Let’s Play Pretend!
Have you heard of the British ga
me show Taskmaster? Five comedians are given strange, silly tasks to complete for points from the Taskmaster. This show isn’t about being the best at the tasks, but about having fun, being silly, and laughing. It’s about play!
Kids are often concerned with who won or who’s the best; sometimes they carry that with them into adulthood. Eventually, the capacity to play for the sake of playing is lost. Play is one of the five Build A Reader activities and such an important part of learning to read. The five activities are Talk, Sing, Read, Write, Play. Play is an important part of being a human! When was the last time you as a grownup drew a picture, or built a blanket fort, or dressed up in a silly costume without having a special reason?
Every fall and spring, the Build a Reader Centers—Hardesty Regional Library, Herman and Kate Kaiser Library, Martin Regional Library, and Owasso Library-- offer 3-week workshop series for parents and young children. Each program offers opportunities for children to play with developmentally appropriate toys in a play group atmosphere. Early childhood specialists are there to talk informally with parents on the topics of child development, speech and hearing, and movement and music. And one of the best parts? This is the perfect time for the caregiver to play with their child, too! Check out this short video to learn more about our workshops: https://youtu.be/2KrgNj9WPaM
In Build A Reader Storytime, I always encourage the adults in the room to sing and dance along because children are more likely to participate if they see their grown-up modeling that behavior. Today, I have another encouragement for the grownups: Let's play pretend. I’ll be the Taskmaster, and you’ll be one of the contestants. Your task:
Do something silly for yourself, for your inner child. Your time starts now.
--Jocelyn Crawley, Bilingual Children's Associate, Martin Regional Library