What do you do with a group of toddlers terrified by the notion of a haircut when you know there will be haircuts just around the corner?
Well, you get their imaginations fired up, of course!
We set out to dispel fear armed with a pair of plastic scissors, a "barber shop cape," and a vibrating tooth brush. (Hey! It sounds and feels a bit like buzzers, but carries no risk of really bad 3-year-old induced haircuts.)
And before long we had some genuine smiles in the hot seat!
Joshua felt particularly suited to the "barber" role...
But when it came time to be the one getting a haircut, he wasn't so sure if he trusted William to wield the toothbrush safely.
But in the end, the game sunk in... because since then, the kids have been caught staging their own "barber shops" in the playroom with an upside-down lego box for a chair, a small blanket for a cape, and imaginary scissors since no others can be found.
Despite the toothbrush which found its battery sorely worn down, there were no casualties in the haircut game. (That's mostly because we keep the real scissors out of reach...) However, some didn't like the game as much as others. Though we didn't get a picture of him, Samuel cried just as hard in the pretend haircut as he did in the real one the next day!
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What a cool idea!! I needed that a few years ago with our middle son. Oh my goodness ... I think he thought we were going to cut his head off or something and I was seriously thinking we should have named him Samson and left it long. It was a serious wrestling battle at the hairdresser's every time.
ReplyDeleteMelt my heart that Samuel cried so hard! Oh my ... he could be one of my boys for sure. (insert heart pang) Maybe the Thomas DVD's I'm sending soon from a group of us moms will be a nice distraction for him and others to watch while getting their hair cut. Movies are what distracted Easton enough for me to take over the task of haircutting ... which I now love to do for all our little guys! But I LOVE the electric toothbrush idea. You guys have the best ideas!
Hang in there Samuel!
You guys are BRILLIANT! I love your creativity with the kids. And from a mama of one of your precious kiddos, I can't say enough how appreciative we are that you prepare them for such 'normal' things they will experience in their new homes one day. Khloe has been doing amazing at home, and is so incredibly adaptive to everything... thanks to much preparation from an ever-so-amazing foster home center!!
ReplyDeleteGREAT idea and FUN photos...gotta LOVE William's smiles...they are SO contageous!! :) awwwhhh, but poor little Samuel. Hopefully with more 'play' haircuts and barbershop visits happening in the playroom, he won't be so scared next time! ;)
kuddos to the wonderful teachers at new day who come up with such creative idea to teach the children. i LOVE this idea...teh smiles on the kids faces clearly show how much fun they had cutting eachother's hair with toothbrushes...FUN FUN FUN FUN
ReplyDeleteGod bless,
andrea