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Play Faces

As I've grown in my own understanding of what play is, I've been working on acknowledging that everything young children do of their own volition has value to them. I was reminded today of the value of watching and biting my tongue.
One preschooler began squealing unhappily. Another had taken a dish from her and was running away. They began chasing each other across the house, both yelling now. I looked at the first child's (Henceforth referred to as A) face to decide if I needed to intervene. I looked at the other child's face (henceforth referred to as E). To my utter surprise, they were both smiling. A moment later, A exclaimed, "Shiver me timbers! Give back my ponies!"
What would I have done if I hadn't paused for that moment? I would have intervened, thinking I was helping model problem-solving but instead ending their game abruptly. They would have lost their game entirely, as I ended it with a "teachable moment". Their developing social skills would have taken an unnecessary hit as I deprived them of an opportunity to play together and learn how to interact with others.
So, a final note to myself for next time: intervening too soon is worse than intervening too late. In the words of Lady Allen of Hurtwood; "Better a broken bone than a broken spirit."

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