Throughout my 20 years in the field of early childhood development, in the classroom and as a kids’ show host, I have observed that a young child in focused, self-guided, open-ended play is like a lucid dreamer. Consider how our subconscious processes the experiences of our daily lives during our dream cycles. When adults pay attention to children’s verbal and non-verbal play, we are, in a way, able to look into their subconscious, and with some careful observation and analysis, gain a pretty good idea about what they are experiencing in their daily lives. From there we can begin to figure out how we can best serve their specific needs.
