Early Childhood: Slide "Game"

Over the many years of our early childhood program, we've seen variations of this slide "game." There is more than meets the eye to this sweet picture of multiple children going down the slide one after the other. This game has some rules of engagement, made up by those playing it and by the "boss of the game." They are negotiating, working through conflicts, learning to be considerate, testing boundaries, having a great time when it is working well, and then shedding tears when things aren't going the way they expect. Shortly after this picture was taken, one of the mostly smiley children was sitting next to the slide, crying. Something had gone wrong in this "bump on the slide" game. A teacher checked in with her, and in no time she was up laughing, smiling and continuing to play the game. Imagine how much work goes into five or six children between the ages of four and five figuring out a game of their own imagination. We are blessed at DVWS to have a space where children can play deeply.