One of the first stages of play is filling and dumping. Children enjoy repetitive play with objects and gains motor and practice skills. When children are doing this they are becoming aware that containers can hold other objects. They are also gaining knowledge of sizes and shapes. They are developing eye-hand coordination. Taking blocks out of a large box, pegs out of a pegboard, toys out of a trunk, and sturdy puzzle pieces out of a puzzle is a good place to start. Then you can help facilitate placing these items in. Water and sand play are another source of dumping and filling and helps with sensory integration. Plus it is fun!
How To Engage in Simple Play
Please watch the video below. When watching the video here are some guided suggestions to help you with the viewing.
The therapist gave the Grandmother several suggestions that the grandmother could use to encourage Marcus to play and interact. What strategies did she suggest related to their physical position, eye contact and language?
How did these small changes encourage play/interactions between Marcus and the Grandmother?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-c50HNnPg0