Children are so curious and always trying to learn more about the world. But, sometimes, without meaning to, we steal their thunder! Click on "Read more" below to learn more.
Have you ever read the book Each Peach Pear Plum? My cousin gave it to Coco for her birthday and it's fantastic! It's a little game of 'I spy' that follows fairy tale characters with really sweet drawings. Take a minute (and 19 seconds! ;) to watch it being read aloud above.
Did you find yourself looking for the characters mentioned on each page as the narrator read? Can you see how that makes it a really fun book for little children? Coco loves Each Peach Pear Plum even though she doesn't have the slightest grasp on the concept yet. She notices other things on each page, like the dog, or the baby's pacifier, or on one page there's a little purse or bag that she loves to point out each time.
The other night, as I was making dinner, I heard J in the living room reading the book to Coco. Later, I asked him if he points out the characters mentioned in the text as he reads, because I never do! Much to my delight, he said no. As parents, it would almost be natural to point out the hiding characters as you read, but if we did that, it would actually be robbing Coco of the chance to make the discovery herself.
Discoveries like that feel good. It's like finishing a crossword puzzle or solving a riddle. If someone else gives you the answer, you don't get that blast of synchronicity in your brain that feels so awesome. Other times a child might discover something are out in nature. Mushrooms, birds, eggs and nests are all wonderful things to discover without having someone point them out to you. I also find it really important to protect Coco's independent play at home. It may not look like she's doing much to me, but she tends to have her own agenda. Lately, she is really interested in gravity and along with that, stepping up and down curbs. Once she's satisfied with something, she moves on to another crazy venture. But the initial satisfaction and delight she gets out of these discoveries is awesome. I certainly don't want to rob her of that! :)
I used to tell this to the older children in my classroom. I explained that telling the younger child something they are about to figure out on their own is like ripping open a bud--now it will never bloom. They loved that.
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