Evening star., 1942-08-26
Children Prefer
Floor Games
In Playtime
Permits Exercise
OF Large Muscles
Seldom Used
Bv Aneelo Pafri

y
Children like to play on the floor
rather than sit on chairs. A chair
is not always convenient to the play
action. It is too high or too low;
it interferes with free movement,
and then, too, it keeps the feet on
the ground, and If there is any one
time more than another when feet
must touch the ground, IT Is IN play
time. Clear the floor.
A rug softens noise and breaks
the bumps, but 1t is not as easily
kept clean, nor as easily used as
polished floor. Blocks do not stand
50 well; wheels do not turn so easily
on rug as they do on smooth wood.
The bare, clean floor is what Is
needed, but II there must be cover,
let It be linoleum. OF course 1t Is
cool, and cold, but 1t Is easily
cleaned: it is smooth and 1t allows
the free. use Of toys.
One Of the best occupations for
little children Is q floor blackboard.
Get a sheet of heavy black cloth and
tack it firmly to the floor. Give the
child a bit of chalk and flannel
rag and let him get to work. He
will make pictures, scribble and
scrawl, and thoroughly enjoy HIM
self.
This exercise allows him to scrib-
BILE and scrawl where his work does
no harm. A long, curving scrawl-
ing mark on the blackboard will
harm nothing while it gives the
child the greatest imaginable salts
faction.
Children below the age Of six
must use their larger muscles IN
great, sweeping motions and there
are few opportunities for them to
do that legitimately. That Is why
small boys throw stones, scale rocks
and fling sticks. They must stretch
those big muscles and unless they
have q place and time for 1t they
make them as they find them, witt
sad results. The floor blackboard
for the smaller ones, the wall board
for the somewhat bigger ones serve
a most useful end.
Along with the floor blackboard
cloths go the maps of imagined
lands, storybook lands, produc
maps Of real lands, any map tina
allows a child to travel on 1t II
imagination and and pleasan
places and happy landings will dc
There are maps of fairyland. o
stories, on the market, and ther'
are maps to be had from tn
grocery houses, importing house
and shipping companies that can b.
used in many interesting ways.
These games require the help o
an interested and interesting olde
person who tells the story tina
the map displays. Little childrel
listen breathlessly to the story o
journey on the map. stopping Of
at interesting places to take Of
loads Of wonderful riches. Sool
they begin to do the buying AM
loading and enjoy q wonderful ex
perience.
These floor games that ALLOW
children to move easily over a wild
space, use their larger muscles
fill their minds with new and use
full ideas, will come in handy dur
ing hours of enforced idleness IN
doors. The effort that some olde
person will make to have the gam
function will be repaid many time
over in the happiness Of the chill
dren and In the growth they make
| The care OF the materials !
simple. The blackboard cloth ]
wiped and rolled and put In tn
closet. The maps are pasted OF
muslin, rolled and kept on a hand
shelf. The cost is slight, the servic
as complete as the leader makes It..
If you find it difncult to get you
boy or girl to mind, the fault !
probably yours. Send for Angel
Patri's booklet, Obedience" inclos
ing 10 cents In coin and seen
stamp. Address Angelo Patri, II
| ooro ~ ttoie y1nuycy,a y,er