Overview
Plopping a bunch of chip clips into your early learning space is a fun way to spark exploration and discovery among a group of kids. Plus, opening and closing the clips is a great way for the younger ones to build the small-muscle strength and control necessary for manipulating a pencil when they get a bit older. This kind of play also hones hand-eye coordination—another preliteracy skill.
Social relationships, it turns out, have deep evolutionary roots. You will not escape the need in your lifetime.
—John Medina, Brain Rules for Baby: How to Raise a Smart and Happy Child from Zero to Five
Ingredients
various chip clips. Once you start looking for them, you’ll find them all over the place in all kinds of fun shapes and colors.
⅛-inch nylon rope
Process
1. At an angle, secure a piece of rope across the room so that the clips will freely slide from the high end to the low end of the rope. Secure the high end of the rope high enough that the kids will have to stand on a stable chair or platform to reach it. (Remember, this kind of managed risk taking helps children build confidence and learn to assess danger.)
2. Plop the clips. If the clips are brand-new, let the children figure out how to unpackage them.
3. Step back and observe the play. It’s possible your crew won’t think to hang the clips on the rope at first—and that’s okay. That’s the beauty of child-led play. Follow their lead.
More Play Adventures
1. Clip a pendulum. Secure one end of the rope from the ceiling so that the loose end dangles a few inches above the floor. Let the kids add clips to the rope and swing it. As play progresses, they’ll likely discover they can use the clips to attach objects like baby blankets, dolls, and pieces of paper to the rope. Follow the children’s lead and see where the exploration takes you.
2. Be a hero. Gather clips and some old towels or baby blankets. Secure superhero capes to kids using the clips. Since the clips do not have a lot of clamping power, they readily release if someone pulls on Superman’s cape or if Batman gets hung up on a piece of furniture.
3. Do clip painting. You can make DIY paintbrushes by securing bits of sponge, fabric, shower puffs, dried grass blades, ribbon, or rope in the jaws of a clip. Tape the jaws shut if you want the items to better stay in place.
4. Give them a home. Giving clips a regular home in your play space will lead to all kinds of inventive play. Just find a logical and accessible place for them to live in your space, and let kids know where to find them.
Notes
You’ll get mixed up in the next chapter . . .
