365 Lessons: #4 Playing Trains And Dinosaurs Promotes Positive Child Development And Enhances Our Lives
365 Lessons: #4 Playing Trains And Dinosaurs Promotes Positive Child Development And Enhances Our Lives
[Lesson #4 Break Down]
If
[My son loves to play trains and dinosaurs]
&
[Spending time with my son builds our relationship]
&
[A healthy relationship with my son contributes to effective teaching and discipline]
&
[Effective teaching and discipline will help my son develop critical life skills]
Then
[Playing trains and dinosaurs promotes positive child development]
When I wake up in the morning or walk in the door I can count on hearing the statement, “Daddy, how about you (pointing to me) and me (pointing to himself) play _______________.” Sometimes it’s trains, sometimes it’s dinosaurs, and occasionally its puzzles, farm, monsters, etc. My 3 year old seems to have pretty simple needs. He needs to play. He wants to play. He loves to play. I’m finding that the more we play the more we have in common. Our connection grows exponentially with the amount of time we spend together engaged in activities that we both enjoy. Granted, you would probably not find me playing trains or dinosaurs by myself but I have to admit that it’s a ton of fun when I’m with him. Also, when I authentically engage in play on his terms it enhances my life.
The really cool thing is that our play seems to be influencing his responsiveness to my modeling, teaching, and discipline efforts. The more time we spend together the more effective that modeling, teaching, and discipline seems to be. It gives me cause to think about relationships as an educator. Right now I’m working mostly with adults but I think that this lesson applies to learners of all ages. I’ve heard many teachers address the issue. However, time seems to be a deterrent to taking relationship-building opportunities. Building relationships with people you intend to teach or collaborate with (adults or children), listening to them, understanding their interests, and authentically engaging in conversations and activities that are relevant to both of you can contribute to an enhanced learning experience for them and for you.