Intro

My buddy’s name is Dexter. He is 6 years old in grade 1. Dexter is very kind, and we get along well. His favorite food is macaroni and cheese, and his favorite song is Shake it off by Taylor Swift. Dexter has 2 brothers, and they enjoy playing soccer along with other games. Dexter is a perfectionist and his biggest strength that I have noticed is his reading skills, Dexter loves to read.

Our visits

On visit 1 we played a get to know each other game. We finished the game pretty and he got a bit bored. We switched to doing some drawing together and then he made me close my eyes while he drew me a surprise. He drew him and I under a rainbow.

On visit 2 we made thanksgiving turkeys. We cut out paper plates and glued on feathers. We wrote things Dexter is thankful for on the feathers. We unfortunately only came up with 2 things he was thankful for, me and soccer.

On visit 3 we made coloured leaves for fall. We cut the center out of the paper leaves and replaced it with tissue paper then laminated them. Dexter seemed to enjoy this activity; he had some troubles cutting but improved as we went along.

Our interactions

Dexter and I have been getting along very well. We chat during activities, and I like to ask him questions about his life. We talk about his friends, family, hobbies, and games he likes. Dexter is quite good at most of the things we do; however, he is a perfectionist. The only times when Dexter really needs my help is when he gets tired of cutting or doesn’t know how he should start cutting something. Dexter follows instructions incredibly well. When we made the turkey, he read me all the instructions and made his turkey accordingly. He even corrected me once when I misunderstood the instructions. Dexter is always very eager to work and to make our crafts. He occasionally will get discouraged with his cutting or because we do not finish in time, but I am usually able to hype him back up. The only real “glitch” I can think of is when he could not think of anything he was thankful for when making our turkey. I dealt with this by listing things I know he likes, such as his parents, siblings, mac and cheese and soccer. Dexter decided that the only things he was feeling thankful for were me and soccer.

How does this relate back to my inquiry question, how does play, particularly pretend and imaginative play, support language development, storytelling skills and emotional growth in children 5-7?

Spending time with Dexter really showed me how play helps kids grow in so many ways. When he made me close my eyes so he could draw a surprise picture of us under a rainbow, he was using his imagination to tell a story and show how he felt, which helped him express himself. During our crafts, like when we made the turkeys and leaves, he practiced his reading and talking skills by reading the instructions out loud and explaining what he was doing. I could tell his confidence with language was growing. Play also helped him with his emotions, sometimes he got frustrated when things did not go perfectly, but with a bit of encouragement, he’d get back into it and feel proud of what he made. In these visits I am realizing that through simple play, kids like Dexter learn to communicate, imagine, and handle their feelings better.

Final thoughts

I really enjoy working with Dexter and I am learning a lot from him. I cannot wait to see him next week and do whatever craft or activity we are doing!