Free play, imaginative pretending and having parents who leave time and space for their kids to have freedom to explore are in my experience some of the most important ingredients for enriching childhoods.
I've been so impressed with Mrs. Ewing's children, her mothering and ideas about play. So I asked her if I could share some of her ideas and her kids play here on the blog.
Here is what she has to say:
The toys are kept near where she works so the kids play close to her. They are open ended and beautiful.
This is her daughter playing midwife unicorn, with playsilks green as grass and turquoise as water. Wooden animals and trees complete the scene, with lots of imagination added!
Simple birthdays are the best!
Here is her daughter in her birthday crown and with her beloved new doll!
One or two well loved dolls is better than too many.
A dressup basket will be used over and over again!
Here are girls playing pretend butterfly fairies in their fairy skirts.
"Boredom is always there best door to the imagination. At least with my girls, their most in depth and longest times in play have come out of a moment of boredom." ~Mrs. Ewling
Adding blocks and wooden animals from makers like Osteimer and Grimm's Wooden Toys adds simple beauty and lots of possibility to the play room.
Also important are nature studies of common items found in the yard, and of course, lots of time playing outside.
Combined with lots of love, healthy meals, and good sleep makes for happy, healthy childhoods!
Family play ideas and photos from @_mrsewlingdrygoods
What lovely images! Thanks for sharing! We actually do all of these things in our home as well! The dress up box is a favorite for my 3 and 9 year old boys!
Kaitlyn on
Great article! I love the photos and ideas. We have art supplies easily accessible at all times. And my boys’ toys are ones that lend themselves to creative play. Kapla planks, wooden vehicles, Playmobil figures, Legos, etc. Tons of outside time in the sandboxes and on the climbing dome, or digging/building in the backyard “construction site” – a back corner of the yard that we turned into an area for digging, building, etc., with no restrictions.
Kim on
I love to see my kids explore nature and creating with their imaginations. They have created forts in our yard with sticks, logs, pinecones and whatever else they can find/imagine. We started this at a young age, allowing them freedom to create, and they continue doing so and their play becomes more elaborate as they age. Such a wonderful gift!
Liz H on
I try to step back and let her discover on her own. I feel like this has helped foster creativity in our home a lot.
Heather on
Great article. We are working hard at putting “play” back in our classrooms!
MJ on
Beautiful ideas! My little one is almost 2 and I’m so grateful to have learned about the importance of simple, open ended toys early on. I try to purge all the plastic things she was given early on and even had a gentle conversation with my parents to express our desires to stick to natural, open ended toys.
Carissa Adsit on
We have lots of open ended toys such as blocks for building and boxes for creating and we love dress up play
Jolan Holmes on
Something creative that my 7 1/2 month old likes to do is play with his food. He loves the different textures and shapes :) instead of cleaning up when he starts playing with it I just let him go at it, he has so much fun and has played with it for almost an hour before! It makes him so happy :)
Erika on
Great article!
KIrsten on
I allow my 5, 3 and 15mo to have art supplies out at all times. They are allowed to be creative and play always.
Brittany Alessio on
Love this article.
My little guy just turned 5, we let him play on his terms. No rules for play (other then safety, of course). He may be holding a car (for instance), but pretending it’s a robot. Lots of “free art” stuff within reach, again, no set expectations, whatever he creates and sees. Also thibgs to make music within reach, we have many impromptu comcerts. :-)
Kandy Pople Gill on
So, so true. Beautiful words and images. Love your shop and your blog!
Sarah on