Bubbles-Bubbles!
It has been awhile. Winter melted into spring and as I write this, summer is passing by. One thing I have found is a constant with our children, and perhaps your own is the excitement of bubbles. Chasing them, catching them, popping them and ultimately, blowing them. Something we take for granted, is a skill set so vast I had to write about this powerful right of childhood.
Got to thinking about a picture I posted onto our Face Book page, showing a toddler blowing bubbles with a straw in a plastic cup. If I had shown a followup picture, you would have seen the immense joy and pride that came with being able to master this task. This boy and a friend started blowing bubbles and were quickly joined by the rest of the class. As I watched each child, it occurred to me how much is involved in doing this and how much a child gains by being exposed to bubbles. Don't believe me? Read on-
You can start exposing children to the joys of bubbles when they are infants. They can track the movement of the bubbles to develop visual discrimination and focus. Babies can build body strength during mat time by holding themselves up to look and follow the bubbles as they float and land.
As children get older, start to crawl then walk and run, bubbles provide opportunities to build muscles. So many opportunities to develop muscle tone and balance. Every time a child stops, changes direction, jumps up and so on, they are building muscles and coordination. Eventually they will want to hold a wand or tool to practice blowing their own bubbles. This will help develop fine motor skills which will aid in writing and drawing.
Other skills developed include building facial muscles by practicing blowing which aids in language development. Practicing saying words like, bubble, blow, big, small, up, over, down, etc.. give the child opportunities for speech development. Following directions is another skill learned. Learning where their body is in relation to the world around them is also a critical skill(spatial awareness).
Who knew when you picked up that bottle of soapy liquid from the store and started making bubbles, you were also making ample opportunities for your little one to learn and grow? Why not pick up some bubbles today and get "blown away" with the results!
Happy summer!