Real-world materials are a great way to help your child learn, build, and create. Instead of providing them with fake, plastic versions of everyday tools and materials, let your child play with the real thing. The ability to create, pretend, and invent with authentic materials will provide much more satisfaction to your child’s imagination. The different weights, textures, colors, and working parts will benefit their mentality.
Child-sized versions of real-life tools are an excellent way for children to experience the real thing. For example, child-sized gardening tools allow them to effectively dig and play without carrying heavy equipment or useless plastic versions. Providing them with magnifying glasses, functional film or digital cameras, or modeling tools will allow your child to get right into what interests them without being limited to the poor quality of many plastic replicas.
You will often have plenty of real-world materials and tools around your home already. Go about your home and search for anything that may be of interest to your child and place them in a bin or on a shelf for their next play session.
Real-life tools can include:
- Dress-up costumes
- Old telephones or phone books
- Old computer keyboards
- Kitchen Tongs
- Rolling pins
- Measuring cups
- Watering cans
- Clay sculpting tools
- Rulers
- Fabric scraps
- Sandpaper
- Binoculars
At Bartram Academy, we are dedicated to providing self-driven enrichment and education to all of our students. If you are looking for the best Reggio Emilia schools in the St. John’s area, contact us today to inquire about our enrollment process for the upcoming preschool year.
