Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/my-granddaughter/5018966/
I am enjoying the company of a new grandchild. She is just over a year old. My wife and I are lucky that my older daughter, Maia, and her husband Bill, live close enough that we can see her often. In fact, we see little Elly (Elysia) almost every day.While I deeply enjoy her company as a granddaughter �" after all, her favorite activity is to pull my graying beard �" as an instructor of child psychology, both for early childhood and psychology students, I am, of course, fascinated with observing what I teach in reality. While her parents are not amused with my continued references to theory and research �" the inside joke is that everything she does is a new circular reaction! I certainly enjoy watching her grow and develop.
Of all the observations of this feisty, little spirit (yes, like my children, she is ‘off the charts’ �" or, more accurately, she never got on them), these two areas have caused the most thought for me: she continually finds everyday objects far better playthings than expensive toys, and she is clearly preprogrammed to develop and learn.
Everyday play objects
The other day Elly waddled into the kitchen and started playing ...