Play Time

Play Time

This is such an important time, and I take the helpers through a time of setting up the toys so they are attractive and set up in a way that would welcome in any shy child.  I never just empty the toy boxes and leave the children to it. I make sure that the train set it set up and ready to go and about to leave the station!

The bricks all in a pile but some examples built up for an example.

The dolls set out with clothes ready to dress and the little babies all tucked up in their cots just looking ready to be played with.

The “little shop” all set up with the food on the counter and the till full of the play money.

For those arty ones

You will always find that some children are much happier sitting and colouring or sticking something rather than on the floor with the toys. I have always found two categories of children at the art table – the shy ones and the girls. This is a great time to be able to sit with these children, when you have 27 in one room you will find that some are playing, some are creating and some maybe sitting quietly with a helper and having a book read to them.

For the regulars

When you have had the children over a number of years you will hear them ask for certain toys that they like to come out of the cupboard. I always had the same boy asking for the same action man toy and his motorbike each and every week when he attended. I also had a set of 3-4 boys that made their own track with cardboard for the cars, they had stuck it together and it had tunnels and was made out of cardboard boxes and pieces of cardboard. To any other person it looked like cardboard that needed to be thrown away, however to the boys it was very precious and each week I had to carefully put it away at tidy up time.

Tidy up Time

You will see in Tidy Up Time that I use a song and have a routine for tidying up. I mention it in playtime so that you are organised with your toys and their boxes. I like to have boxes with writing in large print on the side that says, “Train”, “shop”, “bricks”,”lego”, “dolls” etc. Then at Tidy up Time you can encourage the children (with the helpers help) to put the toys in the correct boxes. Remembering that chaos can equal things going wrong, this way of tidying up gives structure and the children soon get the hang of it.

Keep it clean

I try and stay away from any guns/weapons/inappropriate type toys/latest fad toys, if there is a car that every boy wants to play with, next time remove it, it is best that the children all join in and play together and this social time is a massive part in their learning.

I also make sure I clean the toys at the end of most terms, this used to involve a bath full of toys and soapy water, it now is so much easier with sanitising spray.