Getting back to school involves many transitions for our little ones. Some start a new school while others enter a new class. Each change brings transitions that our younger kids often find it difficult to adjust to. As a past kindergarten teacher, I know how important it is for my kids to role play new experiences with toys and their friends. It helps make new situations not so scary.
- Role play encourages your children to get into character. It allows them to communicate thoughts and/or anxieties they may not otherwise feel comfortable sharing.
- Role play allows you to expose your children to social situations in a safe way. Role play teaches them how to deal with changes in an appropriate way.
- When you role play with kids, you help your child develop feelings of empathy. They can see other perspectives and alter their way of thinking during play.
New experiences can be scary
For many kids, taking the bus for the first time can be very scary. It’s hard to visualize what it will be like, who they will sit with and where they will put all of their stuff. I wanted to prepare my kids for this experience by creating a similar environment for them through play.
When I heard Target was coming out with a new line of , I couldn’t help but get them the school bus! The timing could not have been more perfect! I immediately knew this school bus would be a great way to help my kids adapt. Great news for your vehicle lovers, the whole set is now available at Target.
Building it is all the fun
Put anything buildable in front of my son, and he is in heaven! The kit comes with durable poles and connectors that snap and click together easily. The pieces attach so easily, and even better, they come apart easily too making it simple to take apart and pack away when they are done playing! Watching him put all the pieces together was half the fun! Once he assembled the pieces in the shapes of a bus (with some help following the steps), we place the school bus cover on top and the kids hoped inside!
Make believe your way to success
We created a few situations that made my son nervous. One of my kids played the bus driver while the other played the kids on the bus. We role played what to say to the bus driver and came up with some things that the bus driver might say back. We also role played what to say to their peers on the bus, such as “Is this seat taken?” or “Hi, can I sit here?” to give him the tools to engage with other kids on the bus. Of course, we discussed school bus safety and the importance of always sitting down and keeping your arms and hands inside the bus!
While this set comes with a school bus cover, my kids used their imagination to create and build a variety of other structures using the poles and connectors too making this a multi-purpose toy!
After playing in the school bus all weekend long, he felt confident getting on the bus and exploring this new adventure! We decided to start the year off right by giving the bus driver a little gift to show our appreciation for all that she does!
