My son loves cars, trucks and all things that go.  I know a lot of Moms might say that…but in our house that is the main toy of interest at all times. At first, I was a little worried about that, and wondered if maybe I should try to “force” him to play with something else (because we know with toddlers that ALWAYS works..right?). Then, I started thinking about all the ways I can guide him to explore new things by incorporating and encouraging his car play.

Those thoughts turned into a new post for NAEYC’s “For Families” site…enjoy!

My friend and I have something in common.  Our sons (mine is a year old hers is 18 months) both love trucks!  When we go to the library – what do they want? Books about trucks. When we’re on the street what do they notice? There goes a school bus! A concrete mixer! Wow that truck is fixing a stoplight! Every playdate starts out with an excited “Cars? Trucks?” as they race into the playroom. Cars drive over the sofa, the barn gets repurposed as a garage and long lines of cars march over the piano.  The cars even came out with us to play in the snow and the transportation themed maze puzzle makes long car rides seem shorter.

She and I have both had people ask us why we don’t encourage our sons to play with something else.  One dad even joked, “Try taking all the trucks away one day and see what happens.”… Continue reading here