A little book that teaches how to bring immense joy to children. This is the book “I’ll Play With You” by Adelina Gotera, and it’s a sure-fire sensation.
It’s filled with down-to-earth wisdom that will captivate the hearts of parents, grandparents, teachers and caregivers of children.
The book is the memoir of Ms Adelina Gotera, an early childhood educator based in Vancouver, Canada.
In his latest work – which will soon be distributed worldwide – Ms. Adelina explains how to bring out the best in every child through the best medium possible – play.
In Ms. Adelina’s world populated with smiling babies and toddlers, play becomes magic. The preschool children’s brainpower levels up as their bodies ooze with energy and vitality. They learn and develop new skills using their hands, and sometimes their feet as well.
Ms. Adelina’s easily comprehensible narrative guides the reader to the various forms of play best suited for young children. They include pretend play, music and movements, dress up or dramatic play, cooperative games, science fun play, sensory play, and indoor/outdoor fun plays.
The author says the book does not only explain how to provide entertainment to young children but also how to develop their motor, creative, cognitive and social skills.
“I'll Play With You” is scheduled to be published on or before September this year. Readers may visit the author’s website, www.readadream.com, for updates.
Here are excerpts from the book:
“One day in our afternoon outside play, five year old Jonathan was quietly sitting on a bench, watching the children played “hide and seek” with me.
I went to him and asked, “Do you want to join us, Jonathan?”
He looked at me seriously and said, “Kids do not play with adults. Kids play with kids.”
“Well, Jonathan, we are having so much fun playing. I am sure you will have much fun too if you join us.”
“No!” Jonathan said angrily. I smiled at him and left.
The next day during our outdoor play time, Jonathan approached me while I was making paper airplanes for some of our preschoolers.
“Teacher, please make me a paper airplane too.”
“Sure,” I answered smiling.
Jonathan’s paper airplane flew up high but it got stuck on one branch of the apple tree. He ran to me.
“Teacher, please get my paper airplane.”
Stamping my feet and slowly walking towards the tree, I pretended to be a giant.
“Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump……” In a big, deep voice, I chanted.
“I am a giant! I am a giant! I am a giant! My big hands can get a stuck airplane on a branch of a tree.”
I got the paper airplane, made faces, pretending it was very heavy…and gave it to Jonathan. He was laughing heartily and happily shouting
“You be the giant again teacher! I will be the driver of the airplane.”
“The driver of an airplane is called a pilot,” I explained.
“Yes, teacher, I am the pilot. My airplane was flying high and suddenly went down…. down a mountain and got broken. Then the giant helped me. He fixed my airplane.”
The dramatic play with Jonathan was repeated about five times with some changes in the plot as suggested by the child. He was happily smiling each time we ended the outdoor play for the day.
After a number of play episodes with Jonathan, I’ve observed that he became more approachable and friendly with his peers in contrast to his quiet and aloof attitude in the past. Gradually, he was listening and expressing his thoughts verbally with his peers. He showed self-confidence in communicating verbally with them. My play episodes with Jonathan functioned as fun practice training and prepared him for social interactions with his peers.
“Being good through play”
Max, a 4-year old boy, demonstrated a series of violent interactions with his peers. He was usually quiet and played alone. Most often, he grabbed toys, threw them, and hit any child near him.
My special friendship with Max started one day during our outdoor morning play. He was surely not in a good mood. He was walking alone and looked sad and angry. The teachers were closely watching him, anticipating a violent outburst. I came near, looked at him and sang “I’m going to catch you”. He looked straight to my eyes and after some quiet moments, he ran, climbed up our tree-house and shouted, “Catch me if you can teacher!” I chased him, ran and climbed up the tree-house too. Soon the other children joined the chasing game. It was a tiring morning but surely a satisfying one with the joy and laughter shared with the children, particularly Max.
The chasing game with Max continued each day that we were outside. Max could change the plot but chasing or catching each other was a significant part of the game.
The fun continued indoor. Max liked to mold shapes of animals and sea creatures with play dough. With play dough cutters, Max and the other children molded the dough into shapes of snakes, rabbits, sea horse, starfish, crabs, etc. Holding their creations, the children creatively expressed their imaginations in a dramatic play. It was spontaneous and fun.
Max was beginning to interact positively with his friends. He began to show enthusiasm in arts. One day, he painted a colorful picture of a house with a big door. With pride, he showed it to me. Looking at the picture with excitement, I said. “Max, please give me the key to the door. It is such a beautiful house and I must go inside!” He laughed and climbed on me. Whenever he climbed on me, it was time for me to hold him and play “peek-a-boo, which was moving his head sidewards while I moved my head in opposite sidewards direction alternately. It was a joy to see him laughing heartily and happily.
NAP TIME WITH NATHAN
Nap time was noise time for three-year old Nathan. He liked to make animal sounds which disturbed the other children who were ready to rest and take a nap.
Supervising Nathan at nap time was a big job for teachers. One afternoon, I
went to him, gently rubbed his back and whispered, “Rest now, close your eyes. I’ll play with you outside if you will rest and be quiet.” He looked at me, held my hand and said, “Promise, you’ll play and chase me outside?” I nodded. We made a “pinky swear” deal by putting our little pinky fingers together. After a while, the child closed his eyes and nap.
True to my promise, I played with Nathan in our afternoon outside play. True to his promise, he did not disturb the other children anymore at nap time. He quietly rest and nap with the other children while eagerly awaiting our afternoon outdoor play.
As observed, Jonathan, Max and Nathan were able to adapt positive behaviors through play. A sad or traumatic past experience usually gives stress and negative emotion to the child which can result in misbehavior. Through fun play with an understanding and creative adult, the child becomes happy. The fun play fills him with positive emotion. He can now express himself or his inner feelings better. The more the child can express his inner feelings, the less intense the negative inner feelings become. Through repeated fun play, the negative inner feelings become positive, understanding feelings, resulting in a child adaptive and positive behavior.
As observed, Jonathan, Max and Nathan were able to adapt positive behaviors through play. A sad or traumatic past experience usually gives stress and negative emotion to the child which can result in misbehavior. Through fun play with an understanding and creative adult, the child becomes happy. The fun play fills him with positive emotion. He can now express himself or his inner feelings better. The more the child can express his inner feelings, the less intense the negative inner feelings become. Through repeated fun play, the negative inner feelings become positive, understanding feelings, resulting in a child adaptive and positive behavior.”
