The 4 D’s of safe space & the hunting of monsters

Over at Supernanny Rules, Gayla has posted a lovely article on creating a room free of ogres, trolls and bogeymen under the bed. She is acknowledging that children need their safe space, and a space that they can call their own. Without such space there is nowhere for them to withdraw and regroup before setting out on their next new adventure.

4d’s of safe space

• Delineate - make sure there’s a door to pull to, or a curtain hanging up, or a bunkbed for shared rooms. Something to say this is yours and this isn’t.
• Decorate - choose colours, and furniture with the, so they can say “look at that, it’s mine”.
• Design - take an old chest-of-draw, let them add sticky stars and take their ownership of the space a little further.
• De-militarise - when other kids come round to play, keep the bedroom out of bounds. It’s a place for your own to call their own.  No TVs or computer games… these are sociable vaporise-your-mum-and-dad-on-playstation activities.

Add a little play magic

In play imaginary up-wellings can be caught and transmogrified. Monster can be hunted - bad-beasties of all kinds melt upon contact with water; for proof watch Wizard of Oz. Armed with such information we sometimes have a small plant-mister sitting ready. Liberal spraying by parent and child can dowse bogey-beasts and bogarts in giggles.

We also have a story chair, monsters do crop up, but stories deal with them. Dragons are slain, lost is found, Max returns from Where the Wild Things Are and Not Now, Bernard is eaten… erm scratch that last one. Narrative plays with ideas, it takes ideas from here to there.

And when the monsters are there, when there has been sadness and stress. Play. Fight or frighten the monsters. Turn them into tales. But know that they’re real.

tag... play, 2up, 3up, 5up, stay safe