Alfee's Day

Alfee's two yet he shows very little interest in books and any 'serious stuff'. He's great with his gross motor skills and he has a natural sense of rhythm and grove, but he just can't sit still long enough for a story. It worries me sometimes even though deep down I know he'll be fine.

Alfee played with his paper ball and jumped onto it. It popped, of course, leaving behind a very dismayed though fascinated boy. I meant it as a natural consequence when I showed it to him, trying to tell him that he won't be able to play much if he plays rough. Yet, I saw some curiosity and 'eureka' in his expression so I quickly converted it into a craft moment.

Essentially, I ripped the ball into pieces (he helped eagerly, naturally) and let hime fiddle around with the pieces a bit. Then I got him to scribble with colouring pencils on a piece of paper. He wasn't too thrilled with that although he obliged me. 

Alfee was more keen on sticking the pieces on the paper. Meanwhile, I talked to him about the paper ball bursting and popping. The pieces were thrown everywhere as a result. Surprising, he understood what I said. Don't ask me how I knew, but I'm sure he did. He was blabbering on and on, occasionally I heard words like 'balloon' (that's what he calls paper balls), 'pop' and 'everywhere'.

End product wasn't a 'wow' but his level of understanding was. I'm truly amazed that he got what I wanted to express. He was even able to show the picture to Ah Gong and tell him about the picture.

Ah Gong was also beaming with pride when he heard from me what happened. He's always very supportive of the activities I do with the kids even though he disagrees with some (personal preference). Playdough is definitely a frown because it's yucky and messy. Usually, Alfee would pinch and drop bits all over the floor. A nightmare for parents and helpers, I'm sure. I can tolerate it though. 

As I was showing Alfee how to use the tools, Ah Gong became more and more interested in using the tools on Playdough. Soon, I found him fiddling with the Playdough even though Alfee was long gone from the station. Fascinating! How nice if Ah Mah can be so curious as well...