Invitations To Explore
Click on the individual Invitations above to learn more about each one!
Invitations to Explore should be simple and easy to prepare with a basic theme. Themes can come from seasons, books, your child's interests, or simply based on what you have lying around the house.
They are not expensive and are created to let the child explore, imagine, and engage in open-ended play.
It's fun to get involved and model how you explore with the items and also greatly rewarding to step back and watch your child explore on their own.
For myself I discovered "invitations" kind of all at once. Almost like cocktail conversation it spread. From a hashtag on Instagram to features on JoJo's Magnolia blog. All of a sudden they were everywhere. These special places of play are derived from the Reggio philosophy of child development and are simply areas of tools, books, or pieces of nature and play items set out for the child to discover and explore in open ended play. They are changed frequently but can be used more than once.
For me personally the best part about setting up these stations, or invitations, is that I am able to quickly take everyday objects, forgotten toys, pieces of gathered nature or a book, arrange them in a simple, clean and new way or location, and my kids discover them all over again. It's like that toy your kid doesn't want until you go to throw it out. Rearranging or making the space less chaotic and busy, simplifying a toy cash register with a few items of play food and one of your grocery bags in a new location is a fun surprise for your children and can be a wonderful resource for getting dinner on the table or that difficult transition time from nap or coming home from a busy day at school.
Do you use Invitations to Explore or Invitations to Play? I love sharing and collaborating on fun ideas. I love to give credit where credit is due. I certainly don't come up with all of this stuff myself. If you want to share some of your ideas and investigations, I love to feature other great explorations here and to give new ones a try with our kids.
They are not expensive and are created to let the child explore, imagine, and engage in open-ended play.
It's fun to get involved and model how you explore with the items and also greatly rewarding to step back and watch your child explore on their own.
For myself I discovered "invitations" kind of all at once. Almost like cocktail conversation it spread. From a hashtag on Instagram to features on JoJo's Magnolia blog. All of a sudden they were everywhere. These special places of play are derived from the Reggio philosophy of child development and are simply areas of tools, books, or pieces of nature and play items set out for the child to discover and explore in open ended play. They are changed frequently but can be used more than once.
For me personally the best part about setting up these stations, or invitations, is that I am able to quickly take everyday objects, forgotten toys, pieces of gathered nature or a book, arrange them in a simple, clean and new way or location, and my kids discover them all over again. It's like that toy your kid doesn't want until you go to throw it out. Rearranging or making the space less chaotic and busy, simplifying a toy cash register with a few items of play food and one of your grocery bags in a new location is a fun surprise for your children and can be a wonderful resource for getting dinner on the table or that difficult transition time from nap or coming home from a busy day at school.
Do you use Invitations to Explore or Invitations to Play? I love sharing and collaborating on fun ideas. I love to give credit where credit is due. I certainly don't come up with all of this stuff myself. If you want to share some of your ideas and investigations, I love to feature other great explorations here and to give new ones a try with our kids.