Social Skills is another vital skill children need to learn before entering Kindergarten.
How to get along with other children, and adults, in regards to sharing, helping, respecting, accepting, speaking, listening to,...etc, is important for each child to learn.
Learning to share toys, accept each other's ideas, speaking kindly to one another, and helping each other (whether it's cleaning up or assisting in finding the right toy) are important. And children need opportunities to learn them, and practise these skills.
Play Time provides opportunities for children to interact with each other and learn these, sometimes, difficult tasks.
One of our rules at play time is that a child can have two toys at one time....one toy for each hand. This rule gives children a chance to practise making wise choices, and problem solving. Making wise choices with toys seems silly and we (as adults) can laugh, but to children who are just learning this skill, it is easier, and less threatening to practise making wise choices, or decisions, with toys. Children are learning how to make choices, and as they grow, these choices will become harder. Giving them practise now, with toys, is a way to show, guide, and assist with their practising this skill.
One reason we ask you not allow your child to bring toys from home, into Wee Beginnings, is that sharing non personal toys is easier and less threatening for a child to learn this skill. Sharing a toy that 'mommy gave me' is hard for a child to do, especially if that toy becomes broken or damaged accidently. If this happens children learn not to trust others, and sharing becomes even harder for them to learn.
We have a small amount of toys offered at play time. This gives children a chance to learn to share, and interact with others. But we also offer table games (like go fish, or memory), and fine motor activities like play-dough or puzzles. We also have a book bin that children can select books from to read/look through on their own, or ask to be read to.
We offer a variety of ways for children to interact with each other, and learn tough, but needed, social skills.
