She believes that toys are "life" in a sense, just as Waldorf, a famous foreign education system, advocated: when stopping games, toys are "rest"; Put the toy back in its place and call it "home". Respect and imagination are everywhere.
Constructive babies begin to play with building blocks. At first it was limited to scratching and biting. When I was over one year old, I had a sense of arrangement and overlapping. I like to put a long "train" and can take a "tall building" of five or six blocks. When I grow up, hand-eye coordination and fine movements have developed very maturely, and my concentration has also been significantly improved, and there has been a truly conscious "construction". Playing with big blocks can't meet her creative needs, so I gave her several constructive toys, which are characterized by:
(1) Simple: Children's awareness of construction is still in the primary stage, and their attention is still limited. Too complicated games will make them retreat quickly;
(2) Openness: The "creation" at this time is random and there is no plan in advance. The design with clear purpose and fixed play is far less suitable for young children than those toys that can feel the fun of building.
(3) Enrichment: At this stage, the demand for constructive games is mainly participation and experience, and providing more attempts is helpful to cultivate and maintain interest; However, it should be noted that the richness is not quantity, but category. On the premise of reasonable combination, each category can have one.
1 entry-level Lego ▲ A set of basic models is enough for the baby who is exposed to Lego for the first time.
▲ Lego "works" that I cooperated with my children.
In my opinion, Lego is really the best building toy, and there is no one. Simple building blocks, through the combination of endless changes, build a wonderful world, like magic. I chose two sets of entry-level models, one is the most basic model, all of which are cuboid color blocks with slightly different shapes, which is very easy to use; The particle size is just suitable for small hands to grasp, and the insertion is effortless.
2 classic color geometric building blocks ▲ classic building blocks from small to large.
Before the director was one and a half years old, there were two sets of building blocks. One is a digital soft building block, which can be rubbed with the mouth and hands of the baby in the sensitive period, and can also be used as a bathing toy. Then there is this classic colored geometric building block, which seems to have existed since childhood. She has been playing since childhood. We create new ways of playing, which are classified according to shape and color: build a blue house (different shapes, same color) or a train with rainbow carriages (different colors, same shape). I take turns with her. One of us "solves the problem", the other one finds the corresponding shape or color, and then completes it together. She likes this little challenge.
3 rainbow building blocks
▲ Very special rainbow building blocks
It is also a building block that the director can't put down. I found it from a small shop specializing in Waldorf toys and supplies in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Bright colors (really red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple), she fell in love at first sight. The shape is simple, but the structure is very versatile-this is very "Waldorf" flavor; Of course, she built the rainbow high for the first time (it has the advantage that it won't collapse easily no matter how chaotic it is). I found different ways to play at each stage, and there are all kinds of fun and imaginative toys, all of which are charming, so grow up with her.
4 round blocks+long blocks ▲ large blocks
▲ Log long building blocks
The chubby guy played for a while and polished the wood almost completely, and the details were very realistic; Three-color stripes (cherry, maple and walnut) are new, with excellent wood, rounded lines and eye-catching colors. Both are very strong, durable, exquisite and warm to the touch.
We seldom use them alone, although they are extremely stable and have architectural beauty-most of them use all kinds of dolls and props to set up scenes and play roles. "The cabin in the forest" is something we often play with. It is also called "making a stove", "collecting firewood" and "cooking with a fire". Such a toy with attitude and connotation can be used for a long time.
5 basic magnetic disk ▲ magic magnetic disk from plane to three-dimensional
The most basic collocation is only 30 pieces, and the shapes are only squares and triangles. She absorbed herself in connecting them, then took them apart piece by piece, and became fascinated by the game of strength (very exercise the strength of hands). Sometimes I do something wrong, but I still can't do it, so I am anxious; Sometimes you can't help but burst into a ball. She thought it was amazing and exclaimed "Oh, Oh". Different from traditional building blocks, magnetic films use plane graphics to construct three-dimensional shapes and feel the switching between two-dimensional and three-dimensional spaces, which is also an interesting thing for Xiaobaobao with a sense of three-dimensional construction.
It also has an advantage: it takes up no space, only in a small bag, which can be enjoyed for a long time on the means of transportation. It is an ideal travel toy.
6 magnetic masonry ▲ How to build a beautiful masonry?
Bricklaying is a building toy between puzzles and building blocks. Different from jigsaw puzzles, it needs to follow a certain mold-strictly speaking, it is not "architecture", but more like a game to exercise hand-eye coordination-and it is built in three-dimensional space rather than building blocks; Colorful and finely cut small pieces of wood are randomly combined on the plane-babies prefer plane to three-dimensional-to spell out beautiful geometric patterns, Roman-style buildings, and various vivid shapes and scenes.
Wood chips are very small, which is an excellent practice for fine movements; Just need to guard against the risk of swallowing, it is best to play with adults. She volunteered to play "color classification", but she only loves red and green. Light metal thin box packaging, you can play when you open it, and it is also convenient to take it out.
Role-playing class When children begin to add more purposeful thinking and learn to organize different activities with logical relationships, the real role-playing game begins. In the next few years, children will be keen on this and continue to add their own understanding and creation to the "performance", which will help them understand the real world and interpersonal relationships and develop their imagination and social skills.
In fact, it doesn't need special attention for villains to want to "play house". She will find and use all the materials around her and create opportunities to launch games anytime and anywhere. I didn't give her many role-playing toys, many of which were modified and combined with ready-made materials at home. The support of adults is more important than the number of toys for children's play needs.
1 game kitchen ▲ Director's private "kitchen"
I searched for a long time and looked at the play kitchen on the market. I think this star kitchen of IKEA is the most suitable. The "five internal organs" are all available, and the appearance is refreshing, unlike many similar products that are too fancy to enter the eye. More and more functions, not as good as it looks; More beautiful, more boring and less practical. It coincided with the discount of members, and I took it home at less than half the usual price, and then put a set of small tables and chairs on it, and the director's private kitchen opened.
▲ "Pots and pans" symphony
You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. There must be "ingredients" and kitchen utensils. Ikea's kitchen toys are very good, and the texture and appearance of cookware and utensils are highly simulated, basically smaller. Compared with over-designed toys, children's real fun comes from operating real everyday objects.
Plates, cups and plates are made of glass instead of plastic or wood. I'm not worried about her collapse. A good child needs to know things (including dangerous things) and explore the world with her hands instead of her brain, and she often tries to explore the boundaries of her behavior with consciousness and caution when acting. Overprotection can only keep her away from danger temporarily, but it can never help her develop the ability to identify and deal with troubles.
▲ "Cutting vegetables" is her favorite part.
"Fruits and vegetables" are made of felt and look lovely. I'll give her a few more who can play "chopping vegetables", which is her favorite part. "Cutting vegetables" is really a multi-faceted game: you can recognize fruits and vegetables; The action of "cutting" exercises the hand-eye coordination ability and the operation ability of objects ("knives"); The process of "pasting back" includes the matching of colors and shapes. I occasionally give her some real fruits (such as bananas) to cut. She doesn't know how happy she is.
2 Open situational games ▲ Various toys and props used to play situational games.
▲ "Jungle Adventure"
▲ Children's song "Old McDonald's has a farm" (left)
"A Doll's Day" (right)
The shape of the toy is very simple, without too complicated and delicate details. Compared with "perfect" dolls and Barbie dolls, as well as the whole doll house with complex structure, they have vigorous vitality and can be used at will, and are not restricted by doll characters or props. With building blocks, we can simulate all kinds of interesting and vivid scenes, invent all kinds of gameplay, and add new imagination every time.
3 Dajialai Makeup
▲ Make makeup clothes with ready-made materials at home.
I picked out some old clothes from her infancy, including a small coat, a dress, a hat, a bib and some hair bands, and put them in a basket for the little stylist.
In addition, the adults at home are also ideal "models", such as tying a pigtail for dad and drawing a beard for mom, which is very common.
The housework is finished.
▲ Give her some tools to get her involved in housework.
The director's love for housework has a long history. "Cleaning", "scrubbing" and "watering the flowers", I saw her tireless work every day, so I simply gave her some gadgets: children's size brooms, plastic buckets and small rags, which were placed in the corner where she could reach; Spitter, designate a pot of green plants for her special care.
I asked her to take part in the weekly cleaning and work with adults; Let her try to wash the dishes once in a while-she is more fun and needs to wash.
Having the opportunity to participate in housework and feel that she is a part of family life gives her a sense of autonomy. For children, the happiest game is to make them as diligent as "work". The little one is really cute when it gets serious.
Art children need art and are born artists. This has nothing to do with talent or skills, but is determined by the development needs from the depths of life. Engaging in various creative artistic activities, such as music, painting and handicrafts, is the best way for them to explore the world, know themselves, learn to express their feelings and establish contacts with others.
Art games that children can try, although still very basic, are already quite rich; It is unlikely that there will be any decent "works" The materials and game contents provided should not be too specific (sometimes the original ones may be better), nor should they stick to the form, so that young artists can feel the beauty of art to the greatest extent and experience the happiness of free creation-this is their innate ability, and adults can only do it without destroying it.
1 Music Enlightenment: A sound that brings comfort, happiness and security.
▲ Toys that can be "played"
Children have a unique way of perceiving music (and other art forms). They are sensitive to sound and rhythm, and like natural, emotional and rhythmic sounds. Although children's musical instruments are toys, they have requirements for sound quality. Even if you can't do high simulation, at least it should be pleasant.
The order of children's ideal exposure to music is as follows: the rhythmical songs sung by relatives with feelings → the beautiful sounds in nature and life → the melody played by real musical instruments → the sounds made by highly simulated "musical instruments" (musical toys) → good music played with good playing tools → other music.
Little graffiti is very mysterious.
▲ The director's "magic" graffiti
The mystery of life is hidden in children's paintings. Give a one-year-old child a brush, and she will start painting without asking indiscriminately, as if she naturally knows what to do; That painting is not even called "graffiti", but some mysterious symbols that appear out of thin air and come to an abrupt end, representing a certain chaotic state at the beginning of heaven and earth.
After a few days, the content of the painting is rich, and the symbols become lines, some are closed or semi-closed circles, and more are without beginning or end; Such a painting is irrational, and it maintains the originality and authenticity consistent with the owner of the painting, not for explanation or expression, but as a part of the world. Her understanding of the world has taken another big step.
▲ Mobile storage of graffiti and hand tools
▲ "One table has multiple functions": it is not only a painting table, a handmade table, but also a small "dining table"
▲ You can paint while lying down, or you can paint while rolling.
Today, a large area of graffiti scene is still her favorite, and the kind of happiness of decisively dropping ink and splashing it without hindrance is beyond the reach of a well-behaved party.
When she became more interested and began to "study" her own paintings. I introduced more kinds of brushes and taught her to try different graffiti methods or draw on different texture interfaces. Show her colors, and she will soon remember a lot, even choose her own; Create more play opportunities and help her discover, observe, appreciate and experience the big world here. There are several tools that need to be considered for storage. It uses a mobile cart that doesn't take up space (including hand-made items), so you can draw anywhere you want and then push it.
▲ Some graffiti tools
Several commonly used painting tools:
(1) magnetic sketchpad: the advantage is that it is easy to wipe and can be used repeatedly; Special brushes will not be everywhere; Writing is also smooth and effortless, and there are several lovely animal seals that can be used for modeling. The disadvantage is that the board is too small and it is still fresh in the early days. When you grow up, you will feel depressed when you draw two strokes.
(2) Thick-headed watercolor pen: it is also an early pen. It is very fat and big, and it is very easy to be caught by clumsy little hands. The lines are thick and MengMeng. They are not very bright colors. They seem to have been diluted and smell like fresh water. It is inconvenient that painting needs to be pressed for a while to be good, and children are not easy to control.
(3) Rough crayons: the director's first box of brushes, used from childhood to large. Crayons are not old classics. Crayons belong to children's paintings. They are colorful, naive and sometimes heavy in the light.
(4) Colored lead: a lovely, safe and durable pen, short and chubby like a crayon, with rounded and smooth edges and excellent feel; The wooden pen container is very strong, suitable for Popeye-type babies like the director.
▲ Very nice finger painting pigment.
▲ "Wild Masterpiece" by the master of finger painting
Finger painting was introduced after the director was interested in color and could accurately identify it. In love, she didn't even look at the other brush. The pigment has a very rich texture. Take a nail-sized amount at a time and dilute it with a little water. A large bottle can last for a long time. You don't need to buy a palette, just an idle complementary food packaging box is suitable. The clothes for painting were changed into sleeveless blouses for eating.
Finger painting, as its name implies, makes the fingers in close contact with colors, without using a brush, as if it were a direct dialogue between the mind and the paper. This is the most free and bold artistic expression and the best way to release children's nature.
Manual DIY, a gentle and powerful art.
▲ Colorful "mud"
Handwork, a traditional artistic creation method, has its own gentle and quiet power, which is suitable for playing as a link of "exhaling" in the rhythm of "relaxing one by one and breathing one by one". When playing too crazy and tired-for children, playing is as tiring as work-sit down and do manual work for a while, which not only exercises concentration, but also takes the initiative to rest and adjust.
▲ My "Huang Liu Six Laws" Two-color jiaozi
▲ Director's cottage version of "The Color Jiaozi"
The beautiful colored mud in the box attracted the director's attention. What can I do except squeeze? Write down several popular ways of playing.
Game 1: Color jiaozi. The director likes the colorful jiaozi I wrapped for her, and she wants to help me roll the dough. I had a brainwave: it's not complicated or exquisite. It's always easy to be a jiaozi, right? So she did what she wanted to do and encouraged her to "cook". She was so happy that she ran to "protect jiaozi" for everyone.
▲ Handmade "cookies" came out!
▲ "Fruit" afternoon tea
Game 2: Afternoon tea. Plasticine is really a good partner in kitchen games. Colorful mud can be turned into all kinds of beautiful and delicious food. Why don't you prepare yourself a cup of afternoon tea? The small mold for baking is easy to operate, and the mud can be easily cut into lovely "cookies", and the "oven" also comes in handy; Fruits with simple shapes are also within her power.
▲ homemade Montessori teaching AIDS: color matching
▲ "The Ugly Caterpillar"
Game 3: Color matching. Color matching is a classic Montessori sensory training game: put clay balls of the same color into corresponding bowls. Pick up and release the ball, and exercise the fine hand movements and hand-eye coordination; Color recognition and classification involve visual development and simple logical reasoning. After the game, stick a "caterpillar" on local materials. Methods to increase the difficulty include holding the ball with tweezers or putting eighteen bowls together somewhere.
▲ Handmade paper that can be cut at will.
▲ Children's simple handwork
Paper is also an ideal hand-made material, which is easy to obtain. A roll of colored A4 handmade paper is divided into several stacks according to color for easy access. The child's fine motor development and understanding are not enough to complete too complicated paper crafts, and simple gameplay can attract her. For example:
(1) origami. Cut the handmade paper into small squares for her to fold at will, or practice some basic movements under the guidance of demonstration, such as folding in half, folding back and folding along the corner, etc., to feel the change of geometric shape and strengthen graphic cognition.
(2) paper cutting. Cut some long pieces of paper, prepare a mini envelope and a pair of safety scissors (used under the supervision of adults). She needs to try to cut the note into small pieces (which is easier for her than just giving an A4 piece of paper) and put it in the envelope. If you boldly use scissors for your child, you will find that she will not hurt herself casually, but will treat "work" consciously and seriously.
(3) Sticking paper. Create a paper-cut painting: cut out various patterns and let her stick them on white paper with a glue stick. Teach her to strictly abide by the procedures of gluing, checking the front and back, pasting and compacting. This ceremony fascinated the villain and seemed to accept a sacred and great task.
Sensory system is the abbreviation of "sensory integration", which refers to the ability of human body to use its own senses (vision, hearing, taste, smell, touch, etc.). ) get information from the environment and input it into the brain, which then processes it and makes an adaptive response. In short, it is a learning process in which the body and the brain coordinate with each other.
When I chose this toy for the director, I didn't have any purpose, just because it was fun. As for the "training" effect, I thought it was an unexpected gain.
1 rainbow tower, perceive the charm of three-dimensional space.
▲ Variety rainbow tower
Rainbow tower is a sister version of Rainbow Building Block, which is composed of a group of irregular polygon building blocks with decreasing size.
The seemingly simple game is rich in connotation: in addition to promoting the development of fine movements and hand-eye coordination, it can also strengthen the perceptual knowledge of abstract concepts such as colors, shapes and numbers, as well as a series of opposing logical concepts, including volume (big and small), weight (heavy and light), order (up and down) and grade (progressive and decreasing); Through visual observation and comparison of subtle differences in three-dimensional space, exercise observation and judgment.
Geometry Panel: Establish tactile memory of shapes.
▲ Wood geometric panel that feels beautiful.
In children's various sensory memories, muscle touch is the most sensitive and can effectively help children understand all kinds of things. The game is to completely embed the wood blocks into the corresponding holes in the board.
Geometry panel has the function of "self-education" advocated by Montessori theory, that is, toys can make children find and correct their own mistakes (such as squares can't match rectangular holes) without relying on adult preaching or tips. It is very important for children's physical and mental development to overcome difficulties and acquire corresponding abilities through repeated efforts.
3 Creative puzzles: Understanding the relationship between the whole and the parts
▲ Large rainbow rabbit puzzle.
▲ Little Bear Dressing Puzzle
Puzzle involves the recognition of irregular shapes and the cognition of the relationship between the whole and the parts. Need higher observation and memory, and taste better. It can be used as an "advanced version" of the geometry panel. One set (above) is a big rainbow rabbit puzzle, with six pieces of * * * (the number of puzzles for younger children should not be too many, and the famous UncleWood is suitable for older children), making up two rabbits;
The other set (below) is a jigsaw puzzle of "Little Bear Dressing Up", which gives the little bear family clothes (divided into two sets of clothes to understand the concept of up and down), and can also be changed into faces with different expressions. It was when she was interested in dressing-up games that she couldn't put it down. While playing, she learned different types of clothes and reviewed related vocabulary. After getting familiar with it, you can match the costumes of the three bears and let her choose the graphic plate that suits them. In order to achieve her goal, she may need to adjust the position of the plate several times-these two sets of puzzles can also automatically prompt errors.
Four wonderful beads: DIY my first necklace
▲ Do some "needlework" to supplement the family.
Beaded game requires high hand muscle control, hand-eye coordination and the ability to use both hands, which requires more patience. "Beads" include geometric building blocks with lovely patterns and rich colors. Ask her to match them according to certain rules (such as mixing and interlacing according to the same color and shape) to create works with different shapes and styles, which not only cultivates aesthetic interest, but also strengthens the sensory cognition of color, shape and order. Besides making handicrafts, it is also good to play with and build games.
Experiential "experiential" toys can simulate the real experience and senses in natural scenes to a certain extent, and can be used as substitutes when they can't directly touch certain things, so that children can experience similar fun frequently and repeatedly.
1 large track toy: the train runs! ▲ Boom, the small train has started!
Train track toys are probably the only fun things comparable to Lego: the integration of construction and role-playing, rich gameplay; By simulating the real train running scene, car fans can overcome the addiction of being train drivers and experience the charm of large-scale transportation. Wooden track pieces with different shapes can be assembled freely, and a circular track system can be constructed to cultivate imagination and hands-on ability. Control the process of the train going forward and backward, crossing the tunnel, going up and down the track, exercise the sense of balance and control, and help children perceive the motion mode of objects in three-dimensional space.
2 Water toys: the "water park" in the sink
▲ "Water Park" in the sink
No little guy can resist the charm of sand and water. There are some simple sand toys at home, which are not only the best playmates in hot summer days, but also can "save" full-time mothers who take care of their children alone-it always brings peace for at least half an hour.
Plantoys is the director's favorite set of wooden water toys. Plantoys is made of natural oak, so there is no need to worry about cracking and fading, including naive turtles, starfish, fish, fishing nets and two water bowls with different flow rates. Add a sponge and let her experience the weight change after the sponge absorbs water and releases water.
Besides being used as a bathing toy, there are many interesting ways to play:
Play 1: Rapids. Put a plastic box in the sink (the sewer pipe is kept unobstructed), put it under the faucet, turn on the faucet, and in a short time, two waterfalls and gurgling streams are formed.
Play 2: play by the sea. Close the drain, put a pool of water, let animals swim freely in the "sea", play "fishing" and scoop water; Use the box cover to create a "land" in the pool, and turtles can climb up to the "shore" to bask in the sun.
Play 3: Magic "Ocean". Add a little soapy water and stir it. As soon as the sun shines, many colorful bubbles rise on the sea. Put some ice cubes in it, and let her observe the melting of the "iceberg" and the transformation of matter from solid to liquid.
3 simulation toy sand: a handful of sand, a paradise ▲ The magic of sand is that it is between life and matter.
Toy sand can also be replaced by rice and cassia seed, but for young children, there is a risk of wrong nose and wrong ears. After many attempts, this kind of simulated "dynamic sand" was chosen, which is between sand and clay, feels like wet sand, but the inside is completely dry; The sand is fine and clean, non-sticky and easy to shape. Sand is odorless, nontoxic and reusable. Some common games:
Play 1: Beach leisure. At the seaside in summer, cats and dogs chase and play; There is a row of low houses on the beach. People go out of the house and have a picnic in the shade of coconut trees (pine cones) to enjoy the cool.
Game 2: sand deformation. Without ready-made molds, castles, cars, fruits, cakes and beautiful geometric patterns can be created by using all available things at hand, such as building blocks, bottles and jars, baking tools, etc.
Game 3: treasure hunt in the desert. After understanding the eternal truth of objects, the director is particularly keen on the trick of burying all kinds of things in the sand and disappearing (at first she will collapse and cry): beautiful stones, colored paper clips, Lego figures (a little scary) and me and her hands.
4 Game Tents and Tunnels: Secrets and Adventures ▲ Secret Kingdom and Adventure Journey
Children became independent and began to hope to have their own "private territory" at home. It can be a castle built of discarded cartons, sofas and blankets, or a small area temporarily surrounded by tables and chairs. She will happily run in and out, excitedly declare "sovereignty" and repeatedly explore the relationship between "inside" and "outside"; Or a person quietly stay in the "territory" for a while, reading and playing. We might as well set aside a fixed place as a "secret kingdom" for children, and a suitable game tent would be a good choice.
The tent is so easy to use. It can be a "plush toy house", inviting furry friends out to play in the morning and sending them home at night. Moving to the picture book shelf becomes a reading corner. This is an excellent place to hide and seek. You can't play house without it: depending on the situation, it can be used as a doll's house, garage or shop.
I believe that how children define, use and treat toys determines their relationship-whether children can become the owners of toys, how to play games-whether children are organizers and participants of games, or whether they can only follow the designers' intentions step by step, and what she can learn from them.
As the gatekeeper of children entering the world, what needs to be considered is not "what is best for children", but "how do I want her to judge". Parenting is an open question. We can't teach our children what we don't know the answer to. The important thing is to reject all specious things. Instead of seeking conviction from authority or custom, this is the right way to save yourself forever.
As rudolf steiner, the founder of Waldorf Education, said, "If a child can devote himself/herself to play, he/she will be able to face all challenges with the same concentration when he/she grows up."