When our children were small, I firmly believed, “Let them be kids, they will have the rest of their lives to be in school.” So, that’s what I gave them. Room to play, to be creative, to be messy, to be risky. Room to try things, fail, and try again, to experience, to regulate, and room to be KIDS! We were outside often, and regularly went on “field trips”. Our children joined me in everyday tasks, such as running errands, cleaning the house, prepping food, doing laundry, and other general life skills. While I followed their lead in their interests, they were still held to expectations and our days followed a regular rhythm. While none of our kiddos attended formal preschool, they were beyond ready for 4K. When I first started caring for other people’s children, I took this same approach, even telling them that I am not a preschool. Over the past few years, I was encouraged to abandon this mindset in the name of “high quality care”. The rating standards paired with what I was lea...
Play is learning! Learning is playing!