Spending most of my time at home the last four weeks meant witnessing the unfolding of chaos and magic in our living room.
We converted a strip corner of Casa Ruffolo Uno into a children’s playroom; but the toy cars, blocks and books always end up in all areas of the house no matter how many times I hold family meetings and one-on-one conversations with each child.
The walls are filled with scribbles and doodles which are nothing like the works of Picasso or Monet but which my children, four-year-old twins and a two-year-old cutie pie, regard as their works of art.
Nicholas, the “first firstborn mutant,” calls a wall as “stars in the night” comparing it to Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night.”
It was done with washable crayons (thank goodness!) unlike Van Gogh’s masterpiece which was oil on canvas.
Our bedroom is a common depository of storybooks and whatnots.
Nicholas thinks he can read and our bedroom is his sanctuary. Lately, he has fallen in love with a book called “Pagkat-on sa Binisayang Pinulongan,” a book on learning the Visayan language that is published by Verbum Books, an imprint of the University of San Carlos Press.
His twin sister and our “second firstborn,” Antoinette, is our resident teacher who seemed to have taken the responsibility of teaching her baby brother, Jeff Junior, everything that he needs to know about shapes, colors and the solar system.
Because of this nature, Jeff and I decided to avoid buying breakable decors so we do not worry about the children breaking any of Jeff’s favorite jars from China or spilling juice and milk on carpets from Persia.
Downstairs, where the living room, dining room and kitchen are, exists with a huge sofa, a dining table that sits six people and a bookshelf with some of my books.
The rest are storage boxes filled with school materials which the children use when they color, draw, cut, paste and play.
The long space is perfect for running, and the three mutants spend most of the day chasing each other downstairs. Watching them do this is an exhausting exercise. If I join this crazy circular marathon, I am pretty sure I can get my Miss Cebu Daily News 2007 body back.
Play is just as important as storytelling and singing in our home. Our home is full of laughter and giggles every time we play. I am a mother who believes in the power of play in shaping my children’s character and self-confidence.
Last Thursday, I attended a forum organized by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (Rafi) on early childhood care and development (ECCD), which was mostly attended by child development workers (otherwise known as day care workers).
Vice Governor Agnes Magpale was there along with local government officials, members of the academe and nongovernment organizations.
The discussion topics were far ranging from an overview of what ECCD is about to the needs of the child development workers.
It was repeatedly mentioned how early childhood education — which covers the age between 0 to 6 years old — is a crucial stage in human development as most of the critical milestones which shape human character are shaped and molded at this stage.
Experts say a child’s brain will be 80 percent of its adult size by age three. By age five, the brain would have reached 90 percent of its adult size.
Sadly, child development workers in child development centers (or day care centers) in different barangays are criticized by parents for “doing nothing but playing.”
Most parents do not realize that children should not be taught to write their names at age three or undergo paper tests at five years old.
There are specific milestones per age and at an early age, and there are developmentally appropriate tools and instructions which can be employed for this purpose. Children should not be expected to finish writing the letters of the alphabet on sheets of paper at this stage.
Three years ago, I ventured into an unfamiliar academic territory. Making lesson plans and learning about how children learn were tasks which was different from journalism. But I took on the task of studying language and literacy education because I wanted to be my children’s first teacher.
I wanted to be their best first teacher.
The studies and experiments did not end after my graduation last year. They even became more intense and interesting as my children graduated from speaking babbles and can now speak a language that we can understand.
In all these, I learned that play is most effective tool in teaching my children how to count, how to sing and even to love reading.
Children learn best in a fun and stress-free environment. Parents, if you force them at three years old to write when they should be playing, then you are preparing your children to fail. They will associate writing with difficulty and frustration — and we all know that’s not fun.
My children do pretend reading, but they did not just pick a book because I forced them to. Those who followed my postings on social media and my blog can recall the years I spent storytelling to my children and making the experiences fun for them.
I am seeing the results of it now.
All because of play.
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