We have really noticed Ethan tipping his toes into "pretend play"....something that is a struggle for him. Yesterday morning, Ethan created this game. I was so impressed. Yes, it still has a pattern to it as well as repetition, but he created this long drawn out process all on his own. I couldn't believe how many steps it had since this is also a struggle for our Ethan. Usually he can only remember & follow about 3 directions at a time...and sometimes not even that many. So here is Ethan's made up game....I'm so proud of him!!!!
Step 1 - Pick 3 cards from his Logo Board Game
Step 2 - Take Mommy the 3 choices of which she can choose
Step 3 - Take the chosen card to the kitchen table & write the logo's name on the paper. Yes, folks, this child is voluntarily writing!!! It's a miracle!!!!!
You can see here that he has the chosen card
Step 4 - Roll the paper to get a new blank slate. This paper is on a roll similar to a paper towel roll.
He could slide the paper out & get a new canvas for the next card. This roll was brand new! And we emptied it during this game & had to get out construction paper......which is almost gone from a stamping game he created.
Step 5 - Add the completed cards to the line of logo cards & then start the process over!
Here is a closer look at some of the logos we completed.
I'm a big believer in showcasing kid's artwork, and my hallway was the only place for it....and even it wasn't long enough! Can't see Ethan's writing? It's because he has low muscle tone which translates into him not having enough strength to push a crayon with enough force to show up. It's very light. This is another reason why we do tumbling & swimming as well as OT....to strengthen his weak muscles.
Pretend Play is something that we don't see a lot in Ethan. Pretend play can also be labeled creative play, imaginative play or make believe. Lots of kids pretend to be princesses or cowboys. Kiddos also enjoy pretending to play in a kitchen or taking care of a doll.
The only time we have really seen Ethan enjoy pretend play is when is he making his cars race in an imaginative race. A few times we have seen Ethan enjoying playing in a toy kitchen, but for the most part this is not common for him.
However, I have noticed a change in Ethan over the last several months. It started out on a day he was home sick. I was trying to coax him into taking more medicine, and I used one of his semi trucks to ask him....instead of me. Ethan lit up like a Christmas tree, and LOVED that his Mack truck was talking to him. Well.....for a good solid month after that, we played "Big Mack & Little Mack." I would get to be the little semi, and Ethan would be the big semi.....and we would have long conversations as these characters....L-O-N-G.
Then, I noticed that he was starting to pretend to be Elmo or Dora or Charlie Brown or any character that he had recently watched on TV or played on the computer. Yes, the games & actions were still patterned, but he was creating the voices & words all on his own.....new ideas & new games.
And just this week, Ethan has been full of creating new games & new characters! One day, we were singing in the car, and in the middle of the song, he said, "Let me hear ya now!" OMGosh! I laughed & laughed!!!! Sooooo funny!!!!
Not normally a cartoon/TV/movie watcher, Ethan has been soaking it all up the last 2 weeks. I don't know why the change, but I'm thinking he is studying......studying the "socialness" of the characters & then acting them out in his playtime. It's been so great to see Ethan doing this kind of play because it has been a goal we have really struggled with in teaching him. And we are seeing the first signs of Ethan's creative play! And we are soooooo excited!!!!! A little worn out from sooooo much playtime & interaction....we are used to our "leave me alone & let me play by myself" child......but we welcome this new stage! YEAH!!!!
Here is a LONG (7 minutes) video of Ethan pretending to be Elmo. He called it Ethan's World (instead of Elmo's World), and came up with all of these actions & rules of play all on his own. He is reading some books that he made on Elmo's World website, and whenever anyone would appear in the story.....well....you'll see. We were merely his audience.....and everyone was having a good time. Enjoy!!!!
