Playing Is Educational

When people think of puppet show theater, they probably are thinking of television programs, like the Muppets and Sesame Street. It’s true that the characters in these programs are puppets, but they are far different than the puppets that came about hundreds of years ago in China.A puppet is a figure whose movements are controlled by someone through, strings, rods, or hand movements. Early puppets were thought to be used as tribal ritual masks, and had hinged jaws and jointed skulls. Somewhere along the line these puppet masks evolved into doll-like figures with moving appendages. Hand puppets were common during early times, because they were easy to transport and manipulate.

Many cultures used puppets for ritual and entertainment. Egyptians crafted jointed, terra cotta puppets while Native Americans used puppets during ceremonial dances and harvest festivals

Children, especially babies and toddlers, are still developing their gross motor skills as well as fine motor skills. Gross motor skills involve bigger movements like jumping, running, or going up and down the stairs. Fine motor skills, on the other hand, make use of finer movements particularly of the hands. These include writing, tying the shoelaces, or stringing beads together.

Some kids develop these skills faster than others do. The use of different educational toys, such as baby building blocks, can improve a child’s small motor skills. Wooden blocks are particularly encouraged, especially by educators. Children can create so many things with blocks; playing with these wooden toys also help children develop their imaginations.

It seems like everyday we are bombarded with new plans and initiatives to confront the childhood obesity epidemic in the United States. I consider myself to be a healthy person, so when I had kids, I made a commitment that my children would never be one of those statistics. From an early age, I tried to instill in them the merits of eating a well-balanced diet and exercising on a regular basis.

In an effort to cultivate these habits, every night I have my kids help me prepare dinner, teaching them the various facets of cooking and nutrition. I’ve also tried to promote physical activities and have resisted the urge to purchase them excess amounts of video games and movies. Instead, I bought them a set of Gorilla swing sets for their birthdays, and they now spends hours every week playing outside and strengthening their bodies.