Mindful Play
Play. What a beautiful word.
When you hear the word Play your brain dances in a million different directions. Children throwing a ball, laughter, board games, hopscotch, Lego or even tag!
For children play is education....But shhh, they don’t know that.
When a child is engaged in a play experience they are learning about other children, about nature, science, and even about themselves. The world is a new place for them! For a child to begin to understand a feeling, a concept or an object they need to explore it and experience it.
During Mindful Little Things workshops we set up play experiences for children. Yoga props are used to explore balance, spark their imagination or create a connection with others. For example we can use our imagination and the yoga props to create a great adventure! The yoga blocks transform into stones that children have to balance on in order to get to the other side. The yoga mat is a safety zone, allowing rest and protection from touching the lava, the yoga strap becomes a tightrope that will get them to the finish line and a blanket is the other side of the lava field.
Each interaction with a prop is an opportunity to learn. As children use the blocks they are practicing balance. Cheering on another child to complete the great adventure teaches teamwork. Before, during and after the great adventure they may experience different emotions, this provides a great opportunity to teach self-regulation techniques, which may become a foundation of support throughout their life.
Each play experience, no matter how small it may seem, is opportunity to learn!
Within your home you can set up many play experiences or they may just happen organically as you interact with each other. An old sock can become a sock puppet, now you have taught up-cycling. A cardboard box is an incredible space ship, you have used your imagination. You bake pancakes together, this is science.
Play experiences can be found everywhere. A child’s world is only as big as we make it! Explore, laugh and be a kid again!
Looking for help to get the play started?! Mindful Little Things creates play experiences for children, within your home or in their daycare/school! Our Shop offers fun Play Kits or check out our Resource Page!