIBLE TWOS capsule collection.
PLAY promotes physical activity through premium comfortable garments that allow children to move while being protected. We always make conscious decisions. We learn, get informed and when we have the right information to make a decision, we do so. Learning for development is also part of our core values.
Our design inspiration comes from the Ivy League schools in the United States. Ivy League schools are considered to be the most prestigious of all colleges in the United States. These schools are primarily located in the Northeastern part of the country. There are eight total colleges that are considered to be Ivy League. These schools are Brown, Harvard, Cornell, Princeton, Dartmouth, Yale, and Columbia universities and the University of Pennsylvania. Of all institutions of higher learning, these elite schools are considered to be the most outstanding and the most sought-after in terms of acceptance and graduation.
At the time we were choosing colors for TERRIBLE TWOS, we got inspired by the heritage colors from these universities to be the core colors.
Most of our colors are custom colors, made by us, for us.
In our new capsule collection, we have “secretly” called each color honouring an Ivy League University.
Our signature burgundy color under the name of H_CRIMSON for Harvard University.
A deep saturated dark blue under the name of Y_NAVY for Yale University.
A trendy and fun mustard color under the name of P_ORANGE for Princeton University.
A core natural beige under the name of IVY NATURAL for Ivy League.
Now you know a little bit more about PLAY behind-the-scenes . Let us know in the comments if you would like us to uncover some other stories behind our products or anything from PLAY that you would be interested in knowing.
“An athlete cannot run with money in his pockets. He must run with hope in his heart and dreams in his head.” – Emil Zatopek
It is passion, love, determination what moves mountains. Today, we want to share a truly inspiring story about a man who fell in love with ballet and brought it to his community in Nigeria. With few resources, a few students, but lots of energy, passion and love.
This is the story of Daniel Owoseni Ajala born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, Ajala is the founder and creative director of the Leap of Dance Academy, which provides ballet classes for young dancers. His school has gained worldwide attention ever since June 2020 when he posted a video of one of his students dancing in the rain at his home. The clip went viral, leading to major scholarship opportunities and coverage from news outlets around the world.
Dance Magazine recently spoke to Ajala about how he's used his love for culture and dance to create a ballet program for a community that had none.
How did you begin dancing?
I fell in love with dance when I was just 9 years old. I was young but knew it was something that I loved. I remember watching Save the Last Dance and wanting to do that.
What drew you specifically to ballet?
I've always been an individual and had my own voice. I loved ballet because it was so different from what I saw growing up. Ballet made me feel like myself in my own unique space. It wasn't normal, especially while growing up in Lagos, where we frequently see our native Nigerian dances. Though people would stare if they saw me dancing, for me, ballet was fresh and new, which made me drawn to it immediately.
When did you start the Leap of Dance Academy?
I created the Leap of Dance on Saturday, September 29, 2017, with just five students: three girls and two boys. There was a need for a dance school in our area to teach and inspire young dancers. In looking for space, I contacted the proprietor of my former primary school, and they allowed me to use itfor classes. As of now, that space is only available twice a week, so every other time we get together, I teach my students out of my home. We now have 12 consistent students that I teach each week.
What is one thing that you try to instill in your students?
I always tell my kids that I want them to have the opportunities that their parents never had. It's so much more than just dance. Being Black can come with being sidelined and not being included. So many people have led them to believe that because they're Black, Nigerian and come from poverty, that they can't be successful or have opportunities. I want them to know that they can overcome adversity and make their dreams a reality. I do my best to be an example and show that if I can push through without resources, you can. If you don't have the resources, create something out of nothing.
At PLAY, we want to give exposure to communities and professionals that are working towards our same goals, healthy children development through physical activity. No matter where you come form, promoting the values of passion and determination. We encourage you to take a look at Leap of dance academy’s instagram profile and support them.
https://www.dancemagazine.com/nigerian-ballet-dancer--2648108258.html?rebelltitem=6#rebelltitem6
What is your dream?
When it comes to their kids, parents want them to have the best. Exposure to things like sports and the arts help them to become more well rounded young men and women. Have you thought about ballet? Kids are into all sorts of afterschool sports and other activities like piano and violin lessons. Dancing is a great medium for both girls and boys. And, they can start young.
Ballet dancers make it look effortless as they move across the stage. From the lifts to the toe points, many wonder how they can do it. Your kids can also be a part of this through the practice of classical ballet. Ballet classes can start for young kids around ages four and five. For them, being in front of all those mirrors and the bar is something new and exciting. Some of the benefits of ballet for young kids are:
They learn to follow instructions
They gain a sense of discipline through learning new positions
They learn co-ordination, balance and how to control their bodies in motion.
They are active and getting daily exercise they become comfortable performing in groups.
When a child is young, learning new things is easier for them. They can adapt and learn more quickly than when they are older. So, once a child begins in ballet at an early age, they are not only learning a valued art form but also getting trained for the life that is ahead of them.
As a child continues to pursue ballet, you’ll see more benefits emerging – especially when they become adolescents and into the teenage years. They develop long and strong muscles from the practice of ballet. They gain a sense of self-confidence and pride in their bodies and what they can accomplish.
What is your dream? Our dream is for all PLAYMATES to stay active, with a healthy development.
Check out our products that will keep your children comfortable and encouraging them to play. Sign up to our newsletter because there will be a new capsule coming out very soon.
“Whatever is begun in anger, ends in shame.” —- Benjamin Franklin
Emotional intelligence is defined by psychologists as the ability to identify and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others. Psychologists identify three inter-related dimensions when discussing emotional intelligence:
Emotional awareness, including the ability to identify your own emotions and those of others;
The ability to harness emotions and apply them to tasks like thinking, problems solving, and decision-making;
The ability to manage emotions, including the ability to regulate your own emotions, and the ability to cheer up or calm down other people.
Kids who develop their emotional intelligence gain distinct advantages over their peers when it comes to leadership, team-building and the ability to work successfully in groups, handling adversity, and maximizing their human abilities. Great skills indeed, but adults must do their part by actively helping kids identify how they are improving their emotional intelligence in order for noticeable advancements along this construct to occur.
Develop emotional intelligence through sports
According to sport psychologists one place where kids can develop, and even master emotional intelligence is through sport participation. Just think, about every time a kid goes out to compete he experiences countless life skills, including working with his teammates, obeying his coach, respecting officials and the opponent, and managing his emotions so that he wins and loses with sportsmanship. And, all of that usually occurs in just under an hour any day a kid takes to the field!
Of course, many of these life lessons and emotional intelligence development opportunities are squandered away when adults (parents and coaches) do not capitalize on them and use them as “teachable moments.” What this means is that kids need to be shown how skills like controlling emotions, respecting opponents, and working with teammates they don’t always like are some of the biggest and best life skills that can be used far beyond the playing field.
Emotional intelligence helps with confidence
One of the biggest advantages a young athlete can gain by developing emotional intelligence is a greater sense of self-confidence. Specifically, when kids feel confident and have a high degree of self-efficacy, they almost always perform at their highest levels. When kids realize that they are learning countless life skills while playing sports, they feel better about themselves and believe they have the skills needed to succeed in life — talk about getting the most out of playing sports!
Tips to help develop emotional intelligence
Recap games with your kids, and talk about the skills that were used that helped on the field.
Talk specifically about times when you saw the child almost lose his or her cool. What did he or she do to prevent the breakdown?
If there were times in the game where your child had to think through various strategies in order to succeed, talk about this process and look for ways to parlay it to other life endeavors and challenges.
If there were instances where the child had to lead the team, or be a good follower to the coach and/or other team leaders, talk about the process and how it helped with team chemistry and success.
Talk about all the ways sport skills can be successfully applied to life (including with help in the classroom).
“Emotions can get in the way or get you on the way.” — Mavis Mazhura
RAISING AN EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT CHILD, AGES 1 TO 3
It's not easy being a toddler. One moment your child feels as if she's queen of the world; the next she's crying in rage and hurling a toy across the room.
Like many parents, you may find it hard to cope with your toddler's outbursts of anger and frustration. But these times actually provide the best opportunities to teach a young child how to manage strong feelings and calm himself down. By helping him do so, says psychologist John Gottman, a professor of psychology at the University of Washington, you'll be teaching him the "emotional intelligence" he needs in order to have good relationships with adults and other children.
What is emotional intelligence?
A child with a high emotional IQ, explains Gottman, is better able to cope with his feelings, soothe himself, understand and relate well to other people, and form strong friendships than a child whose emotional intelligence is less well developed. He's also better equipped to control negative impulses, even when things aren't going his way. Experts now believe that such skills can be taught at an early age, when children are more flexible in their emotional growth.
Daniel Goleman, a psychologist and author of the book Emotional Intelligence, thinks the family is the first and best place to get these lessons across. Instead of trying to cajole away a child's anger or sadness, for instance, his parents can empathize with him and teach him how to handle turbulent feelings that may otherwise seem overwhelming.
How can I teach emotional intelligence?
In the book Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child, Gottman and coauthor Joan DeClaire point out that such lessons begin as soon as a baby is born. Simply by responding to your baby when he cries, is hungry or wanting to be held, you show him he can elicit a reaction if he expresses his feelings. By doing what comes naturally -- talking and playing with your baby -- you teach him about communication, too. After your child is old enough to talk, start giving him "emotion coaching"-- lessons in analyzing his feelings and handling conflict. Here are the five steps they recommend:
Try to recognize your child's emotions. Toddlers can't always tell you what's going on in their lives. If your child seems sad or upset for no immediate reason, it's wise to look at the big picture and think about what might be troubling him. Has he been moved to a new daycare facility? Did you and your spouse have an argument in his hearing? Toddlers often give clues to what they're thinking during fantasy play. Gottman tells how his daughter said to him while playing with her doll, "Barbie is really scared when you get mad." "In the important conversation that followed," Gottman writes, "I assured Barbie (and my daughter) that I didn't mean to scare her and that just because I get angry doesn't mean that I don't love her." A child's fearful reaction may also be a clue that you sound too loud, scary, and unpredictable, giving you the opportunity to apologize for not handling your anger better and assuring her that you'll try to talk more softly in the future.
Look at negative emotions as opportunities for intimacy and teaching. You can use all your child's feelings, negative as well as positive, in teaching him how to deal constructively with his emotions. If your 3-year-old toddler is afraid of a trip to the dentist, talk with him about it and try to calm his fears the day before, rather than waiting to see if he throws a tantrum in the dentist's office.
Listen with empathy. Listen carefully to your child, then mirror what he says back to him. Gottman gives the example of a toddler who's upset because his brother has received a birthday present in the mail. Instead of explaining why it's only fair, he advises, try saying, "You wish Grandma had sent you a package, too. I bet that makes you feel kind of jealous." After his feelings are acknowledged, the toddler will be more likely to accept an assurance that he too will get a package on his birthday.
Listening to your child doesn't mean solving his problem, dismissing it, or joking him out of a bad mood. Use examples from your own life to show him you understand what he's said. In writing about the toddler who's jealous because of his brother's birthday present, Gottman notes that the parent can describe a time in his own childhood when he was jealous of someone who got more gifts or attention. This tells the child that everyone has those feelings, and that they can be dealt with.
Help your child find words to express his emotions. Young children, especially toddlers and preschoolers, often have trouble describing what they feel. You can help your child develop an emotional vocabulary by giving him labels for his feelings. If he's mad, you might say, "You feel angry about that, don't you?" You can also let him know that it's natural to have conflicting emotions about something -- for instance, he may be both excited and scared during his first week at daycare.
Set limits while you teach problem-solving. Part of helping your child to solve problems is making it clear what the limits on his behavior are, then guiding him toward a solution. For example, you can say, "I know you're upset that your sister keeps knocking over your toy building, but you can't hit her. What else could you do if you get mad?" If your child doesn't have any ideas, give him a set of options to choose from. Children should know that it's okay to be angry, as long as they don't hurt other people for that reason.
Your child might also want to talk to you about why he's angry, draw pictures about what makes him angry, or act out the story of his "mads" with dolls or toys.
What kinds of things should I avoid when I'm trying to teach my child emotional intelligence?
Avoid behavior that you don't want your child to imitate. It's important not to be verbally harsh when you're angry. Try saying, "It upsets me when you do X," rather than "You make me crazy" or "You're a bad boy," so your child understands that the problem is his behavior, not him. Be careful to avoid excessive criticism, which tends to chip away at a child's self-confidence.
It's also important not to spank your child. Although spanking may temporarily stop certain kinds of behavior, studies shows it harms a child's sense of self-worth, imparts the idea that hitting is a way to solve problems and that "might makes right", and fails to teach self-control in the long run.
To grow up healthy, it’s very important to stay active, and have a well balanced diet, this affects our brain, but we also have to teach and train our children’s brains consciously and play is always a great option to practice and teach lifelong skills.
PLAY for life.
https://consumer.healthday.com
Children are not things to be molded, but are people to be unfolded
Can you believe you are halfway to your baby’s first year? So much has happened in the past six months as you have watched your little one grow from a tiny newborn to a smiling 6-month-old. This month is a big age for babies, with lots of exciting new developments, like starting solid foods, babbling, and sitting up. Learn more about what you can expect from your baby at 6 months old.
Don't forget to enjoy your parenthood and have fun with your baby. The 6-month-old stage is a very special time in your little one’s life, because most babies at this age are generally happy, love to smile and “play” with you.
Every baby is differently and hence this is why each baby will reach this milestones at its own pace, when she or he is ready. This guide or checklist is meant to be a reference for parents to be conscious and prepare their children.
We like to keep some things in mind:
Practice makes perfect. Meaning that you need to practice many hours and fail to accomplish your goals. Perseverance and determination will lead you to success.
Prepare the ground for success. We all feel great when we accomplish what was expected from us. Specially for the first times, we need to be aware that there is going to be failure, but what if we prepare the ground so that there is somehow success? For example, while practicing rolling, we could help our baby showing a toy or object the baby likes so that they have interest in rolling and while trying to reach for the object, might occur naturally.
Imitation is at the heart of being human. We, as human beings like to imitate. Our children have their parents as their role model and they imitate us. This is why we, at PLAY, like to promote that parents and carers are part of their children’s development actively. We promote that parents do or show their children by doing as much as possible.
Developmental Milestones
Body
Begins passing objects (like toys) from one hand to the other
Rolls from front to back, and back to front
Sits without support1
Bounces when in a standing position
Bears more weight on legs
Rocks back and forth on hands and knees
Starts to “scoot” backward
Tries to crawl
Uses a raking grasp (swiping at objects with fingers open) that progresses to a pincher grasp (using the pointer finger and thumb) over time
Sees across a room well (eyesight is approaching that of an adult’s)
Brain
Makes specific sounds tied to emotions, like happy sound or frustrated sounds
Responds when talked to
Makes sounds back at you
Recognizes familiar faces
Responds if someone is a stranger (with fear, crying, or reaching back for a caregiver)
Likes to look in a mirror
Begins to string vowel sounds together when “talking,” such as “eh, oh, and ah”
Responds to name
Babbles consonant sounds, such as “m” or “b”
Responds to other emotions, such as with sadness or happiness
Learns about the world through taste and touch
PLAY designs and manufactures the best garments to stay active and focused on what is important. We take care of the rest. No distractions.
Note to all our PLAYMATES: keep playing, keep learning and keep happy. PLAY for life.
THE ART OF GIFTING
1. Gift from the heart.
We often become focused on purchasing an impressive gift rather than taking some time to gift thoughtfully. Values, mission or practices that align with the ones from the person who is receiving the gift really make a difference.
2. Compact, useful items are often a safe bet.
If you’re looking forward to giving the gift of a special memento and you’re not an expert on your giftee’s taste and preferences, try keeping the treasure compact…and practical!
3. Only select bold gifts for those you know well.
When it comes to giving grand gifts and items that make a statement, try avoiding large pieces that the recipient will feel obligated to put on display. Not to mention, scented items (such as candles) should be reserved for those you know well.
4. Clothing items are popular, well-loved gift options for baby showers or newborns.
Hoping to gift a friend with a special item that is useful as well as lovely? Try something for their baby that stands for clear values, that takes care of their sensitive skin and that is versatile.
Check out our gift sets here .
THE GIFT OF PLAY
Play is crucial for developing children’s communication skills.
Play lays the foundation for literacy. Through play children learn to make and practise new sounds. They try out new vocabulary, on their own or with friends, and exercise their imagination through storytelling.
Play is learning. Play nurtures development and fulfils a baby’s inborn need to learn. Play takes many forms, from shaking a rattle to peek-a-boo to hide-and-seek. Play can be done by a child alone, with another child, in a group or with an adult.
Play encourages adults to communicate with the children in their lives. Adults support play by giving children opportunities to play, and by knowing when to intervene, and when not to intervene.
Play gives children the chance to be spontaneous. You may think your child should be rolling the truck on the ground but that doesn’t mean that truck is not equally useful as a stacking toy.
Play gives children choice. Having enough toys or activities to choose from will allow children to express themselves.
Play gives children space. To practise physical movement, balance and to test their own limits.
Play gives adults the chance to learn how to play again. One of the most challenging parts of play is incorporating yourself in it.
Play allows adults to learn their child’s body language. Knowing when you should incorporate yourself in your child’s play is key.
Play teaches adults patience and understanding. If you do choose to join in your child’s play make sure that you do not try to take it over and force incorporation of your ultimate learning objectives into their play. Structured adult-led activities have their time and place but remember to allow for time for children to control and decide their own play.
Play is fun. Learning to play well, both by themselves and with others, sets children up to be contented and sociable.
Let’s give the gift of play.
Check out our gift sets here
EVERY CHILD IS AN ARTIST
www.soccerbible.com/
Conceptual artist Dario Escobar’s large-scale installations made from sports equipment are not purely about play: Escobar uses these popular recreational objects to look at Guatamala’s history and culture in a global context. In this vein, Escobar’s work famously uses common and mass-produced materials (like motor oil, bicycle tires, or soccer balls) in conjunction with traditional Guatemalan artisanal techniques and mythological references. Escobar modifies and shapes these found objects and artifacts of material culture into abstract forms that belong to two time periods simultaneously.
Creating art expands a child’s ability to interact with the world around them, and provides a new set of skills for self-expression and communication. Not only does art help to develop the right side of the brain, it also cultivates important skills that benefit a child’s development.
Your children will gain useful life skills through art, so encourage them to get creative, and you will quickly see that your children are picking up these skills:
Communication Skills: When a child draws a picture, paints a portrait, or hangs buttons from a wobbly mobile, that child is beginning to communicate visually. Art goes beyond verbal language to communicate feelings that might not otherwise be expressed.
Problem-Solving Skills: When children explore art ideas, they are testing possibilities and working through challenges. Art allows children to make their own assessments, while also teaching them that a problem may have more than one answer.
Social & Emotional Skills: Art helps children come to terms with themselves and the control they have over their efforts. Through art, they also practice sharing and taking turns, as well as appreciating one another’s efforts. Art fosters positive mental health by allowing a child to show individual uniqueness as well as success and accomplishment, all part of a positive self-concept.
Fine Motor Skills: Fine motor skills enable a child do things like delicately turn the page of a book or fill in a sheet of paper with written words. Holding a paintbrush so that it will make the desired marks, snipping paper with scissors into definite shapes, drawing with a crayon, or squeezing glue from a bottle in a controlled manner all help develop a child’s fine motor skills and control of materials.
Self-Expression and Creativity
Children express themselves through art on a fundamental level. Sometimes their artwork is the manifestation of that expression, but more often, the physical process of creating is the expression. Art also develops a child’s creativity. Rather than being told what to do, answers and directions come from the child. Art is an experience that requires freethinking, experimentation, and analysis — all part of creativity.
It is important, however, to separate the notion of “talent” from “creativity” — a child does not have to create a masterpiece to have a meaningful artistic experience. Art is a process, not a product.
THE NATURE OF PLAY
In play, children expand their understanding of themselves and others, their knowledge of the physical world, and their ability to communicate with peers and adults.
We can differentiate different kinds of play:
SENSORIMOTOR PLAY
Babies and toddlers experiment with bodily sensation and motor movements, and with objects and people. An infant will push a ball and make it roll in order to experience the sensation and pleasure of movement. Older infants will push a ball, crawl after it, and retrieve it.
PRETEND PLAY
As children develop the ability to represent experience symbolically, pretend play becomes a prominent activity. In this complex type of play, children carry out action plans, take on roles, and transform objects as they express their ideas and feelings about the social world.
GAMES WITH RULES
Children become interested in formal games with peers by age five or younger. Older children's more logical and socialized ways of thinking make it possible for them to play games together. Games with rules are the most prominent form of play during middle childhood
THE ADULT ROLE IN CHILDREN'S PLAY
* Value children's play and talk to children about their play. Adults often say "I like the way you're working," but rarely, "I like the way you're playing."
* Play with children when it is appropriate, especially during the early years. If adults pay attention to and engage in children's play, children get the message that play is valuable.
* Create a playful atmosphere. It is important for adults to provide materials which children can explore and adapt in play.
* When play appears to be stuck or unproductive, offer a new prop, suggest new roles, or provide new experiences, such as a field trip.
* Intervene to ensure safe play. Even in older children's play, social conflicts often occur when children try to negotiate. Adults can help when children cannot solve these conflicts by themselves.
At PLAY, we encourage all children to play. We also understand play as a way to communicate for children and even if it sometimes can be alone, it’s a way to build relationships with their parents. Most of the games and activities we as parents find more interesting they sometimes don’t see the fun or value until we start playing with them and teach them why we think it’s interesting. Children have role models, and most of the times these role models are their parents, if we want them to play, we should also play.
We want to recommend a great book of seasonal activities to do with your children. It’s a very inspiring book that will help you have fun, learn and build relationships with your children.
http://www.louisapenfold.com/the-nature-of-play/
Please leave a comment below and let us know what do you like to play with your children.
Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education Urbana IL.
NATURAL PERFORMANCE
i.pinimg.com
The skin is the largest organ in the human body. Its vital role is the protection of internal organs and structures from the environment. Baby skin is not the same as adult skin, but a more delicate and vulnerable structure, and hence requires different care from mature skin.
At PLAY, we keep this in mind since our mission is to promote physical activity in children. It’s extremely important to us the use of premium high quality natural organic materials in our products.
The benefits of organic cotton on the skin are multiple. It's free of harmful chemicals, clean, soft, and breathable. It's also more environmentally friendly, organic cotton farming does not allow the use of toxic chemicals or GMOs (genetically modified organisms). Instead, it combines tradition, innovation and science to benefit the shared environment and promote a good quality of life for all involved.
We support natural performance, we look at nature to get inspired and design our materials and products. For our organic cotton, we look at the softness cotton provides and moisture absorption it has for an excellent experience while moving around and sweating. Cotton has the natural property of absorbing moisture perfectly, our American fleece structure lightly brushed on the inside provides comfort and protection.
We encourage you to take a look at our products for an amazing comfortable experience and please let us know in the comments if there is a product you would like to see in our unique American fleece fabric.
GIRLS CAN'T SURF
REBLOGGED FROM Big D Speedshop
Girls can’t surf is a documentary that translates you to the 1980s and the world of professional surfing. A circus of fluro colours, peroxide hair and radical male egos.
GIRLS CAN'T SURF follows the journey of a band of renegade surfers who took on the male-dominated professional surfing world to achieve equality and change the sport forever. Featuring surfing greats Jodie Cooper, Frieda Zamba, Pauline Menczer, Lisa Andersen, Pam Burridge, Wendy Botha, Layne Beachley and more, GIRLS CAN'T SURF is a wild ride of clashing personalities, sexism, adventure and heartbreak, with each woman fighting against the odds to make their dreams of competing a reality.
Today, 2021 offers a completely different scene for female professional surfing.
Most of the events are held in the same places and dates as male surfing to promote and give visibility to female surfing. That has led to great improvement and promotion among girls to practice the sport also professionally.
The World Surf League (WSL) awards equal prize money to male and female athletes for every WSL, becoming the first and only US based global sports league, and among the first internationally, to achieve prize money equality.
At PLAY, we also work for gender equality and promote sports at all levels.
If you want to gift a loved one with the values of equality, inclusion and promote physical activity we suggest you to take a look at our gift sets.
PLAY for life.
Leave a comment below if you have an example of another sport fighting for gender equality. We would really like to know your thoughts.
My Worst Fall Yet
Venice Beach Skate Park / Skateboard Photography / Abstract Architecture / Kelly Fiance Creative
At 11 years old, Sky Brown is the youngest professional skateboarder in the world.
All we think when we hear the name Sky Brown is talent, technique, happiness, PASSION. Sky is one of the best skateborders and surfers we have ever seen, she pushes boundaries and she is always smiling, having fun, PLAYing.
Sky is a great example of determination, discipline, methodology. Her technique is perfect, she is wild, creative.
This last summer she had her worst fall yet. She was taken to hospital in a helicopter and was unresponsive on arrival.
"Sky landed head-first off a ramp on her hand," said her father Stewart.
"When she first came to hospital, everyone was fearful for her life."
“This was my worst fall yet. My helmet and arm saved my life. This will not stop me. I am going for gold in Tokyo 2021. Stay strong. Stay positive. “
Many of us had our worst fall yet during this past year metaphorically. Some of us had lost our jobs, had lost loved ones, had to face many challenges we weren’t prepared for…
In sports, we also face tough challenges, most of the times there are more obvious, often followed by injuries or falls. It is fascinating and amazing how Sky, at 11 years old is teaching us how to face challenges, how to recover from a great fall, how to get energy when you are at your deepest.
This is why PLAY exists, to give the opportunity to all the children to grow through sports, to learn through sports.
We are sure Sky will achieve all her goals, but most importantly, we are sure she will grow to be a great human being, smart, healthy, a role model.
PLAY for life.
You can watch Sky’s video here:
GLOBAL SCHOOL PLAY DAY
At PLAY, we embrace this connection, we don’t understand learning without health and vice versa, this is why we create apparel that promotes physical activity and connects children with their bodies.
Honouring Global School Play Day on February 3rd we wanted to talk about the connection between health and learning.
At PLAY, we embrace this connection, we don’t understand learning without health and vice versa, this is why we create apparel that promotes physical activity and connects children with their bodies.
As a recently published article from Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University in order to improve both health and learning we should keep three messages in mind.
#1: The brain and all other systems in the body interact with each other as they adapt to the environment.
#2: Experiences during the prenatal period and first 2-3 years after birth affect lifelong health at least as much as they affect school achievement.
#3: Inflammation, as part of the body’s stress response, helps defend against infection, injury, and acute threat—but persistent inflammation in response to chronic adversity can have long-term, disruptive effects on physical and mental well-being.
As these messages might seem small actions, it is extremely important to be conscious and create stable environments and reduce stress.
Actively help our children strengthen core skills like managing emotions and behavior or setting and meeting goals can have a big impact in their development. Something that might seem easy but in reality it can get complex or inexistent.
Once we know what can help our children grow healthy and succeed, we can take action. First, we should all actively do it at home and then, we can also support organizations that fight poverty, racism, housing access, inclusion. That way, we are sure we can create a better scene for a brighter future for our children.
At PLAY, our contribution is to support inclusion. We partner with local manufacturers that employ people with disabilities under vulnerable situations. If we help these people, we can help their families and hence, we can impact the development of their children.
If you are interested in reading the full article where we took inspiration from you can read it here: