Early Literacy Challenge 5: I Like Your Hat

Our kids have always loved playing with hats. Right now, M is particularly obsessed with playing dress-up with hats. Both A and M think it is the silliest thing in the world when they put on a hat. So, we keep hats laying around our house and we all play dress-up with them.

A and I have recently started having pretend tea parties while wearing hats and then having a real tea party with lemonade and whatever "petit fours" I can whip up in two minutes- toast with cheese, carrots, peanut butter power balls (from our freezer). I put all the food and drinks on actual plates and tea cups (A usually eats off of plastic), which makes it extra special.

Not only is this game fun, but it helps picky eater A eat more food during snack time. We spend our whole pretend and real tea party talking in funny voices and making up stories about the food we are eating- "this [piece of toast] is a mountain and then there was a giant avalanche and now it is a tiny rock [after we take a giant bite]". This is such a fun game because it is just A and me together. It is not a daddy thing and we do this when M is napping. It always starts with a hat.

I love this type of play, because it is completely directed by the kids. M will crawl or stagger (because she is still getting her walking feet) into a room with a hat on and a big grin. All we have to do is say, "I like your hat" and she gets a look that shows how proud she is that we noticed her hat. A will say, "Let's have a tea party. You wear the princess crown and I will be the cowboy." It is magical.

ECRR Early Literacy Practices: PLAY & TALK
Early Literacy Skills: vocabulary, imagination, creativity, bonding, social & emotional development