Making sense of the world around you. Rehearsing the past, present and future. Working through ideas. Practising. Mastering. Repeating. Perfecting. Thinking. Re-thinking. Organising. Rehearsing.
Re-Enacting. Investigating. Experimenting. Hypothesising. Observing. Puzzling. Questioning. Exploring. Co-operating. Negotiating. Compromising. Discussing. Sharing ideas. Concluding. Engaging.
Turn-taking. Conferring. Controlling. Rule making. Rule breaking. Setting targets. Setting boundaries. Setting limits. Limitless. Lateral. Diverse. Problem setting. Problem solving. Enquiring. Searching. challenging. Engaging. Absorbing. Creative. Representative. Unique. Fun.
Fantasy. Make believe. Making things up. Making them up again. Changing the ending. Re-telling. Altering. Tweeking. Story telling. Acting. Performing. Show casing.
Asking, what if? Trying it out. Changing your mind. Trying again. Asking, what if not? Giving it a go. Finding out. Changing our ideas. Making conclusions. Evaluating. Bringing together ideas. Fitting thoughts together. Adapting.
Exploring objects. Exploring sounds. Exploring tastes. Exploring smells. Exploring colours. Exploring shapes. Exploring patterns. Exploring space. Exploring things that fix together.
Fastening things together. Taking things apart. Categorising. Emptying. Filling. Transporting. Re-arranging.
Creating. Modelling. Sculpting. Inventing. Growing. Observing. Imagining. Wondering. Projecting. Guessing.
Anticipating. Exciting. Engrossing. Enthralling. Social. Loud. Busy. Quiet. Restful. Calm. Processing. Developing. Learning. Unique. Collaborative. Purposeful. Natural. Energetic. Physical. Cerebral. Diverse. Succesful.
and much much more.
Really take time to observe, watch what your children are doing as they play. What is it they are doing? What are they enjoying? What skills are they trying out? What type of play are they absorbed in?
And consider, what message do I give them if I try to pull them away from this important moment?
And consider, what could I do instead, to be supporting their pursuits?
Play is never JUST play.
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