Play helps us release stress and connect to our deeper emotions. In the shared experience of group play, we make meaningful connections and strengthen relationships, This applies to both children and adults. We know play is vital for children, but we sometimes forget it’s important for us as well.
As a form of play, art has the added benefit of documenting our experience.
We make something to take home.. .something to keep that holds the memory of our experience,
The Tambourine Workshop offers teachers much needed stress relief.
I presented this same tambourine workshop for TEN years at education conferences nationwide, then retired it to offer new topics.
It’s back by popular demand! (truly, it’s memorable, teachers keep and use their tambourine FOREVER.)
As GREAT as they are, tambourine workshops can only happen once in a while as a special treat, as a way to show teachers you value their well-being. They remind us we can have fun and meet serious goals at the same time. .
But you don’t need a tambourine workshop to relay the message that play is powerful. Play and serious learning goals co-exist…and in fact, play often reinforces serious goals.
Many teachers still deliver “cookie-cutter” PRODUCT ART instead of using art as a social emotional language. Many educators were never taught the value of play. But when teachers realize they can use art as a Positive Solution to Challenging Behavior, their buy-in may change. Art can then become a helpful element of classroom management. It can provide a solution to their every day challenges.
Recently I presented PD on Positive Solutions to Challenging Behaviors for Region 9 Head Start, and California Child Care Alliance.
Educators are desperately looking for ways to help children transition into classrooms after the pandemic. Expressive art is a play approach that has largely been untapped, and one that can really help a lot.
How does art address challenging behaviors?
Here’s a slide from my workshop lecture that illustrates that idea.
When adults or children get together to make art with a teacher who knows how to facilitate open ended play, good outcomes naturally happen.
Help YOUR teachers become well versed in doing just that, by booking a CreativePlay workshop today. Here are new training topics for 2023 and a list of FAQ’s.
Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts and share your experiences. I hope you enjoy connecting with like minded spirits as much as I do.
