Act It Out: Transitions
While many of our co-created stories occur during quiet times when the goal is settling down and peacefulness, there are also so many opportunities to use story to get into action. I'm trying to get more in touch with these active story opportunities...especially as the on-going cold rain has me feeling like curling up under a blanket and have someone tell me a story (and oh, yes, how I look forward to the day when LP does).
I'm experimenting with using story-acting as a transition when LP is coming to the end of an activity (or if I need her to come to the end of an activity). For example, if she has been building happily with the Legos but seems to be getting restless with it and hasn't self-initiated something else, I might join her with the Legos and make a few offers to see if we can transform the moment. (She has so many opportunities throughout the day to self-initiate, I like to see if at least once a day I can pay close enough attention to be a part of it, just for varieties sake...and it does also work if the "transition" LP has arrived at is whining.)
Currently her Lego creations are either parfaits or trampolines or parfait trampolines (sticky but sweet landings on that one)...so I might start a story about a trampoline who liked to make people go up and down and flip around. I'd repeat a key phrase like "up and down and flip around" and then stand up and do some action of "up and down and flip around" myself and then invite her to join me and do it together.
As we're going "up and down and flip around," I'd pay attention to LP's body and words to figure out where to go next. The story-moment can be brief and just the transition (as our action moves us to the big bed for some tumbling time) or can be an entry to a shared imaginative experience as we find out what happens when the trampoline flipped LP so high up into the sky that she landed on a cloud or perhaps she would become a pancake being flipped.
This post is part of the Moms' 30 Minute Blog Challenge over at SteadyMom.
I'm experimenting with using story-acting as a transition when LP is coming to the end of an activity (or if I need her to come to the end of an activity). For example, if she has been building happily with the Legos but seems to be getting restless with it and hasn't self-initiated something else, I might join her with the Legos and make a few offers to see if we can transform the moment. (She has so many opportunities throughout the day to self-initiate, I like to see if at least once a day I can pay close enough attention to be a part of it, just for varieties sake...and it does also work if the "transition" LP has arrived at is whining.)
Currently her Lego creations are either parfaits or trampolines or parfait trampolines (sticky but sweet landings on that one)...so I might start a story about a trampoline who liked to make people go up and down and flip around. I'd repeat a key phrase like "up and down and flip around" and then stand up and do some action of "up and down and flip around" myself and then invite her to join me and do it together.
As we're going "up and down and flip around," I'd pay attention to LP's body and words to figure out where to go next. The story-moment can be brief and just the transition (as our action moves us to the big bed for some tumbling time) or can be an entry to a shared imaginative experience as we find out what happens when the trampoline flipped LP so high up into the sky that she landed on a cloud or perhaps she would become a pancake being flipped.
This post is part of the Moms' 30 Minute Blog Challenge over at SteadyMom.
posted by Susan at
8:04 PM
3 Comments:
I love this - story opportunities and don't they love being part of it!!! Hope you have a fun week!!!
This is really interesting! I started writing about ways of easing transitions. So far I've written about using humor and games. When I get around to finishing it I'd love to add a link to your post. Would that be ok?
Jen - yes, please do link...I'd be honored!
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