PLAY. COMMUNICATE. CONNECT.

PLAY

When the things we do are engaging and fun, we learn from these experiences. As such, play is my primary focus, especially for young children. Ideally, I think all of us should have fun learning and growing.  When I think of what I am passionate about, I am playful in the way I grow my ideas and use my creativity.

    “Play for the adult is recreation, the renewal of life; play for the child is growth, the gaining of life.”  Joseph Lee (father of the playground movement)

By following each child’s lead, even if they are non-verbal, we are able to figure out what they like or feel passionate about. This is the key to unlocking the motivation for each child we live with, work with, or love.  My goal is to help us recognize this motivation, making it easier for your children, teachers, and parents to unlock the puzzle of learning.

COMMUNICATE

The first question most parents ask me is: “When is my son/daughter going to talk?” I can understand why this is such an important question because it allows their children to join them in their speaking world. It enables parents to understand their children’s needs, wants, ideas, and feelings about the world they are joining.

My response usually is: “We don’t really know if or when they will speak.”

With that in mind, the question then becomes, “What will enable my child to engage with me and the world around them?” And the answer to that is COMMUNICATION.

“Communication is the most important human aspect after breathing.” – Unknown

Communication is not the same as speaking, although it does include speaking. At a very young age, babies are communicating with eye gaze, then pointing, or gesturing toward objects of need or interest. My job is to help you, as parents and teachers, to recognize these signals and others, and then to build on them.

CONNECT

Isn’t this what we all want?  CONNECTION?  Maybe not at the same intensity or in the same way, but key to our existence is how we connect to the world around us. I like to think we all crave and have the capacity to connect and unite on different levels.

My mission is to enable each of us to find our purpose, to playfully communicate, and to connect with people, nature, objects, animals, and the world. We are all one and have a “sameness” even though we may express it differently.