PLAYFUL LEARNING
Develop Your Child’s Sense of Joy and Wonder
By Mariah Bruehl
Publisher: Roost Books

This book is about activities to promote reading, writing, math, science and social skills in children aged four to eight. There is also a Playful Learning blog by the author. It’s a great resource for parents and teachers alike, and I think home-schooling parents will like it a lot.

It is full of practical, fun ideas for kids to do. You will be guided on how to create a playful learning space for the little ones, modelled after an atelier, or an artist’s studio. The author takes inspiration from the Reggio Emilia schools that she visited in Italy.

Once you have that set up, it’s time to create playful learning experiences. These experiences are divided into the above-mentioned categories, so it’s easy for you to delve into the subject matter that you’re most interested in. The activities are accompanied by pictures.

In each experience, the author explains children’s capabilities at various stages, followed by pages of “exercises” that they can do. All of the exercises involve the children hands-on, which is how little kids learn. In mathematics, there is a lot of counting and measuring - counting stones, clothes pegs, grouping things together, and categorising. It introduces the concept of mathematics in a very child-friendly manner, which is great.

There are also many reading and writing activities that will feel very much like games to young children, which means it’ll hold them captive as they develop creative writing and reading skills.

The author brings in a lot of nature into the science section, which even city dwellers can indulge in. Kids learn to plant a seed, dissect flowers, and make wire leaves modelled on real leaves. As you carry out each activity, the author offers phrases and questions that you can use to prompt the little ones along.

My favourite part is the social skills section, which the author calls “Raising the citizens of tomorrow.” It’s a lot instilling emotional intelligence in kids. She does it through puppet play, establishing a peace place for your child and helping your child explore cause and effect. There are more exercises in the book, all of which are simple enough for a young child to comprehend, yet sophisticated enough to introduce social concepts and ideas.

There are long and short projects in the book. Busy parents can choose a shorter activity for the weekdays, and indulge in a bigger project during the weekends or holidays.

Throughout the book, there are book and website suggestions, for both parents and children to read. There are printables at the back of the book, which you can photocopy and use with the activities.

Essentially, this book is about how children learn, and shows parents and educators how to facilitate the learning with the right attitude and environment. By giving insight into how the child’s mind receives and absorbs knowledge, readers will learn to appreciate the individual pace of each child. Educators (teachers and parents included) need to realise that every child is different.

Though not everyone has the option of home-schooling, and a lot of kids are subject to the mass classroom environment, this book shows parents how they can complement their children’s education at home. And, it doesn’t require copious amounts of time; just a conscious block of time every week dedicated to exploring the world with your children will do wonders.

Children thrive in a positive and loving environment, so it’s really not about how many projects you manage to tick off from the book. It’s more about the fact that you’re taking responsibility for their growth, and nurturing their potential. So when you’re spending an afternoon doing art together, or hunting down stones to use in the mathematics game, you’re right there at their side, as they discover each new nugget of knowledge. As you encourage and praise their efforts, children gain confidence and pride in their work.