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Type: Crafts
Skills: Critical Thinking,
Play & Creativity,
Social & Emotional Skills
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Most of us know that praise and encouragement help build our children’s confidence and self-esteem. But do you realize that the kind of praise you give your child is more significant than how much you praise him or her? While the praise and encouragement you provide is important, it’s equally important for your child to become self-motivated and learn that the accomplishment can be its own reward.
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What We Learn |
Empowerment
Problem solving
Trust
Creativity
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Supply List |
PVC pipes and connectors
Masking tape
Sandpaper
Decorative stickers
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How-To |
Get various pieces of PVC pipes and connectors from your local hardware store. It’s best to use PVC pipes because it’s a safe material for kids to use. Don’t use copper or other metal pipes because they’re not safe for young children.
Cut the PVC pipe into various size lengths. PVC pipes come in long lengths, so in order to make the pieces child-friendly, you’ll have to cut them down. There may be some rough edges where the pipe was cut, so use sandpaper to smooth out the rough edges and make them safer for kids. This is very easy to do and only takes a minute.
Set up all the loose PVC pipes and connectors where they are accessible for children. You can use plastic containers or buckets to gather the pieces.
Find an adequate surface for the children to build on. Set the children up in an area that will allow them to build their structures both vertically and horizontally. They can use various colors of masking tape or stickers to decorate their structures.
Allow children to be as creative as possible when building their structures. Provide support with materials as needed in order to encourage the children to build freely. Remember, this activity is better suited to preschoolers than infants or toddlers because they can manage these materials by themselves.
Because this is an open-ended activity with no right or wrong answer and no defined end result, we’re encouraging kids to take the initiative and do what they think would be a good idea. By allowing them to do this and be creative, you’re showing them that you trust them, therefore, they should trust themselves. This trust is an indirect form of praise and gives kids the opportunity to see that the reward is them feeling good about themselves. The product of their imaginations and hard work becomes the reward, and that’s what we want to begin teaching children. |
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