I can’t wait for you to get to know this playful, working mama, my friend (in real life!), Jacqueline. She is awesome! We met at church several years ago and have been in a small group together, too. Plus, I had the privilege of having her oldest, who is just 2 weeks younger than my twins, join us in my home during the week when I first became a Stay-at-Home Mama.
Since I met Jacqueline, I have been impressed by her ability to balance work and play. She seems to float between the two spaces with such grace and skill. I hope you will be inspired and encouraged by the way she values play and makes it a part of her family’s lifestyle while working full-time!
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Tell us about yourself, your occupation, your kids, and your favorite type of play when you were a child.
-My name is Jacqueline. I am a Christian, wife, full-time kindergarten teacher for 16 years and counting, and a life-long learner- most recently earning my master’s degree in early childhood literacy. I am also the mom to two amazing little humans, which has proved to be my most rewarding and most challenging venture yet. My daughter is four and my son is 16 months old. Through my work as a teacher and a mom, I have come to seriously value play. My most vivid memories of play from my own childhood were from when I was out in the backyard woods with my slew of cousins. We only had our imaginations to keep us busy, and that was plenty. There also wasn’t much adult supervision or interaction. We were just left to be kids.
How would you define play?
-I was having a hard time thinking of how to define play, so I asked my four-year-old what play is. She simply said, “Fun!” I think she nailed it. Play is doing something you enjoy just because you are intrinsically motivated to do it. Sometimes it’s done independently and sometimes it’s done with others.
Why do you think play is important?
-Play is important for kids because it is how they learn. When kids are intrinsically motivated and enjoying what they are doing, the roots of what they learn will go deeper. Play also provides opportunities for learning that might not take place otherwise. It can support the development of social skills, language, math, literacy, academics, motor skills, faith… It’s also important for moms and dads because when we take care of ourselves by doing things we enjoy, we can be happier and more present for our families. This is something I’m working on.
How do you incorporate play into your day?
-Sometimes I set up purposeful play activities when I have specific goals in mind that I want to teach my kids. Like if my daughter is struggling with sharing, I might work on some of those social skills while we are playing with her dolls. A lot of our play also has to do with the books we love. I guess that goes along with having a teacher mom. We will act out parts of books and sing songs or do word plays that go along with them. It is just a fun way to get kids excited about books and exposed to early literacy.
I’m so glad it’s spring now, though, because my favorite way to incorporate play into our day is by spending lots of time outside and just letting my kids use their imaginations. Sometimes play is a good way to make things we don’t enjoy more fun too. I use it a lot in school to motivate kids and keep them engaged in learning. I am so excited to work in a school district that values the importance of play and actually has guidelines requiring it in all kindergarten classes.
How do you do play with mixed ages?
-I find that playing with mixed ages requires a lot of modeling and teaching. My kids are at very different social skill levels, so we do a lot of talking about problem-solving and traits like patience and kindness. Many teachable moments naturally arise when children with mixed ages, interests, and abilities are playing together. I also like playing with materials that can be used in many different ways when playing with mixed ages. For example, my daughter can create elaborate designs with blocks while my son is stacking and knocking them over.
How do you play?
-Sometimes I take my kids’ lead when we play and engage at their level. They love this because they think it’s funny and it validates their creativity and interests. Sometimes I guide the play in a purposeful way when I am trying to use it for teaching. I am working on being more present when we are playing. Sometimes I am SO tired from work and lack of sleep. It’s easy to check out or get on my phone. When I do that though, I miss out and so do my kids. I really try to limit screen time for me and for my kids so we can be present with each other.
Also, I like to play in the kitchen, baking up lots of good things I shouldn’t eat. I like to play in my garden. I like to play with my friends by just sitting around and talking and laughing.
What is your favorite type of play with kids?
-My favorite type of play with kids is outside imaginative play without toys. I love seeing what kids come up with on their own. I also love getting messy with kids. In my classroom and at home we do a lot of painting, sensory bins, blocks, etc. These activities are fun, so good for their motor skills, and provide lots of opportunities for teaching. I also love teaching literacy through play. Oral language skills are the biggest indicator of later success in reading, so I enjoy teaching kids new words and playing with language as we are doing things we love. My 16-month-old even gets into this. He is at the stage where he is starting to learn lots of new words, and it is fun to incorporate his vocabulary into our play. It makes him feel so proud he is able to communicate and participate.
How do you incorporate play into your faith or faith into your play?
-I incorporate my faith into our play acting in a way that is Christlike and talking about it as it naturally arises. I also try to point out when I see my kids acting in Christlike manners. It also often comes up when we are problem-solving in play. For example, my daughter got frustrated that her brother took her toy the other day so she pushed him over. We talked about what to do when we are angry, but we also talked about how God forgives and so can we.
You are a beautiful example of a playful, working mama with a full-time job outside of the home. How do you balance work and play?
-It’s really hard to balance work and play! I’m still figuring this out. Being a teacher is a busy job that I have always poured a lot of time into. One thing that has helped has been setting strict boundaries with work. I have a set time that I leave each day, no matter what, and I do not bring work home with me. This means that I really have to be efficient and purposeful with my time at work so I can keep up with everything. Something I have loved this year is that I have been able to run home on my lunch break to nurse my son. I love that I can connect with my kids and sneak in a little play before returning to work.
Do you have any favorite play resources?
-Pinterest is my favorite. I have to pick and choose some of what is on there, but it is fun to grab ideas from there to try with my kids at home and at school. I also love talking with other moms to see what they are doing. The library is also a favorite.
Anything you want to add about play, faith, or kids?
-Play is such a good way to address behavioral issues and teach social skills. Behavior communicates needs kids have. Finding those roots and staying patient is so important and play is such a positive way to make working through the tough stuff more fun. A lot of times, kids respond so much better when it is presented in a playful way too. I love using puppets to teach about behaviors and social skills. I’m not too worried about making a fool of myself.
-I read something about trying to say “yes” as much as possible to kids. Obviously, this has its limits, but the idea really has stuck with me. It’s easy to stifle play because it is messy or a lot of work or we are too busy. I am trying to find more opportunities to just say yes and see where it leads.
Isn’t Jacqueline great? She is such a fun and playful mom! I know it can be hard to be a playful, working mama. My heart felt torn in 2 directions when I had a job outside of the home. But, Jacqueline shows it can be done. And, done well!
I’m looking forward to the post-pandemic days when we can get our girls together again and all play together.
Do you play in the garden with your kids? Comment below and let me know what y’all grow!
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