Play and learn

Let them play.

Most definitely.

I support this 100%. 

I also support my children in following their cues and facilitating their learning experiences surrounded by their personal interests and passions.  

Xander was role playing with his Paw Patrol toys at 7.45am. 

He noticed his sisters had left the room and found them crafting in the school room. He returned with a pencil and paper. 

'Xander wants to draw baby Alexander'

Due to his developmental delay in his motor skills he still needs me to hold the pencil to add weight to the pencil for it to make a mark. 

I chatted with him what he needs to do in order, he manipulates the direction of the pencil and will be telling me he needs a circle for the face for example and my hand just follows to lend the strength he needs. 

I noticed last year that he was becoming frustrated, he could picture what he wanted to put on paper and knew how to move his hand in order to correct make the depiction, but his grip is not strong enough to make the mark on paper. He is really happy for us to use team work and uses my strength to produce the picture in his mind. 

He produced a self portrait, complete with  nappy pants and green hair 😂 and wrote his nickname. He ran through identity questions, including address, name, age, gender. He pointed out over 20 body parts, pointed out his left and right feet and put his sandels on the correct feet. I think I can tick off the identity project with him. 

He went back to playing with his Paw Patrol, and did a countdown 10-1 for one of the characters to jump off the cliff (sofa). By this time it was clear he was academically focused.

Now as you'll be aware, children have selective hearing, so if he didn't want to answer the following, he certainly wouldn't. 

I took over the learning session: I asked him what were the days of the week, he happily told Rubble. He told Marshall the months of the year, the planets, the colours of the rainbow. 

He then went off script and took over again and he surprised me by extending the last topic by telling me colour mixing for green, purple, orange, pink and grey. He explained his thought process as he waved yellow Rubble and Marshall's red fire engine and said they make orange Zuma, and then took off from there, green for Rocky and Pink for Skye. 

He finished off the session by helping himself to a Paw Patrol book off the shelf and he read it to an attentive Rubble. 

This learning session took 15 minutes. He then clapped himself and wandered off. 

Role play, early years education topics, including identity, with drawing himself, writing, reading and maths all completed by 8am. 

He then moved on to life skills: He wanted to make the breakfast smoothie and collected all the ingredients of milk, ice cream and banana, popped them into the blender cup, helped me to screw the top on to it. He pressed the button and whizzed it all together shouting he was 'Master baby chef chef' and then called the girls down. 

He later asked for orange squash and placed chocolate buttons into it saying he wanted chocolate orange. He drank it as well! 

He's also practiced potty training and drinking through a straw as well. He watered the herbs and lemon tree during his garden time. His final life skill work was anti nap training, wasn't that a fun last hour of the day! 

This is an exceptional learning day for him, he doesn't do this every day.... However in total, it only took 30 minutes of his day. He would be starting school in September. He will be having more days like this moving forward I feel, from his engagement.