It is truly amazing to watch the incredible problem solving and social skill building that occurs during this play. These children are working out issues such as how to get the boxes to stand up, how to get in and out of the boxes, how to fit children in the boxes and how to keep them from falling down.
They are making decisions such as who can come into the structures, who gets to be in charge of who comes in and out, who is leading the building project and what are the rules of its use.
These children are communicating by their body language as well as their language. They are stating their desires and learning to both cajole and compromise. They are trying a solution, reflecting on how it worked and trying a different way. Some are becoming more assertive and others are learning to take a more passive role in order to keep the peace.
Children who do not normally play together are investigating new alliances.
And all from playing with a few empty cardboard boxes in a new space.
I did want to add a few of the books we explored to help us with our play issues that I have been discussing and tied in nicely with the boxes:
Amazing ideas
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