E
xcuse the mess … my
children are making
memories,” are the
handwritten words scrawled
across a brown piece of paper and
stuck to the front door of Barbara
Ashbrook’s apartment. Step inside
and you’ll find two happy siblings
constructing buildings out of empty
boxes and toilet rolls. Half an
hour later, Timothy, aged five, and
Madelaine, aged three, have added
splashes of paint and a sparkle of
glitter to their skyscrapers. They beam
with delight as they add the finishing
touches to their artistic interpretation
of Hong Kong’s skyline at night.
In Chad Gerson’s home, two-year-
old Quinn is preparing an imaginary
meal in his toy kitchen. Moments later,
he is racing around in his toy car,
screeching to a halt to announce that
the traffic light is red. Meanwhile, in
Kirsten Zaki’s home, Kitty, four, and
Emmanuelle, two, are playing dress-
up and have been whisked away by
their vivid imaginations to a far-away
magical land.
“
If we really take some time to
observe our children when we are not
rushing them off to some scheduled
class, outing or visit, and when we
drop all the ‘shoulds’ and ‘oughts’ of
our parenting role, we will notice that
they naturally play and experiment
creatively with any object in the
Unleash your children’s creativity and watch them
grow in confidence, writes
Angela Baura
.
30
Playtimes