Stick-tastic
Sticks are one of nature’s best playthings although there is often debate about their safety.
We believe sticks should be a part of children’s play and are one of the first ‘loose parts’ a child will encounter and begin to use imaginatively and creatively. The risks associated with stick play can be minimized by having stick guidelines to keep the play safe. Stick safety guidelines will vary according to age and developmental level and should be discussed by teacher, parent, caregiver and children.
These are a few of our guidelines we share with children:
Be aware of stick size-have child show you both ends of a long stick so they are aware of the length
Always use walking feet when you have a stick in your hand
Sticks cannot ever touch another person’s body
Climbing with sticks is not permitted
Aside from the imaginative way sticks are used in play they also make wonderful educational tools.
Look in our ‘Songs & Books’ page for ways to incorporate sticks in learning. There are poems, songs, and books that use sticks to teach rhythm, engineering, social-emotional skills, and counting.
Sticks can be used in learning activities for sizing, sorting, categorizing and measuring.
Examples of sizing by height, categorizing straight and curvy and sorting by thick and thin sticks
