During the course of this short week we took advantage of the perfect weather and took many walks around the neighborhood, visited the park and conducted morning meeting outdoors. There are many benefits of children playing and/or being outside some of these benefits contribute to cognitive and social/emotional development.
Unstructured outdoor play helps children learn to take turns, share and develop other positive behavioral skills. They are more likely to be inventive, explore and learn about the world around them and use their own abilities. While they are having fun inventing and playing games with friends, these interactions also help them improve communication, cooperation and organizational skills. Additionally, fresh air and free play reduce stress levels.
Mr. Crocodile & Wolf:
We have introduced a new character to the children, “Mr. Crocodile.” The children were scared of Mr. Crocodile at the beginning since he is a bit scary looking, although after several talks we explained that Mr. Crocodile is nice, sweet and loving. Mr. Crocodile loves gentle touches, hugs, kisses and high-fives. He also loves to see when the children give each other gentle touches and kisses. Using puppets can be an easier way to communicate valuable messages to children, since the communication is done in a fun and unusual manner and not from a traditional or strict position. In a group setting, puppets can be used to increase the participation level of children and add an element of fun. Children get excited when a new toy is introduced and teachers can allow them to create stories or express their feelings about a certain topic, using puppets.