Hi folks! How are you all enjoying the lovely season of Autumn? If you are like me, as the temperatures drop and the sun is slower to rise and earlier to set, you find it harder and harder to want to leave the house. (And we haven’t even hit Winter yet!) It makes you realise, “gee it’s nice to be inside, isn’t it?” Inside a house, that it. Specifically, the house you call your own. Your home. So, that’s the theme of today’s blog.
Home is lots of things, in lots of different ways, to lots of different people. For some it’s the physical building. Others, the stuff we fill it with and the things we do there. Then there are the sensory aspects: the sights, sounds, smells (hopefully the nice ones from the kitchen!) and the tactile sensations. These aspects often form part of our strongest associations with the concept of home – not to mention, life-long memories. And last, but certainly not least, what makes a house a home is the people we share it with.
That’s a lot of things, isn’t it? Which is why home is such a great concept to engage children with. Start with the basic things (the physical stuff) that comprise a house. Over time, as their brains develop and can process more complicated thoughts, you can explore those other (less tangible) aspects that make it home.
There is such a variety of wonderful books on the subject, here is just a sample to get you started:
These days it’s more common to end up knowing more than one home. So, if you have a young family and/or are about to move for the first time, there are titles that might help youngsters understand what’s happening. Process any mixed feelings about it and, if they haven’t warmed up to the idea yet, maybe even get them excited about this new chapter in their life.
To finish off, let’s sneak in a homely rhyme or two:
HOME SWEET HOME
Some houses are big,
Some houses are small,
Some houses are wide,
Some houses are tall,
One of them is very best,
And that one is my cozy nest.
HOMES
A nest is a home for a bird.
(cup hands to form a nest.)
A hive is a home for a bee.
(turn cupped hands over.)
A hole is a home for a rabbit.
(make a hole with hands.)
And a house is a home for me.
(Peaked hands like roof.)
