At first only one or two of the children were pushing the chairs around the room and it took me a few minutes to realize what they were doing….
Their teacher clued me in that her two year old students now love to make trains or turn their chairs into cars and push them around the room….
I just couldn't help myself – I had to join into the fun and together we played trains. This is what teaching young children is all about. Letting children explore their environment can naturally lead to the expression of new ideas that are meaningful to them.
There is a time when the chairs need to go back where they belong but don't be too quick to stop the play when it isn't what you expect – there may just be some learning going on!
I was working at a pretty 'wild' centre a few weeks ago (behaviour-wise) on their 'wildest' day… I set up a few chairs like this in the room for when we came inside, and abra-cadabra! Absolute peace and tranquility reigned as the children took turns at being the bus driver, the passengers, the crying babies… we had co-operation and self-directed learning all the way to lunch time. Awesomeness!
Isn't that the coolest thing ever Candy?
My kids LOVE playing trains. Where did you find the song?
We sang the Train Song from my CD in the classroom:) We used Chatanooga Choo Choo for the show with the older kids!