Your son plays with dolls!

Boys play with dolls - some prefer to play with the dolls over trucks and dinosaurs – and that’s OK! In my opinion it makes boys more nurturing – gentler and compassionate towards others. They seem to have a better empathy for others, and they tend to be less aggressive during play. This does NOT mean they will be more feminine, nor have a different sexual preference when they reach maturity.

I understand that some may have a strong opinion against boys playing with dolls, however I see the developmental aspects of doll play, that transfer into everyday skill building. It’s not just the social / emotional facet of doll play that is a positive influence; it’s the practical life skills that are attained. Think about dressing skills. There is a lot of fine motor development in dressing and undressing dolls. There is a lot of role playing and dramatic play that goes with doll play. This takes a lot of cognitive ability to set the stage for pretending to be a Daddy. Speech and language skills are acquired and honed in. Dolls can be used to assist in expressing feelings. A sense of responsibility can also be reinforced through doll play.  This is just a sampling of the positive facet doll play offers.

Doll play is a realistic way to introduce the world in an empirical manner, to any child who is at a perceptive developmental stage. Young children – especially toddlers are like sponges and want to acquire knowledge of all things – dolls are a part of that. So whether the child playing with the doll is male or female should not be significant.

Leeanne A

PLAY respected! Leeanne A

I think we can all agree that play is the fundamental way in which children learn. We have heard the quote, “Play is the true work of childhood.” Children will thrive intellectually, physically, and socially through play. Simultaneously, communication skills are enhanced through play. During play children will explore, experiment, develop friendships and share on many different levels. So play is definitely the quintessential element in early childhood development.

So where should that play take place? Some advocate mainly outdoor play – while others may suggest both outdoor and indoor play in balance is essential for the children in our charge.  It is my belief that neither is right nor wrong, but simply a preference. I am sure there are many strong opinions on this, which opens a can of worms; however I believe we all have the same goals in mind – the positive, forward development of the child.

So respecting the differences in how play is implemented should be recognized.

Some questions that need answering when providing a quality childcare program may be:

What is your preferred manner of implementing your program to ensure play takes place?

 What if you had no choice in the matter; how would you ensure play takes place?

What portion of your program is dedicated to play?

It can be said that play is innate; however there are those children that need a little encouragement to venture forth. So it is our job to provide the tools to ensure play takes place. This means we have to be astute in laying out the path to affirmative play. I recognize that the majority of Early Childhood Educators are very creative and have their finger on the pulse of what children want and require for developing during play. Some of us do this through music and drama, some through outdoor exploration, some through art and creative activities….. The list goes on, due to the fact that we are all essentially unique in who we are, where we live and the experiences we have had. There is no right and wrong when it comes down to the fact that children are indeed playing. They are indeed thriving and developing into the fully evolved little people we want them to be. The children are flourishing, happy and show us that what we are doing for them is fostering growth.

So why speak of play and how we implement play? Well it goes back to the fact that we know play is essential – play is implemented in many different ways. As long as we are providing an outlet for play and play is taking place on a daily basis – we respect the manner of how play is implemented, our children will benefit. 

Sing like nobody is watching!

Leeanne A - Kreative Resources

One of the most enjoyable times to sing in my toddler classroom is during a transition time – just before lunch. We are usually sitting at the table waiting for the kitchen lady to deliver our food, so we may have a good 5 to 10 minutes to sing together. The songs we usually sing are the common ones we already know and enjoy. The children select the songs as we go along. They usually pick the ones that are deemed fun, based on their actions and the level of excitement they evoke. Some of the children may join in with great enthusiasm and some may simply observe, listen and then join in when they are comfortable. Many are confident enough to sing and do the actions involved in singing the songs. They imitate one another in the manner they deem correct for the song being sung. There are usually smiles all around and each child stays involved at some level.

I always feel that the times we sing together go very well, as none of the children remove themselves from the situation, nor do they fuss or complain about sitting and waiting until we get through our repertory. In fact many of the songs we sing a number of times, based on the requests of the children. I saw children who usually sit back and observe try out some of the songs and do some of the actions. So the more we engage in singing together the more confident some will be in joining in. Even if some don’t sing the entire song they may simply try out some of the words and make some of the sounds, which is a great stepping stone to language and literacy. This is such a great time to socialize and to make us all feel good as we continue through our day.

So sing like nobody is watching!

Songs we like to sing!              

How to Tame a Toddler!

Who am I?

Leeanne A

I often get asked how I can deal with a room full of toddlers all day, and my response is, “With LOVE”!
I really enjoy toddlers – when they come to me they are still babies, some still on formula and in fact last year I had a little 16 month old boy who couldn’t even walk! Within a two week period I had him walking and interacting with the other children with great vigor. We are now ‘buddies’!

Success in the toddler room comes with a lot of hugs, sweat and tears, both theirs and mine! However we all pull through. J When the toddlers leave me they are little students ready to take on the world. That makes me very happy and proud!

Sometimes toddlers are extremely challenging, after all they are at the “it’s all about me stage of life”. Each child is vying for my attention for the entire time they are with me. I have learned to bounce four toddlers on my knee at one time. I can play cars with seven tots, all shooting cars down a ramp at me simultaneously.  I can also put multiple toddlers to sleep at the same time; I have learned to rub backs with my feet (kidding – maybe – LOL).

All kidding aside there are little tricks to the trade when dividing my undivided attention with 15 toddlers at the same time. First on a rainy day I can whip up a mean batch of play dough and provide a multitude of tools to manipulate this squishy, much loved concoction. [Editor's note: click here for a play-dough recipe.] This keeps at least 10 of them occupied while I colour with the remainder of ‘friends’. Funny thing is though when they are finished colouring, I am still sitting at the table completing my work of art.

Second, I have learned to provide a room full of very interesting activities, which get rotated and added to on a regular basis. There is no such thing as getting bored in my classroom. Garage sales are my friend! I can get inexpensive resources to ensure there are objects to explore, that have not been explored before. If I can’t find any I create my own. Topping that, I network with other Early Childhood Educators who not only inspire me, but they ensure that I am on my best game.

Alongside these points you have to ‘believe’ in the fact that at the toddler stage of life, their brains are like sponges, and toddlers must be given credit for being far more intelligent and capable than people give them.

That is all well and good but, what about the times when I have some behavioural issues in the classroom? Well I have developed a manner of selecting when the ‘quiet voice’ is used and when the ‘serious voice’ is used. How does that work? Let’s just say you get more bees with honey than you do with vinegar.  However I do admit the ‘grumpy voice’ has reared its ugly head from time to time. Hey I’m human! I have also realized that I will NEVER get Botox – facial expressions in a toddler room are gold! *smirk* :/

I could babble on with some other ‘stuff’ or jargon, but will it make sense to anyone but me?  I don’t want to bore you!

So what does all this come down to? What am I saying here? Well nothing really! LOL

I just resort back to my first point – LOVE! Just love them! If you truly love the children – love your job and love the experiences you have each and every day – you will be a toddler expert.

What does any child need? LOVE! They need to feel secure – they need to know they are cared for and that they have meaning in your life! The children light up my day – I feel joy when I see them come into the classroom. We have a connection. We ‘get each other’.

Leeanne: Kreative-Resources

Hi my name is Leeanne – I live in Canada - this is my story.           

As a child I was the one in the neighbourhood who wanted to play school, I pretended to be a librarian, and I made crests to present to the children who skated in my back yard, for a job well done. I loved to be in a position where I could mentor and teach other children. I guess I always had the role of a teacher deep in my soul. At age 12 I volunteered as a local Recreational Camp Councilor, which then led to becoming a developmental assistant, with special needs teens and adults. I was lucky enough to get a job as a Residential Service Worker and special needs ‘in home’ Family Councilor by the time I was 18 years old.  I went to college to get my diploma as a Developmental Service Worker, and at the same time I married my first husband and had two wonderful children.

At this time I was presented with many family challenges. Topping the list, my son was born with autism and some medical difficulties. My job became my life and the stress of a 24 hour a day job dealing with special needs took me on a different path for awhile. I created my own home business and I became a Cultural Program Developer and was lucky enough to have my program published and distributed worldwide through a prominent International Karate Association. Through this time I also volunteered with the Girl Guides of Canada as a ‘Leader in charge’ and Area Commissioner.

It seems as though my life has taken many different paths – dependant on the situation of my life at the time. I had to make another job choice after nursing my parents for a few years until their passing.

I decided I wanted to have a job where I could feel happy on a daily basis – hence my decision to go into Early Childhood Education. I supervised a before and after school program in a local public school, at the same time I worked full time in a Preschool classroom. It was a long day, but enjoyable. I loved using my creativity and interacting with the children and their families. Then the government decided they would change all the rules for anyone working in childcare – we all have to have our ECE diploma and register with the newly created, ‘College of Early Childhood Education’. Despite my more than 30 years of working with children and their families, and my ‘Developmental Service Worker’ diploma, I had to go back to school and get that ECE diploma. I worked full time in a preschool and toddler room, while going to college each night for 3 years. My social life was put on a backburner, but I got that diploma – with honours! During this time I got remarried to a wonderfully supportive man with strong convictions and a level head – he kept me steadfast on my path to success.

I now work as a Lead Toddler Teacher in a Montessori school, where I implement both Montessori and emergent ECE curriculum. I have been able to use my creativity, developmental skills, experience and my ECE expertise. I am more than happy there and I hope to stay a long time.

Here's my recent post on creating an "Eye-Spy" jar for winter exploration..... created from an excursion to the dollar store. Click here to see the whole article.


Here's another of my DIY (do-it-yourself) projects. Click here to see how I created this project and how much the kiddos loved it!

Here's one more invitation to look over my shoulder. Click here to see my DIY for color recognition and color matching, which doubles as a fine motor exercise.

You can find me by clicking here to go to my blogat Kreative Activities http://kreativeactivities.blogspot.com/ and on Facebook my fanpage is Kreative-Resources and look here for my Pinterest collection.