and yet more

pRebecca commented about fantasy play:

<<How would you discourage them from doing so? Would you? I just can't imagine being able to do it. In theory I could but it would be difficult in reality. >>

   I think this is where the confusion arises.  Fantasy play would be considered more of an indicator than an end in itself.  Akin to attacking a fever without addressing the underlying trigger.  Like you said, it is more prevalent after tv viewing.  In our family it is way more prevalent after stressful times or times when the little ones are left to their own devices. 

   We have found that, just as the articles suggest, our small people resort to fantasy play less as the opportunity to do 'real stuff' increases. If they can prepare real food and serve a real family - and it can be done!- they eagerly abandon the toy kitchen. If they have sports equipment they will generally choose to play real games. If they have help working with the horses they will trade the toy animals for real any day. Now animals may not be available but usually yards are and real tools can have their handles cut down for smaller hands.

   Ditto cleaning tools. Rebecca says,"Everyone is willing to repair the fence with a hammer and nails but no one want to sweep the floors."  Sometimes it's the accessories that seal the deal lol! Individualized chore aprons, a personal set of tools and nontoxic cleaners etc. Moreover I think the European Montessori school linked to yesterday said it best when explaining the practical life activities - the motion of scrubbing the table and the suds created are both more important to the preschool child than the end effect of a clean table.  To me this is the whole point of prepared practical life activities. Rather than being artificial they serve as a sort of mental and physical calisthenic to refine motions, a lab of sorts. No one likes to do a job they are not able to do well. Practical life trays can be an important precursor to effective real life helping.

   Likewise the school says that children "spontaneously and naturally seek order".  This may not be evident at home though I noticed that when it was not it was usually due to the fact that we had gotten snowed under with stuff. Once they have a space that they are able to maintain they tend to do so much more willingly.  This was driven home to me last night. We took the toys out of the boys bedroom. Some had migrated back in during the wknd and there was a mini-tornado left from church prep since we had gone to the park after church last week and had not put one pair of church shoes away properly. It looked daunting but the boys knew where everything went and didn't fuss over picking up. Aidan even remarked LOOK Dad, that didn't take long at all to pick up!!  this is rather revolutionary in my life. <g> Huge incentive to stick to the routines and continue the purging.

   So bottom line,I try to keep the little ones right with us doing meaningful things like carrying the library bks or helping bathe and dress the real baby. Read about real people who did fascinating things. They get the impression early on that they, and their contributions, are greatly valued and that they positively impact the family.  This is important because when left to themselves they tend to get mischievous and they quickly sense that they are a liability rather than a blessing. We work to be  blessing - all of us. All of us are coming around to cultivating a deep appreciation of our roles in maintaining our environment. (yes, mom too!)

   Anyway, no I wouldn't discourage the play. I would use it as a gauge to see if it may indicate a need for less tv (no tv?) or less stimulation (clutter, over-scheduling) or more satisfying activities.  I think once we read the method over and over we generally know when we are dealing with a proper use of imagination and when it signifies a deviation or a stress reduction technique.  A good measure would be our comfort level.  I don't allow for fantasy play with school materials. That would be a good example.  If they don't understand a concept or are over(or under)stimulated in an exercise it tends to disintegrate into sword fighting or tossing the pieces about the table. Actually this happens with toys as well. IMO,that is normally my cue that something is amiss, rather than a sign of immense creativity.<g> If they were playing St George slaying the dragon I would be tempted to smile and leave them be.

   It is usually easy to discern if you are dealing with reenactment - which I would interpret as the child working out the functions of different roles - and disordered play. In the latter they are still working internal things out but it might signal to us a need to assess the environment.

Comments

[willa]

This is so interesting, Kim.
Reading your links and the passages I typed out yesterday, I got the impression that Dr Montessori did appreciate our human gift for imagination, but she thought it could spill out of its proper channels and have a negative effect. Similar to how a strong-willed child could have a temper that spilled out into rages, etc.

Part of it seems to be a warning against our adult tendencies to seal little kids into a world of pre-programmed fantasy. I've definitely seen that. The obvious example is TV but conventional nursery schools do a lot of it too.

Another corresponding part is her concern that little children under six can't really distinguish between reality and fantasy.

[mich]

>>Another corresponding part is her concern that little children under six can't really distinguish between reality and fantasy.<<

This is SO true. Ever try to have a conversation with a young child on dinosaurs and how they are extinct?? It's VERY entertaining, and a good illustrator that they just don't get it.