I love this picture of my son with his German Uncle and girlfriend. When Uncle Philipp came to visit from Germany, he brought this wooden tool set. I also love how they sat nearby watching and observing my son discover, explore and play with the wooden tool set. In general, the Germans, do not like or have commericial toys or electronic exposure. They are known for their wooden toys that promote creativity. Some of the gifts we have received from our German family have consisted of nesting blocks, books and more books, wooden hammer set, wooden stick horse, a bouncy Rody, wooden tool set, wooden bead maze, and a wooden matching game. All stimulating toys that help with creative & imaginative play.

This week, Lisa, Kindermusik by SoundSteps of Dallas, wrote a post about maximizing creative play. I love how Lisa says, “Children don’t need constant stimulation. They must take in information at their own pace to process it. Bombarding the brain and body with lights, sounds, or fast paced sequences has no benefit for a child. Open ended self-directed play teaches a child that he doesn’t have to be entertained to be occupied. The entertainment is discovery.” We wisemommies just love and highly support the ideas of Lisa and her methods for the development of the whole child. We feel very strongly in the concept of giving your child the opportunity for creative play.

The following are some more examples of child-led activities, which we have created, in our son’s room, to encourage imaginative/creative play:

1. puppets (also could be dolls)
2. legos
3. drawing boards
4. books
5. cooking utensils & play food
6. hats (we have hats reflecting other cultures as well as hats for different jobs such as a fireman, postal worker, astronaut, construction)
7. jigsaw puzzles
8. blocks, building bricks
9.