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PLAY

Maria Montessori said, “Play is the work of the child.”  When it comes to a Wild Tribe activity or activity box it is our aim to empower and excite a child through educational, accessible yet challenging tasks that can be aided by adults whilst giving the children space to make mistakes and master new skills.

 

We would encourage adults to prepare and hold a space for the child to create, then observe and be present but do not interfere when unnecessary.  If a child is mastering a skill this could look repetitive and mundane but this may well be enjoyable for the child.

 

If a child seems distressed by a task or openly reaches out to you for help, we of course encourage you to gently aid them in the process without taking over and completing the task.

 

 

Creating a calm environment for your child to interact with their activity may look like this: 

 

• Turning off music, screens, and toys with flashing lights.

• Tidying a table, surface or room to minimise distractions from the task.

• Ensuring your child has been the toilet, has eaten and had a drink, before pursuing the task at hand.

 

When the environment is ideal children are intent, focused, and purposeful. The quiet might seem unnatural, but all it means is that the children are so engaged with the activity that they chose that nothing can distract them from it.

 

 

SAFETY

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We of course promote safety when using materials and will always display our recommended age range for an activity or box.  We do aim to cater for a variety of ages and therefore leave it to the discretion of our customers to assess whether a child is old enough for any particular activity or item, and to ensure it is sensibly used.

 

Top tips:

 

• Check all activity materials before you and your child begin a task.  Some materials will be completely safe for one child, but pose a risk to others so we rely on adults’ knowledge of their children to assess safety of particular activities.

• When small parts are being used such as beads, ensure younger siblings are either not present or not given access to the materials.