playcentre

everyone needs to play

c has started going to playcentre twice a week where he learns through creative play. he learns interaction and social skills; he plays in an environment designed for children to learn. so far he's learned the taste of colours, the textural qualities of water, the vibrations of sound...

from the grown up perspecitive we learn that we are not alone. that in fact there are thousands and millions of families going through very similar experiences. we learn that all our toddlers like to climb, poke the cat, throw their food. it's all part of exploring, of development, of growing from a baby into a toddler to a child. we learn how to cope & how to best guide our children's behaviour by teaching them skills that match their age.

playcentre is a parent led co-operative. there are always at least 2 qualified teachers at every play session. children under 2 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. calix goes twice a week for 3 hours. one session, a 'babies can play' is peopled by folk the same age and height as calix. the other session is 'normal' - children ranging in age from 6 months until just before school age.

the babies can play sessions are quiet and structured. we sing, we dance, we paint and we play. we discuss developing positive relationships between children and caregivers. all the babies leave exhausted.

the normal sessions are comparitively quite intense. no apparent structure, lots of noise and children of all ages. i was a little overwhelmed, especially when a big boy almost immediately came and pulled calix' hair. but c wasn't fased. he looked at him as if to say -now, why would he do that? it didn't take long until calix was at the centre of the game, getting his short self in amongst the action - where he wanted to be.

so my baby is no longer a baby. he's a toddler, fast becoming a boy. he's a happy, well adjusted wee boy who is independant and brave beyond his stature. despite being a little short for his weight, he's content. and he's learning!

points of interest include dogs (hmmm hmmm) cats ( ca - maow) chocolate and girls. he can say mama and papa and ganda (grandad) and has quite an extensive lexicon of his own.

bless him, he makes us very proud!

xx
mama b