Before you toss that cardboard box into recycling, consider what your child might see: a tunnel, a building, a ramp, or the beginning of something you haven’t imagined yet.
For Westchester families who love hands-on activities, Beyond the Toy Box is a free upcoming training from Cheryl of Preschool STEAM and Kelly of Van-Go Wagon Co. It explores how everyday materials can invite children to create, experiment, and follow their own ideas.
What will the training cover?
The training will explore:
- Loose-parts building: Materials children can move, combine, and rearrange.
- Ramps and water play: Invitations to experiment and try different approaches.
- Simple machines: Opportunities to explore how things work.
- Thoughtful prompts: Ways adults can support exploration while keeping children’s ideas at the center.
The focus is on giving children time and space to build, test, make changes, and connect through play. Expensive activity kits and matching finished projects aren’t required.
A fresh way to approach playtime
As parents, it’s easy to feel like we need a new activity ready every afternoon. Sometimes, though, an invitation can be as simple as setting out a few materials and seeing where our children take them.
Instead of demonstrating exactly what to make, try asking:
- “What are you thinking of building?”
- “What could you try next?”
- “Would you like help, or more time to work on it?”
A project might change direction halfway through. Children might take something apart and begin again. Leaving room for those choices gives them ownership of what they’re making—and gives adults a chance to discover what interests them.
Sign up for the free November training
Beyond the Toy Box is coming in November. Sign up now to receive an email when the training is ready.
Participants will also receive Preschool STEAM’s free guide with 50 ideas for building materials, offering more inspiration for getting started.
