Let Me Introduce Myself!
Hello and welcome to our first ever blog post! My name is Sarah Britton, the creator of beyond the playroom and I am so excited you stopped by today. So-who am I you might be wondering? Well, I am a former teacher as well as a former nanny, Mom, wife and play enthusiast!
I am someone that has long believed that early childhood is the most important time in a human’s development. I am also someone that believes as parents of these little humans, we have a unique opportunity to give our kids the tools they need to absolutely thrive and be ready to take on the world.
I also happen to be someone that believes this can all be done through LOVE, PURPOSEFUL PLAY, READING and TALKING!
Here at beyond the playroom, you will find simple yet purposeful ways to teach your child all the early learning concepts they will need to build a solid foundation. During my years as a teacher as well as my years as a Mom and a nanny-I always found myself asking these questions when working with children…
What is the purpose of this activity?
What concepts am I teaching right now?
What are the learning goals for this child?
I absolutely loved thinking about these questions, especially as I wrote curriculum during my teaching years and while doing quarterly assessments for my students. When I became a mom I began to ask these same questions about the activities I was doing with my son at home.
Through my experience over the years, I have learned three key concepts when it comes to children and play.
#1 You can teach a child anything…and I mean ANYTHING through play and by tapping into what a child is really excited about!
#2 A child is able to best learn and play in an organized, well thought-out environment.
#3 Quality is better than quantity. It’s not the amount of time you spend teaching and playing with your child its the quality of play…the amount of purposeful play. It’s not the quantity of play materials and toys your child has-it’s the quality of toys!
Key Element #1 : Learning Through Interests
As I stated above-you can teach anything to your child by tapping into what they love. As an example, my son was (and still is) OBSESSED with cars. And I mean O-B-S-E-S-S-E-D! Our house is covered in cars 100% of the time.
When I saw this growing love of cars develop- I jumped on it! I used it to potty train him when the time came. During our three day potty training boot camp, every time he successfully made it to the bathroom he got to pick out a car from the prize basket.
We made a car logo book together, with the name and logo of 30 plus cars in it. This is how he began to sight read and later spell and write! We used cars to explore math and science concepts. We even used cars to create cool art and building projects.
That being said, he of course has had lots of interests over the years that we have explored together. This just gives you a little idea of how you can really dive in deep with your kid’s interests and teach so many important early learning concepts!
Key Element #2 : Learning in an organized environment
Have you ever walked into a playroom where everything was just thrown together in a huge toy box? Where many of the toys were broken or had missing parts? Where you had to dump out box after box just to get the one thing you need? Does thinking about this make you stressed out? I know it does for me. Now imagine how a child would feel!
On the flip side, think about walking into a play space where everything is organized in bins and baskets. A space where you know where everything is. A place where all the materials are open ended and easily accessible. Did you immediately feel calmer? This is exactly how a child feels when they enter an organized play space.
When a child enters an organized and purposeful play space they feel calm, inspired and ready to build, create and learn.
Keep in mind-by organized I do NOT mean always clean. There is a big difference between an disorganized playroom and a messy but organized playroom.
the purposeful playroom
Learn how to design and create a purposeful playroom, no matter the size of the space.
