So the kids want to play? Let's play!

In our class we get a lot of variations of the question "does my child have any friends?". The answer is a version of "yes, and no." Remember when you were little and your best friend in the whole world was the kid you met 5 minutes ago at the park? You bonded over the fact that you were wearing the same shoes.

Most friendships at this age are as deep as a puddle and, guess what? This is perfectly normal! They may love someone one day and treat them like week old leftovers the next. Again, totally on par for this age.

There are three main kinds of play with many stages within. Solitary (playing alone), Parallel (playing side by side but not together), and Co-operative (playing as a group and working together). At 3, this last stage is danced around and flirted with but rarely achieved. But don't worry, it'll happen! The same child will go back and forth between stages, even in one day. 

A good example of  solitary play

Look at this beautiful example of parallel play!

Cooperative play at its very best

So if you are keen for a "save the date" or an interesting meet-cute story for the next 20 years, you may be disappointed. But know that everything is developing the way it should!

Yours in love and learning,

Miss Dorothy, Miss Karen, Miss Heidi and Miss Svetlana