I don’t know about you, but I aim to live my life in a simpler time. A time where we play outside, run down the sidewalk, and hang out with neighbors at the spur of a moment. A time with unplanned activities where we play in our yard for hours until it gets dark outside. This is the time I remember as a child. This is the simpler time I aim to provide my son with, and it can be attainable if we just do it.
Lets pause and be amazed at our child’s curiosity and imagination instead of getting frustrated by the clutter of toys in our home because someday they will be gone at college, and we will be sitting at home at an empty and very quiet house.
Hard at Work Playing
Kids are hard at work playing, and it is through their play that they grow and learn. Each toy you have on your floor should bring learning to your child in one way or another. If it doesn’t then it is not working for their development. Yes, they are responsible for cleaning up their toys, but don’t get rid of toys that are fostering your child’s imagination and creativity. Encouraging our children and teenagers to invent, design, and create is one of our most important roles.
Nurturing Creativity
I won’t ever forget when my son declared with excitement that he wanted to be an inventor at the early age of 4, and now 4 years later he has gadgets and notebooks filled with his inventing ideas. You will find him regularly carrying around his tiny gadgets in a suitcase or a box. I’ve tried to foster his curiosity and imaginative thinking over the years. I want to continue to nurture his creativity as the years go on. How can we do this in a practical way at home?
Try Out STEM Activities
I’ve researched ideas for STEM activities and included those in his toys and play activities. In my opinion, STEM toys and activities are one important thing that you can implement with your child that will help your child to continue to stay curious and grow in their problem solving skills. We did the Amazon STEM club with monthly STEM activities. We also did the monthly Tinker Crate Kits and now we are on to the Eureka Crate Kits for engineering. Legos has also become our favorite toy. I created a Shutterfly book of all my son’s Legos from his early years of building, and I hope to make a second Shutterfly book of his new Legos he has built. Try these activities out and let me know how it goes. I posted a STEM gift guide article that you can check out here on my blog and find toys to choose from for this.
Reclaiming Curiosity
Let’s work harder at the work of curiosity asking questions, figuring things out, enjoying play, and finding delight in the simplest parts of life. I think somewhere between our adolescence and adulthood that some of us lose our curiosity and fascination with life. We lose our sense of wonder. I hope you can reclaim your wonder and the wonder of your children this season of your life while it is at its peak.