Learning Together Joyfully: Early Years
If you are a parent, grandparent or educator, busy balancing work commitments, family life, and coping with many competing demands as Spring Break approaches – read on! Here you will find information about play-based learning activities and suggestions appropriate for family members or for the classroom all designed to encourage you to engage and interact with your children. If you have time you can even reflect on the “why’s” behind these ideas. This one stop newsletter shares up-to-the-minute tips for you and your family to explore together, virtual or real, around B.C.’s lower mainland. All this and more in this bi-weekly post for you to consider as you play, learn and grow together!
1. Read together 📚
The following titles encourage discussion about how to play and maintain friendships as you read and enjoy books together.
• How do Dinosaurs Play with their Friends? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teagueo https://www.kidsbooks.ca/?searchtype=keyword&qs=How+do+dinosaurs+play+with+their+friends%3FJane+Yolen&qs_file=&q=h.tviewer&using_sb=status&qsb=keyword
• How to lose all your friends by Nancy Carlsono https://www.kidsbooks.ca/?searchtype=keyword&qs=How+to+lose+all+your+friends+Nancy+Carlson&qs_file=&q=h.tviewer&using_sb=status&qsb=keyword
• Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship by Peter Gresteo https://www.kidsbooks.ca/?q=h.tviewer&using_sb=status&qs=Greste,%20Peter&qsb=author
• You can locate these recommended titles at your local public or school library.
• This video shares tips on how you and your child can enjoy and learn from books together. “Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.”
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjJD1UDwVKg
• These short and simple questions encourage discussion and can deepen your child’s understanding of the story as you read and enjoy the book together.o https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/254805291392803327/
• Several Public Libraries around the lower mainland have planned activities for children over Spring Break.
2. Create together: Puzzles, Crafts, Singing, Drawing and Constructing 🧩
Children love to build, draw, complete puzzles and create.
• Having plenty of drawing paper and colours available for free drawing is important so children may share their interpretation of their world.
• Puzzles and constructing develop their fine and gross motor skills; early math concepts as they examine shapes, sizes and how small pieces fit together to create
a puzzle; and spatial skills as they construct a bridge or village.
• Discussing the child’s creations and what inspired them is a great way to increase vocabulary and language development as well as build their confidence.
• Check out puzzles at: Kids Puzzles – Kaboodles Toy Store or craft supplies to stimulate your child’s creativity at : https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/toys/kid-made-modern-over-the/815219029564-item.html?ikwsec=KidsAndToys&ikwidx=10#algoliaQueryId=69958d5f0adc33611d4d0921ea2df1f1
3. Explore together – 🗺
• Engage in outdoor activities that are physical such as bicycling, skiing, walking or running in the park. All of these are great stress releasers.
• Find some interesting walking routes for the family around the lower mainland. recommended walking routes
• Join a UBC Farm Community online workshop led by experienced farm staff. *Online* Starting Your Own Seedlings on March 11, 2021 6:00 pm; *Online* Veggie Gardening 101 on March 18, 2021 6:00 pm; *Online* Veggie Gardening in Containers on March 25, 2021 6:00 pm
• Organize virtual events such as a story time, or a book launch. Vancouver Public Librarians offer several story times and in several languages. Enjoy!o https://www.youtube.com/user/vancouverlibrary
• Think about exploring other areas of the lower mainland during Spring Break – check these out:
o https://www.richmond.ca/discover/events/springbreak.htm;
o https://explore.visitrichmondbc.com/checkout/274/tourism-richmond/1758/big-red-scavenger-hunt
o https://westvancouverrec.ca/school-age/spring-break/spring-break
o https://www.surrey.ca/parks-recreation/recreation-programs/spring-break-activities
4. Engage and Interact: 👭
• What does playful and creative learning look like? These videos share children at work and play and the many ways you can encourage and support children’s learning through joyful play.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR5pO_85fMk (5 mins.)
• https://youtu.be/BJArt7_Rl_o?list=TLPQMDQwMjIwMjFqi7ugJx3WhQ (2 mins.)
• In play, children represent and transform the world around them, providing other children and adults with a window into their thoughts and perceptions, and often helping adults to see the world in new ways. (BC Early Learning Framework, 2008)
5. Reflect: Thoughts of the Day about Play
“When children pretend, they’re using their imaginations to move beyond the bounds of reality. A stick can be a magic wand. A sock can be a puppet. A small child can be a superhero.” – Fred Rogers
• When we reflect on our childhood, often our fondest memories are of the times we played with our friends, family and parents. Playing is all about pretending, doing and learning.
• Through free play, dramatic play, fantasy play, physical play, building, creating, or playing games children are: thinking, problem-solving, developing memory, planning, investigating, increasing language skills, becoming more independent, concentrating, developing social emotional skills and gaining skill sets that provide a foundation to learn to read and so much more.