Hey Forest Friends Fam,

Today I have an activity that Oakster Emilia and I have been playing during the past few weeks.
Lately she has been very interested in reenacting parts of the day from school. This form of pretend play has been a great way for me to learn what parts of school Emilia misses most, as well as what parts have really left an impression on her.
Pretend play is a great way for children to process strong emotions, and right now seems like the perfect time for it.
One of her favorite activities to reenact is a birthday at school. We will start by first gathering all of the props. Her stuffed animals will become the Oaksters and Redbuds, and one lucky stuffed animal gets to be the birthday kid. I drew a large ‘2’ and ‘3’ on two pieces of paper for the stuffed animal to jump into their new age. There’s also a book reading and a song of course!
When playing you can take note on the scenario they wish to act out, and the role that they choose to play. This might give you some insight on what activities they enjoy and what dynamics interest them.
I also feel like this has been a great way for us to feel connected to school and to share some joy around it.
This may bring up big feelings for some of your kiddos, and that’s okay! It’s also good to follow their lead on how they want to process all of this change, and if you feel like this activity may be a bit intense for them, then trust your judgement!
I hope you find this helpful, and if you are already doing school pretend-play, then please let me know what parts of the day your child has been drawn to.