New Year, New Discoveries: Setting Play-Based Intentions at Home

As the calendar flips to a new year, many of us turn our thoughts to fresh starts and new goals. While adults often focus on resolutions for health or work, the start of the year is a wonderful time to set intentions for nurturing your child’s most important work: play and discovery!

At Shooting Star Childcare, we champion a play-based philosophy because we know that children learn best when they are actively engaged and driven by curiosity. The good news is that you can easily integrate this philosophy into your home life, transforming everyday moments into opportunities for profound growth.

Here are a few simple, yet impactful, ways parents can support their child’s natural curiosity and set play-based intentions at home:

1. Rotate Toys to Reignite Interest

Children can become overwhelmed or easily bored when too many toys are available at once. If you find your child jumping from one activity to the next without truly engaging, it might be time for a toy rotation.

The Intention: To foster deeper engagement, concentration, and sustained play with fewer distractions.

• How to Do It: Gather about two-thirds of your child’s toys and store them out of sight (in a closet, garage, or even under the bed). Keep a limited selection available—think quality over quantity.

• The Result: When you "reintroduce" a stored set of toys a few weeks later, it will feel like an exciting new discovery, sparking fresh ideas and extended play sessions.

  
  

2. Follow Their Lead (The Power of "Yes, And...")

The most meaningful play happens when children are genuinely interested in the subject matter. Instead of directing all play, take a step back and observe what is naturally capturing their attention.

The Intention: To honor and amplify your child’s intrinsic motivation and emerging interests.

Child's Interest	Play-Based Intention at Home	Example Activity
Pots, Pans, and Kitchen Items	Focus on practical life skills and sensory exploration.	Let them "cook" with safe, real utensils and dry beans or rice in plastic bowls.
Bugs and Nature	Support scientific observation and outdoor discovery.	Provide a magnifying glass and a simple journal for drawing observations during a backyard walk.
Building and Engineering	Encourage spatial reasoning and problem-solving.	Introduce cardboard boxes, masking tape, and child-safe scissors for creating large-scale structures.

• How to Do It: If your child spends an hour stacking shoes, don't interrupt to make them play with blocks. Instead, ask, "Can we find more things to stack?" This validates their current idea and expands the learning opportunity.

3. Create Intentional Spaces for Exploration

You don't need a dedicated playroom to support discovery. Focus on creating accessible, safe, and open-ended "invitations to play" in different areas of your home.

The Intention: To signal that curiosity is welcome and that creative expression is valued in your home.

• Reading Nooks: Hang a blanket over a chair or place a beanbag under a window. Make books easily accessible. This encourages quiet time, literacy, and imaginative escapes.

• Art Centers: Dedicate a small corner of a kitchen counter or table for materials like paper, crayons, or even a small container of playdough. The key is making it ready and available for spontaneous creativity.

• Sensory Bins: Use a plastic tub filled with dried pasta, scoops, and small cups. This simple setup is perfect for exploring textures, practicing fine motor skills, and engaging in focused, quiet play.

This year, skip the pressure of complex resolutions and embrace the simple joy of supporting your child's innate drive to learn. By setting play-based intentions—rotating toys, following their interests, and creating spaces for exploration—you are giving your child the greatest gift of all: the opportunity to discover the world on their own terms. Happy New Year and happy playing!