I hosted Art.of.Hygge's first play date of the brand new year this morning.
I set out an intention for my play dates on this statement - Less is More, after more than a month's break from the play date routine.
-To be more present with the parents and their kids during the session
-To reduce any unnecessary distractions (by having more activities or more materials for eg.)
-To allow the lesson to flow with each session and go along with the energy of the class if the session turns out to be different from was written on the plan.
The positive energy of Being Present is undeniable. You start to make positive human connections with one another and the atmosphere in the air lightens up. It makes people feel at home and to be comfortable in their own skin. Kids thrive in safe and secure spaces. This is when they start to take in new things and to c.r.e.a.t.e.
The session this morning was an intimate and cozy one. Two parents attended with their almost 2 yo boys. I introduced them to our music and movement routine and they were enjoying for a good 30 min. (which is a good start for newcomers and for little ones so young!) Instead of trying to check off the other songs on my song list, I decided to call for a break. The moms had a great time connecting with one another, sharing our motherhood experiences. The kids were happy and of course, the moms were relaxed.
We continued the next part of the session with Body Tracing Art. It was a messy one! (as expected) But nonetheless, we have got really beautiful art impressions!
A mom had fun tracing the outline as her boy seated on the mahjong paper. There were giggles and laughter.
Easy to grip crayon (on the right) works better on the little hands
Painting using sponge
Artful work of a 2 year old
There were a few moments when it calls for the camera to be out to capture those precious memories. Especially when one of them was occupied with tasting yarn (noodles for lunch?) and painting at the same time. How multi-sensory! I quickly turned back to reach for my phone camera but the moment was gone. Later we decided just to be present for the moment and to take all that in and capture it in our memory, instead of looking for the camera and missed that golden opportunity to savor. Another reminder to myself that if I want good photographs, then I would need a photographer on site to capture those moments. It is not doing us any good if I try to facilitate a session and be the photographer at the same time. It is just impossible to juggling two tasks at one time. You only end up sharing that 100% of your attention with the two tasks- that is not being present.