Play Learn Know

Book excerpt: Simple and playful solutions to developing complex skills preparing children for school and life (ages 3 to 7). A child is a work in progress who thrives when everyday living becomes an interactive game. Play. Learn. Know. is a guide to help Mum and Dad (and, in an ideal world, all caregivers) to shape their child's body, heart and mind with care and thoughtfulness. It gives simple and playful solutions to developing complex skills preparing children for school and life (ages 3 to 7). A child needs to experience life to become part of life. You can help your child to belong by exposing her to everyday life: name the things you touch; explain what happens around her; show her how things work; and allow her the opportunity to discover-learn, to move and ask questions freely. You don't need to know all the answers - teach her from an early age to find answers on her own. This book is not a checklist or a time sheet to tick off or fill in arbitrarily; it is a road map to guide you along the journey of development. It has no age indicators, because every child unfolds developmentally in her own time. Child development is not a race to 'get there first'. It is a journey during which there are skills to be developed, knowledge to be discovered and thousands of experiences to be enjoyed along the way to school readiness.