3 Tips on Setting Up Invitations To Play

By Megan Schiller, Guest Blogger

An Invitation To Play is simply a thoughtful display of a few toys or materials, set up in an inviting way.  They are a great way to encourage independent play and stimulate a child’s imagination. It’s best to set something up while your child isn’t around and let him or her stumble upon it.

1) Set up a few items in an inviting/intriguing way so that your child is drawn to play with them. It can be as simple as putting a few stuffed animals in a circle, a tea set in the middle, along with a plate of cotton balls or river rocks to get their imaginations going. When you include one interesting item that isn’t usually used with the other items, it sparks curiosity and imagination.

A few other ideas:

• Blocks, small cars, cardboard tubes
• Playdough, toothpicks, beads
• Paper, envelopes, stickers, markers

2) Set it up at night while your child is sleeping (so he or she finds it in the morning). Or for an afternoon activity, set it up while your child is at school or taking a nap.

3) Try setting up one Invitation To Play every day for a week. You may begin to notice a difference in how your child interacts with the toys or art supplies. If you stop after a week, don’t be surprised if your child asks for more! The more you do it, the more fun it becomes to think of new, fun ways to set up Invitations To Play.

About Megan:

Megan Schiller is the founder of The Art Pantry, a design studio specializing in children’s creative play spaces. As a former Reggio-inspired preschool teacher and art educator, Megan’s mission is to encourage creative independence and learning through inspired design. In addition to working one-on-one with clients, she has launched a series of DIY guides and other resources to support more people on this journey. Megan lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and two young daughters.