The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-03-10
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By Olive Roberts Bsrton
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 TEACH CHILDREN LESSONS THROUGH MEDIUM OF PLAY
 The resOurccfuI mother can
 use tine play mood In many
 ways to teach her child tm-
 portant moral lessons. This
 Is the message Olive Roberts
 BartOn imparts i'm another of
 her interesting articles on
 Child Training.
 When you say that, smile, said the Virginian when someone insulted him.
 Behind this lies a truth that is at the very root of all human psy- chology.
 People will accept things in play that they would resent bitterly if presented in any other mood. The play mood is contagious. It begcts sympathy or at least acceptance in others. It is the psychology that lies behind games. We learn a million things in crossword pug zles that we would be bored with most decidedly if we were in an English class and asked to consult the dictionary every minute. More over what we learn in the play mood fastens itself to memory. Where there is real interest in volved, learning has a habit os sticking.
 Froebel, years ago, recognized this truth when he founded that garden-school of his and began to teach little children through the medium of play,
 Using the Play Mood
 The mothers of little children might keep this in mind. Not that they need to set up kindergartens at home and spend their busy hours counting off colored balls and weaving bright mats exactly, but just to recognize the invalu- able truth of using the play mood themselves and in their offspring.
 Little children of the pre-school age can be reached and trained in a thousand ways just because they are so susceptible to 1t.
 And this, also, is important. Whether she has time to play with a child or not, at least he should have enough toys of various kinds to keep him very, very busy. A little fellow cannot concentrate on one toy for very long, or even on any one interest. Five, ten, fifteen minutes. according to his age, and then he is off to another. After a while he is back to the first, but If there is not enough variety he will tire of all and then time hangs heavy on his hands. And he be- comes fretful.
 Another matter to keep In mind is that each. toy should provide something for him to do. They need not be handsome toys but they do need to be interesting to him. Things to build, to pull, to ride. to pound and to climb. Anil mals and dolls are fine, but they are not enough. The child can only find q limited expression in them.
 When he is at play, experiment. ing and keeping. awkwardly busy, it is amazing how many little moral lessons can be gotten through to him.
 How It Works
 If he has been selfish and his mother has been puzzled about how to make him generous, now is her time. And, by the way, this pre-school period is the time to cultivate generosity. She can say, Here is an apple. I've cut it into three pieces. Now give one to your visitor, Jane, and one to Teddy Bear and eat the other yourself /"
 Jimmy looks suspiciously at Jane. He doesn't like her. But Teddy Bear has been high in his graces that morning. He does as he is told. But Teddy isn't hungry.
 Mother says, Freddy, would you like Jane to have part of your piece? See! He mods his head. All right. Jane, take the first bite. Here, Jimmy, he wants you to have the rest"
 The play mood has been the agent. The resourceful mother can use it in many ways. Jimmy has experienced generosity for the first time. The next time will be easier and gradually a habit will be formed