The master of imagination, Robin Williams, shows Elmo all the possible uses of a stick in this classic Sesame Street video.
As we've written about before, imagination and creativity are great gifts that our children have, but which we can encourage with proper support. Often this means taking the simplest objects, like a stick or a box, and stretching ourselves to think of creative ways to play with them. Watch the video, then check out the two books by Antoinette Portis below!
"Laughter is timeless. Imagination has no age. And dreams are forever."
— Walt Disney
It is now largely recognized that an important contributing source to children's happiness is their gift of IMAGINATION. Imaginative play helps strengthen executive functioning in kids' brains, which is important for self-regulation. It also helps kids learn to take the view of other people into account. If they can imagine being a superhero or a princess or a mommy or a tiger, they can start to imagine what it feels like to be their friend who just popped a balloon or learned to swing or wants to share a toy. This process of developing empathy helps kids get along better with others and in the world in general.
Imagination can take us to a place of fun and smiles. We can use that to our advantage in parenting.
If you are using a TOG to get a particular message across to your children, may we suggest that you start with reading them a book from our "Imagination" section. This will set the foundation of fun, light heartedness and open-mindedness, encouraging open communication and making your job a lot easier!
One of our favorites is Imagine A Day, by Sarah L. Thomson. The images by Rob Gonsalves are awe-inspiring for children and adults, such as the following, accompanied by the text:
Since we posted their newer song on Tuesday, we thought we'd share this Renee and Jeremy song, too! Again, you can visit their website to download the song or buy the whole album with the links below.
Renee and Jeremy, two musicians with a real knack for children's music, have a new album titled C'mon - an upbeat and easy to listen to children's album with some wonderful lessons.
One of our favorites is the title track - check out the video below! The lyrics remind us to open ourselves up to the world around us - good and bad - and that it's all right sometimes to "dream" "cry" and even "scream" when you have to...
In honor of today's special date (1/11/11), we are looking at the power of 1. Specifically, how can 1 person make a difference?
If you are a kid, then you need to know that being 1 person means that you are unique and special and that you can make the world a better place.
In Linda Kranz's book Only One You, fish parents send their child off with lots of thought-provoking and meaningful advice, such as: - Always be on the lookout for a new friend. - Set aside some quiet time to relax and reflect. Every day. - Blend in when you need to. Stand out when you have the chance. - Find your own way. You don't have to follow the crowd. - Appreciate art. It's all around you. - Make wishes.
In the author's own words: "More than ever before, our world needs more goodness...more kindness... more caring...more courage...more YOU in it. But, what can one do? Here's the answer: Throughout your life there's a voice that only you can hear. It's a call to make a difference that only you can make. If you never hear it, something magical will be lost. But if you hear it and heed it, your life will become a wonderful romance and adventure. The purpose of life is to discover your gift. The meaning of life is to give your gift away. The place you are in needs you today. Your spark can become a flame and change everything. Instead of asking, 'What can I get from life?' this book challenges and guides you to answer the question, 'What can I give?'"
While this book may at first glance look like a book for learning colors, it also explores these colors in ways that describe a range of emotions.
"On Bright Red Days
how good it feels
to be a horse and kick my heels!"
"Some days, of course,
feel sort of Brown.
Then I feel slow
and low, low down."
While not every day uses emotion labels, the discussion while reading naturally lends itself in this direction. Ask questions while you are reading - How does gray feel? What about orange? Have you ever felt like it was a yellow day?
This book comes in a hardcover, which is perfect for laptime sharing and discussion. But in our house, we have gotten a lot of use out of the board book version, too, as it lets the child go through and explore the images and emotions portrayed at their own pace.
There is a also DVD/VHS production, which includes original music and is narrated by Holly Hunter. While the DVD version can be tricky to find, the VHS copy is available at Amazon (link below).
One of the most important things that we can help our children do is understand and accept their emotions. This is the basis of social emotional intelligence, which more and more research is pointing to being at the very heart of raising happy and caring kids.
Wouldn't it be great if there were fun and cute toys that could help you teach these lessons?
Well, there are: Kimochis!
There are a variety of Kimochi dolls, each of which has their own personalities and come with their own feelings - small plush pillows that fit in the larger Kimochi's front pouch. There are also additional feeling packs available. We like the Cloud Kimochi, because it comes with the basic happy, sad, and mad pillows, but all the characters are adorable.
The Kimochi website also has a lot of information on how to use the toys and how to connect with children about emotions.
The toys themselves are cute, but the video below, showing them really working in a classroom setting is pretty amazing.
