I hope everyone is ready and looking forward to a wonderful year of discovery and great engaging play. Sometimes when we have many new toys and activities, like after the holidays or a birthday, little ones get overwhelmed. There are different reasons that this may happen:
1. Sometimes it’s because there are just too many things in the environment and it becomes visually overwhelming. If this is the case, introduce the new toys slowly. Keep the play environment the same and observe your child to know when you can add more or change the environment slightly.
2. Some children will respond differently because the familiar toys are gone, maybe packed away, to make room for the new toys. The toys that your child expects to see and engage with are no longer there. Sometimes children don’t have too much of an interest in the toys or activities until they observe you modeling how to play with them.
Set up times when you can engage with your child to demonstrate appropriate play with these particular toys. Remember that having social and engaging times works best for many children when they know what to expect. Making the play times as predictable as possible at the beginning is key. The best times are usually when your child is well fed and rested.
3. Children will sometimes use a particular toy for comfort that is no longer available or has been moved. Many children use a blanket, stuffed toy, or favorite cup for comfort but others may use a specific activity for comfort.
Some examples may be: engaging with a number puzzle in order to count when becoming frustrated, looking at a favorite book and labeling the animals, or maybe dumping the bean bags and throwing them back into the bucket in an attempt to demonstrate control within his environment. Also sometimes it just feels good to dump stuff!
Continue to observe your child in all of his environments and take notes on:
1. what behavior is occurring
2. when the behavior is occurring
3. and for how long did it occur.
Discuss any changes to your therapists in an effort to make smooth transitions to new toys and tasks.
Happy New Year and Have Fun!
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